At the conclusion of Wednesday's First Green field trip at Westminster National Golf Course, the invigorated fifth-grade students putted golf balls and mounted turf equipment, persistent in their quest to test drive the unfamiliar but intriguing power machines. As for those of us teaching the labs, we were tired. But it was well worth it. Because throughout the day we got to talk to 100 students from Spring Garden Elementary about applied STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education within the context of golf.
Over the course of 5 hours, two separate groups of 50 kids arrived at Westminster to participate in a rotation of labs focusing on water conservation, math, golf and the environment, equipment and putting. We talked about things like wildlife habitat, calculating area, soil moisture, watersheds, living filters, and simply golf.
For most, it was their first introduction to the game, and what a great introduction it was. For them to learn about our industry, for them to learn about applied science in the outdoors, for them to experience something new, that is what First Green is all about.
And the success of the day was appropriately summed up when one student told me he'd enjoyed the trip to the golf course better than the trip to planetarium because, well, he got to hit golf balls.
And maybe, unbeknownst to him or us, he found his future career.
Special thanks to the Mid-Atlantic Association of Golf Course Superintendents and Finch Services, who provided the day's equipment display.
Hi admin
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Without question, reading putting greens is one of the hardest skills in golf to master, so don't feel like you are alone if you are struggling with it at times.
Puttinggreen
Best Regards
Pamela Darcy