The annual Colorado G4 Summit brought together leaders of the Colorado Golf Association, Colorado Women’s Golf Association, Colorado PGA, course superintendents and club managers on February 21 for a day of meetings, panel discussions and several presentations by notable speakers. The idea is to collaborate on issues that face the golf industry.
This year, Dave Phipps, First Green board member and GCSAA regional field representative for the Northwest, spoke about First Green. Other groups presenting included Impact360 Sports and PGA’s Golf in Schools.
After hearing Dave speak about First Green, Impact360 is planning to attend a First Green field trip scheduled in May. In addition, PGA’s Golf in Schools and First Green left this collaborative meeting seeking to include First Green field trips at four schools already participating in the Golf in Schools program.
The Colorado PGA Golf in Schools Program is a collaborative effort to introduce school age children across the state to the game of golf and the valuable life skills it teaches. The success of the program centers on the synergy created between the three core elements: the participating school, the PGA Golf Professional, and the Golf Facility.
First Green is an innovative environmental education outreach program using golf courses as environmental learning labs – the only program of its kind. Students get to test water quality, collect soil samples, identify plants, design plantings, assist in stream bed restoration and are involved in the ecology and environmental aspects of the golf course. The students are also introduced to many other aspects of golf. The initiator of a First Green field trip is the golf course superintendent.
Golf in Schools and First Green enable golf courses to reach out to their community.
“My takeaway is we need to make golf courses an integral part of the community,” Colorado Women’s Golf Association executive director Laura Robinson said in a Colorado Golf Association interview. “The First Green is a huge step toward that by bringing the kids on. The (corporate and social) sustainability report shows all the ways a golf course can be part of the community. That’s a trend we can really focus on in making it happen. Golf courses are more than a place to hold a wedding. They can be such an integral part of the community.
“It’s such an obvious resource — this big, open green space that’s quite often underutilized during school hours that has so much to offer kids in terms of the environment and animals and getting out to get fresh air. It’s great to see there’s a way we in the golf industry can take advantage of that and make it part of the community.”
About First Green
First Green is an innovative environmental education outreach program using golf courses as environmental learning labs – the only program of its kind. First Green has extensive resources for golf course superintendents, including online lesson plans.
First Green has been providing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) learning since 1997.
Golf course superintendents and/or local golf course representatives host students on field trips where they test water quality, collect soil samples, identify plants, design plantings, assist in stream bed restoration and are involved in the ecology and environmental aspects of the golf course. The students are also introduced to many other aspects of golf.
A tax-exempt nonprofit, First Green was founded in the State of Washington in 1997 and is expanding nationally. For more information and to view introductory First Green videos, visit www.thefirstgreen.org. Intro to First Green Video – view here
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