Masters Week events Page 39
MARCH 30–APRIL 26, 2018 • THE CSRA’S MONTHLY BUSINESS MAGAZINE
MORE THAN A GAME
FIRST TEE USES GOLF TO TEACH YOUNGSTERS CORE VALUES, HEALTHY HABITS BY GARY KAUFFMAN
On the golf course one March day, drives often sliced away from the intended target, chips sometimes barely dribbled onto the green and putts either sailed alarmingly far past the hole or stopped disappointingly short of it. That might describe a typical day on the course for the average golfer, but on this day, the golfers were dozens of Augusta elementary school students testing the golf skills they learned at The First Tee of Augusta. But golf is only a small part of the lessons learned at First Tee. Golf is a vehicle for teaching more valuable life skills and healthy habits. And for many youngsters, the First Tee experience is their introduction to all three of those. “We look like a golf course and smell like a golf course, but the core of what we do is making people better through the game of golf,” said Jill Brown, executive director of First Tee of Augusta. The First Tee of Augusta started in 2001, as part of the national First Tee program that began in 1997 (Aiken also has a First Tee program). The First Tee of Augusta has a six-hole regulation-size course set on 40 acres between Augusta Municipal Golf Course and Forest Hills Golf Club. Nationally, The First Tee started as a collaboration of the LPGA, the Masters Tournament, PGA of America, the PGA Tour and the United States Golf Association (USGA) to answer the question, “Why don’t more kids play golf ?” While it started as a way to promote youth golf, it quickly became an avenue for teaching youngsters important life skills that many were not learning in
Participants in The First Tee of Augusta carefully line up their putts during the skills test portion of the program. First Tee teaches young people core values and healthy habits through playing golf. Photo by Gary Kauffman
other places. All First Tee programs use the same curriculum that teaches nine core values, nine healthy habits and a code of conduct. “We’ve all encountered those people whose attitudes and actions are less than desirable,” Brown said. “But sometimes it’s because young people are not exposed to the tools to process things well.” She cited the example of a girl in the program who was not being courteous to others. While talking to her, Brown discovered that the girl had never heard the word “courteous” before and was unfamiliar with the concept of courtesy. “At that point I realized there’s a lot we
take for granted with kids,” she said. “It takes a concerted effort to teach kids and help them understand what that means. We give them core values to make good choices and life skills to process everyday life in a positive way.” Hopefully, she said, the skills learned at The First Tee will carry over to home, school and, ultimately, the workforce. Already some graduates of The First Tee of Augusta have gone on to successful college and work experiences. But the course work at The First Tee is not a cursory program. Students take See TEE on Page 2
“We look like a golf course and smell like a golf course, but the core of what we do is making people better through the game of golf.” – Jill Brown, executive director of The First Tee of Augusta