When it comes to 8-year-old golf prodigy Chloe Kovelesky, it’s hard to tell what’s more impressive: her playing ability or her attitude toward the game. Golf is an inherently frustrating sport, as much a mental game as a physical one. Yet, as she demonstrated last year on a reality showed called “The Short Game,” the Boca resident approaches golf with a poise beyond her years.
“[The show] asked her first, ‘What’s it like for the other kids that are always trying to beat you?’ and she says, ‘I don’t think about them,’” father Rich Kovelesky recalled, “And then they asked, ‘What happens when you hit a bad golf shot?’ and she says, ‘I go to the next one and …’”
“Hit a great shot!” Chloe says, finishing her dad’s sentence.
Rich goes on to say how impressed he and his wife, Tina, were sitting behind the camera listening to their daughter talk about golf with maturity that belies her youth. However, viewers of “The Short Game” never heard those comments by Chloe; they were left on the cutting room floor, Rich says.
“The Short Game,” not to be confused with the Netflix documentary of the same name, was a reality television show that aired on the Esquire Network featuring some of the top young junior golfers in the nation. The Koveleskys agreed to be a part of the show because they believed it would help “grow the game.”
Once the show aired, they didn’t feel the same way. Footage and storylines deemed “not dramatic enough” never made it on the show.
Rich explains that the focus of the show shifted from promoting junior golf to exposing the intense and crazy parents on the course. Since Chloe and Rich aren’t ones to have spats in the middle of a round, or really ever, Chloe’s short moments on the show seemed to only be included because she was winning the tournaments.
Chloe stopped watching “The Short Game” after its pilot episode; Rich says it just wasn’t their cup of tea.
Rich and Chloe have a parent-child relationship that is unique in the realm of elite junior golf. While the rather extreme parents regularly featured on “The Short Game” aren’t the norm, ultra-relaxed parents like Rich also are rare. Even though Chloe spends multiple hours practicing nearly everyday, it’s not because Rich is dragging her out there; it’s because she’s self-driven. Chloe’s the one waking him up before school wanting to practice, and Rich is the one saying, “go back to bed.”
Rich also plays the part of Chloe’s caddy, although she’s reaching the level where she would rather compete without a caddy, which he encourages. He is truly a far cry from the overbearing daddy-caddie.
Both of their attitudes and Chloe’s love for the game are refreshing, and probably a large contribution to her early success. She has already won three world championships.
Rich said Chloe has a motto: “You got to be a great person before you can be a great champion.” At only 8, Chloe is already both.
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About Casey
Casey Farmer is a sophomore at Lehigh University studying journalism and business, who is interned at Boca Magazine this past summer. Casey spends most of her time on the golf course, both recreationally and as a member of Lehigh’s team. Aside from golf, she loves iced coffee, Zumba and dogs. You can reach Casey at caseyfarmer@bocamag.com.
