For some, golfing is a sport of precision, patience, and calm. However, Gainesville elementary schools have a different plan in mind for the game. Believing the character building potential of golf to have a beneficial role in developing student personalities, Gainesville hopes their new P.E. program will be a hole-in-one.

Five elementary schools have adopted the program into the curriculum, properly training physical education teachers in the ways of golf. “We’re partnering with Georgia Power, who is funding this, and The First Tea, which is a national program introducing kids to golf,” said Bryson Worley. Paring down the game’s language to something easier for the children to understand, clubs like wedges and putters have been renamed “launchers” and “rollers,” but the spirit of the game remains entirely intact.

Each school is set to receive a kit with the necessary tools to begin teaching. Along with the modified clubs, targets, balls, and various other golfing accessories, the instruction children are set to receive will be more than whacking the ball. While students proceed through the course, they are expected to demonstrate honesty, respect, and confidence during play. Using good judgement is the cornerstone of any great golf game, and without proper attention and care, students will immediately see the results of their impatience soaring far afield of the intended target.

Combining hand-eye coordination, focus, and variable strength, Golf is a sport that exercises more than the physical. Gainesville understands these many benefits, and by partnering with The First Tee, together they plan to introduce its many benefits to the student body. By planting such positive thoughts in young minds, our future as a global community, and the future of golf, opens up with untapped potential. While motivated solely by educational purposes, The First Tee and Gainesville haven’t discounted the possibility of inspiring a future hometown golf champion.