Her kids call the shots

Debra Warren has become a student of golf under the tutelage of an unlikely source, her children. 

Practicing at the River Club Golf Course driving range, her 12-year-old son, Oliver, stood behind her, offering advice. Her 16-year-old daughter, Sophia, placed the head of a golf club on top of her mother's head.

Sophia's goal was to make sure her mom kept her head still during the swing. It is a technique she and her brother learned at the Tim Sheredy Golf Institute at the River Club.

Sophia and Oliver have their own school of golf when it comes to their mom.

“You really know if you understand something when you can teach someone else,” Debra Warren said of her children. “I love the challenge and I love to learn.” 

Debra Warren never envisioned herself as a golfer, but after spending every day on the course with her children either at the driving range or shuffling them back and forth to private lessons and tournaments, she didn’t have a choice. 

Golf had become a way of life for her family. When Debra Warren decided to be participate with her children during the Mustang Scramble last May, she had a rough idea what she was going to happen. 

If offered her an opportunity to spend the day on the course with her children. What began as a simple ‘let’s just see if I can hit the ball’ turned into Debra Warren sinking a 30-foot putt to close out the competition. 

“I jumped right in and saved the day,” she said with a laugh. “That was my one contribution to the team, and I remember thinking ‘Wow, this is fun.’” 

Sophia and Oliver then began giving their mom pointers on everything from how to hold a club to ball placement; and gradually, Debra Warren has became a player. 

It is a game that has taught Debra Warren the value of patience. 

“This is the first sport that’s been awkward or challenging for me,” she said. “It takes a lot of focus and self confidence. You have to allow yourself to be bad enough to get good enough.” 

Debra Warren spends every day on the course with Sophia and Oliver, who are both home schooled, whether it’s at the driving range, taking them to private lessons or playing nine holes. Debra's husband, Brad, doesn't play golf, but he also supports the kids' golf activities and occasionally caddies for them.

Additionally, the Warrens use golf as a way to bring their schoolwork to life. A round of golf or a fitness training session at Whatmore Performance Training helps fulfill their physical education requirement. 

Sophia and Oliver also incorporate math and physics into their daily routine when they are explaining shot selection, ball speed and velocity to their mother on the course. 

“She teaches me biology and I teach her how to putt,” Sophia said. 

Sophia and Oliver both picked up their first golf club in November 2012. The First Tee had a home school program at the time, and the Warrens decided to give the sport a try. 

Sophia wasn’t a fan of the game at first. Oliver was the exact opposite. 

“I loved it right away even though I wasn’t great right away,” Oliver said. “That’s why I got better. It’s a hard sport, so you always want to get better.” 

Eventually Sophia, who ended up trying out for the Nolan Middle School golf team, came around and before long the two siblings had dug a hole in their front yard to practice chipping. 

From that point on, their practices only intensified. 

“It’s my favorite thing in the whole world,” Sophia said. “I’ve got the passion and the golf bug. I just love it more than anything.”

Now the two siblings spend their mornings engaged in a variety of early morning competitions with anything from 20 pushups to cleaning the other’s golf clubs on the line. Sophia and Oliver try to compete in at least three mini challenges a week and also hold putting contests in the house. 

“It depends on the day or the shot because we are neck and neck,” Sophia said of her and Oliver. “We’ve grown in the sport together, so it’s nice to always have someone to practice with and compete with.” 

In addition to coaching their mother, Sophia and Oliver also coach each other. The two practice together every day, so they are constantly watching and analyzing one another’s games and offering tips to better their performance. 

Additionally, Sophia and Oliver remain enrolled in the Tim Sheredy Golf Institute where they train five days a week at the River Club Golf Course. 

When they can't get to the course, mattresses make the perfect target for chipping golf balls while stuffed animals lined against the wall are the next best thing to holes for putting. 

“It works like a charm,” Oliver said. 

Golf has truly brought the Warren family closer together. 

The two siblings caddy for one another when tournaments allow it. If they aren’t caddying or playing, then they are cheering one another on while their parents handle the caddying duties. 

“Golf is the first thing they’ve learned outside of me being a parent and home school mom,” Debra Warren said. “They are growing and learning how to create goals. 

“It’s exciting to see them take that initiative and run with it,” Debra Warren added. “Now they are teaching me.”