First Tee is an organization with international reach whose name is practically synonymous with golf. As stated, its mission is to impact the lives of young people by providing educational programs that build character, instill life-enhancing values and promote healthy choices through the game of golf. And one way they are looking to achieve this mission is by leveraging golf to teach Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).
When you think about it, these four disciplines are widely used throughout the inception, design and maintenance of a golf course. Our practicing GCSAA members are experts in applying this knowledge to their work, so whom better than to teach STEM education on the golf course than superintendents? These on-course laboratories, dubbed "STEM Links," teach a curriculum centered around soil science and agronomy, ecosystem management, plant identification, water conservation, applied sensory technology, applied math and of course, golf!
Our friends at the
Mid-Atlantic Association of Golf Course Superintendents (MAAGCS) have taken initiative to collaborate with
The First Tee of Greater Baltimore to bring this program to the Mid-Atlantic. On May 23, almost 30 students attended a field trip at
Waverly Woods Golf Course, home to MAAGCS president Michael Bostian, to take part in the second field trip of its kind co-hosted by these two chapters. And to say the event was a hit, well, just take a look below at the candid photographs captured throughout the day.
The field trip works by setting up "lab" stations around the golf course, each with a specific teaching topic. At this particular field trip, we had four lab stations: soils and turf ID, calculating area, water management, and golf driving range (you gotta have some fun!). The students are split in to four groups and spend 25 minutes at each lab station. While First Tee coaches typically handle the golf lab, superintendents are relied on to teach the applied sciences at the other three lab stations.
On hand to observe the day's activities was Benna Cail, First Tee's senior director of outreach programs & implementation. Benna noted the strong relationships First Tee has within schools across the country thanks to their National School Program, in which First Tee brings its curriculum to more than 9,000 elementary gym classes. Through those programs, First Tee is able to leverage its relationships in schools to organize field trips for the First Tee STEM Links Program. In essence, First Tee's multi-faceted programming creates different interfaces in which it can engage young people and get them interested in the game of golf. Whether it's STEM education or a gym class on the driving range, First Tee is finding ways to reach the future players and professionals who will carry the sport forward.
And that vision aligns nicely with
The Toro Company, which has been a longtime partner of the First Tee and graciously provides funding for a grant program that helps First Tee chapters offset the costs of hosting a STEM Links field trip. However, they still need superintendents to serve as teaching experts. That's where our GCSAA chapters come in. The expertise of our members is a key element to fulfilling this program's potential. While the First Tee Chapters can handle the logistics of organizing the field trip, GCSAA members will be relied upon to help teach labs. And really, it seems to come quite naturally for our members to teach kids about the varying qualities between turfgrass species, or the critical threshold for moisture in greens, or the wildlife habitat areas around the course. It's a win-win!
So let's recap: Your local First Tee chapter organizes the field trip. Your local GCSAA chapter helps teach the on-course labs. Students come, students learn, students play some golf, everyone wins. Nice and tidy.
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