This year I participated in the National Golf Day in Washington D.C., as First Green was hosting a field trip as part of the program.
Alan FitzGerald, CGCS, MG
I indirectly became involved with the First Green at LedgeRock GC, where the nationally recognized kids’ golf instructor, Andy Miller, taught course etiquette and maintenance as part of his golf camps. He wanted the kids to learn at a young age about what goes into course maintenance and why etiquette is so important.
We visited the barn — the shiny equipment was always a big hit with the younger ones — or we spent time on the practice green showing them how the soil is made up, how short the grass actually is, etc.
The club had some indirect relationships with the local school district and had fundraisers for the school from time to time. For one of the events, they had the students design and build a mini golf course and invited Andy and me to talk to the students about golf, how a golf hole should play and how to make each of their holes fun and challenging.
We were both really impressed with the holes that the kids built on 4-by-8 sheets of plywood. Some were pretty basic, but sensible, while others were very intriate, with conveyors, rails and baffles to move the balls around.
When the GCSAA took over running the First Green, I was asked to become a liaison and help superintendents set events up as needed.
My biggest hurdle was worrying about what to teach. But I found that having a broad plan was enough, and it flowed organically from there.
It works well as we can get the information across, but by being interactive, the kids can get the specific answers that they want too. I was also very lucky in that not only did I have a passionate school district and teachers, but also the support from the Philadelphia Association of Golf Course Superintendents and local turf vendors, who, along with people like Mike Fidanza, Ph.D., from Penn State, have been amazing in assisting with presenting stations on subjects such as irrigation, soils, IPM and more.
At one point I jokingly mentioned we needed bird boxes only to get a call a couple of months later that the wood shop had used it as a lesson and had made them for us! We then invited the elementary kids who were studying ornithology to come out throughout the year and check the boxes and study the birds that lived in them.
One of the teachers moved on to a new position at a local college which introduced a whole new angle to us. The college ran summer school for teenagers, and each week they visited the club to learn different aspects of the business, from turf to the golf department, to the food and beverage ops and running a business in general, proving there really are no boundaries on what can be done.
The First Green is extremely rewarding for both the superintendent and the school. Having passionate teachers helps immensely to get started so they just need to be sold on the possibilities. They will come away from events wanting to do more. The media loves it also, which only helps get us another avenue to promote what we do.
I can’t wait to host one at Rehoboth Beach CC this fall, and I hope this encourages you to host one too!
<p>The post Alan FitzGerald shares his experience with First Green and looks towards hosting in the fall first appeared on Golfdom.</p>
