Our annual celebration with the First Tee Programs of Montgomery County and the Greater Washington D.C. was a day of high energy and fun for over 30 kids and the 20 volunteers who were part of this. The emphasis was volunteers and professional staff supporting the nine principles that are the bedrock of the First Tee Program.

Respect-Perserverance-Honesty-Integrity-Courtesy-Responsibility-Sportsmanship-Confidence-Judgement

These kids come from diverse backgrounds and make it evident by their poise, grace, and self confidence that golf can teach valuable life skills and they “get it”.

Our volunteers ages 14 to 85 provided exactly what these kids needed-smiles, reassurance, and support of the development of their understanding of what the game has to offer.

From our youngest to our seniors our volunteers were charming and gracious.

There were those mugging for the camera…..

….but all had rapt attention to the proceedings.

The day’s activities began with some proper stretching and warm-up drills.  Stretch the hammies and work the hip flexors.

All the kids went through the rotation of three clinics with our professional staff.  At the driving range with Geoff they covered the basics of grip, stance, takeaway, and follow through.  Some needed firm direction while others needed us to stand back appreciate youthful talent.

The second rotation was a clinic on green side skills with Trillium like pitching and chipping. It was about working on technique, visualizing the shot, and listening to the brush of the grass that indicated the proper result.  She even gave them some drills they could take with them to work on their own.

The last stop was a clinic on the Zen of putting with Connor.  This included stroke fundamentals, speed control, and reading direction.  Some cool competitions were included as well as proper celebration techniques.

A break for a picnic lunch where we got to just sit and chat…..healthy sandwiches, fresh fruit, and some chocolate chip cookies for the big kids.  We were all very good at eating.

Then it was out to the big course to put what they learned to work.  It is amazing how these kids handle themselves on the course.  Fixing ball marks, raking bunkers, marking their ball properly, and respecting the efforts of their playing partners.

Check out this awesome video of one of the kids making a clutch putt.  The group celebration speaks volumes about how much these kids understand about playing golf with your friends.

One last bit of business to thank the volunteers, the staff, and the organizers for putting this together.  And most important, thanking the kids for being part of this beautiful day, sending them away with a few goodies to commemorate the event.

Special thanks to Connor Farrell, Steve Keller, Moe Dweck, and Alexandra Uduk for all the hard work in assembling this event.  Thanks to Woodmont Country Club and their professional staff for hosting us and the First Tee Chapters of Montgomery County and Greater Washington D.C. for hooking us up with these great kids.

August, 2016

(Photos provided by Steve Keller, Moe Dweck, Michael Pius, Binsar Siahaan, Alexandra Uduk)