It was sort of just a family sport. My mom and dad were pretty

The words of Karrie Webb, “It was sort of just a family sport. My mom and dad were pretty keen golfers when I was young and so were my grandparents, and I just sort of tagged along with them,” shine with the quiet simplicity of beginnings. What she describes is not the thunderous moment of destiny, nor the deliberate pursuit of glory, but the gentle unfolding of a life shaped by the rhythms of family. Her golfing journey began not as a solitary quest, but as part of a shared inheritance, born of togetherness and tradition.

The origin of her path lies in the simple act of tagging along. As a child, she was not yet driven by ambition, but by the desire to be with those she loved. This is the ancient way: greatness often begins not in self-seeking, but in belonging. The field, the court, or the green first becomes familiar not through training manuals or ambition, but through afternoons spent watching, listening, imitating. Webb’s words remind us that the roots of mastery are often planted in the soil of family traditions, where love and leisure intertwine.

History itself offers mirrors of this truth. Consider Alexander the Great, whose love of learning began not in conquest, but in the tutelage his father ensured under Aristotle. Or Mozart, who as a boy simply played beside his father, imitating the music that filled his home. Like Webb, these figures did not choose their path outright in youth—it was given to them by the lives of those around them, until it became their own. Family shapes destiny, sometimes with deliberate instruction, sometimes with the unspoken power of example.

There is also humility in Webb’s remembrance. She does not exalt her childhood as one of precocious genius, nor claim to have known her future from the beginning. Instead, she reveals the truth that the extraordinary often begins in the ordinary. To “tag along” is to enter quietly into something greater than oneself, to learn by presence rather than pressure. This is wisdom worth passing down: not all beginnings are marked with fire and vision; some are simple, humble steps alongside those we love.

Yet from these beginnings, greatness grew. Webb became one of the most accomplished golfers of her generation, admired across the world. The seeds sown in casual family outings blossomed into a career that would inspire millions. This is the paradox she reveals: what begins as play, as companionship, may one day become the labor of a lifetime. Thus, no moment of shared family practice is wasted. Even a child who merely “tags along” may unknowingly be stepping into the path of destiny.

The lesson is clear: cherish the traditions of family, for within them lie the seeds of future greatness. When parents and grandparents share their passions, they are not only enjoying their own lives; they are creating an inheritance. And when children are brought along, even casually, they are being given gifts of memory, skill, and inspiration that may one day guide their lives.

Practically, this means we must value the time spent together, even in small, seemingly insignificant ways. Invite children into your passions, whether in sport, art, music, or craft. Let them watch, let them play, let them “tag along.” For you never know when these moments, so ordinary in their passing, may one day be remembered as the birthplace of greatness.

Thus, Karrie Webb’s words stand as a gentle but powerful teaching: greatness does not always come from grand beginnings—it is often born in the quiet traditions of family, carried forward by love, and revealed only in time. What we pass down to our children in play may become their crown in the future.