What sport is the most inaccessible to kids living in a metro city? Many might argue that golf, often requiring an expensive set of clubs and course membership, is out of reach for many children, especially those who don’t come from affluent families. First Tee Birmingham is attempting to change that while simultaneously teaching life skills to children.
Dakota Hartfield, a junior marketing major at Samford, volunteers as the marketing intern for First Tee Birmingham. He joined the program in August to gain more marketing skills and help the organization get off the ground.
Hartfield described First Tee’s mission: to “build game-changers by empowering kids and teens through the game of golf.”
Carlos Carter, the chairman of the board for First Tee, emphasized the order of the statement.
“Golf is last in that statement because although they’re learning golf, their life skills are what we’re really focused on,” Carter said.
“Not only do kids learn golf and we grow the game, but more importantly, we give them life skills that they can carry on to whatever they do, whether that be school, their personal lives or even later on in their careers.”
Hartfield explained how they accomplish the mission statement on a broader level.
“One of the most important things is that we try to weave into all of this golf coaching, life lessons, and life skills: how do you work as a team, how are you going to network with people, how are you going to meet new people, how do you treat others in a sportsmanlike conduct?” he said.
These life skills include resilience, responsibility and cooperation with others.
“I’m a big believer in golf’s ability to kind of teach kids some good life lessons,” Hartfield said. “We try to take anybody with any skill level and introduce them to the game of golf, teach them the fundamentals, and then once we’ve got that fundamental baseline, take them out on the course.”
The original First Tee went bankrupt several years ago, and new leadership has come in to revive the organization. The Birmingham chapter was finally approved in May of this year, and members have been pouring into the community ever since.
“There were some obstacles of overcoming, just because of that stigma of what happened last time, but really just reiterating that ‘Hey, we’re a different organization totally running it, and what’s most important is positively impacting the kids and youth in Birmingham and the metro area,’” Carter explained.
Though First Tee Birmingham has only been up and running for about six months, they are already making an impact and receiving positive feedback.
“We’ve visited several schools across the metro area, so we’ve delivered programming to probably about three thousand kids in the area since we’ve come back,” Carter stated. “For me, the most rewarding part is kids really getting something out of it, you know? Our participants are really growing and enjoying and being excited to come back, be a part of the program and learn golf.”
Hartfield has gained valuable experience through interning for this organization.
“It was really daunting at first, but I’ve been settling into it, and It’s been a great opportunity to learn,” he shared.
First Tee is always looking for volunteer coaches, as well as candidates for certain paid positions.
“We’re really trying to grow and make the organization larger, and so we’re looking for anyone with golf experience or leadership experience to jump in,” Hartfield said. “For Samford students, just reach out to us and see where you can jump in; I promise we have a spot where everybody of any skill level or any background can [come] and help and be a part of this movement.”
Those interested in being a part of this organization can go to the First Tee website at www.firstteebirmingham.org, or email them at contact@firstteebirmingham.org.
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