Every parent in Texas hopes that their child will excel in some activity that he or she loves. According to one member of the Professional Golfers’ Association, one out-of-state little girl is an exceptionally talented golfer. In fact, he claims she is in the top 10 percent in the country. A judge, however, in the case involving child custody has recently ruled that she can not compete in golf tournaments for a year.
The case for custody of the now 10-year-old has lasted for seven years. The child’s mother currently has sole custody — both legal and physical — of the child. Her father claims that the young girl’s career is progressing, claiming that of the 33 tournaments she played over the course of the last two years, she won 23.
According to a recent ruling, she can only play one round of golf or 5 hours each week. Additionally, her father, who plans to appeal the ruling, must take anger management classes, and the ruling prevents her from taking lessons with a golf professional other than her father. He says that he believes that the judge mistakenly believes that the young girl is playing golf several hours each day, which is not the case. The judge in the case declined to comment on the rationale for the ruling, but some legal analysts claim that because judges are required to make decisions that are in the best interests of children and because the decision followed a full hearing, there is likely much more to the story than is publicly known.
While not all child custody cases in Texas are contentious, it sometimes becomes necessary for the court to step in and make decisions. Regardless of whether parents are working together to compromise or if a judge must step in and issue a ruling, an attorney with experience with child custody can help ensure that a parent’s voice is heard. Additionally, an attorney can help prevent the parent from entering into an unfair agreement that he or she may ultimately regret.
Source: ABC News, “10-Year-Old Golf Prodigy Ordered to Stop Playing Tournaments Amid Parents’ Custody Battle“, July 4, 2016