Monday, August 1st was a very fun day for many girls, whether they were trying the game for the first time or expanding on existing skills and experiences. First Tee–Four Corners held an LPGA USGA Girls’ Golf event hosted at San Juan Country Club, allowing girls to spend a fun morning making friends, getting outside, and learning some golf!
The event was very lively, with girls in attendance from across San Juan County. In addition to our First Tee staff, the activities were led by local high school golfers, who were both wonderful role models and lots of fun.
The day included a wide variety of activities. After a warmup that included a hula-hooping contest and a series of stretches that all the girls could take a turn leading, the girls rotated through different activities. These included a fun and creative mini golf game constructed from pool noodles and plastic cones on the practice green, chipping and pitching tennis balls to a velcro target on the chipping green, and hitting drivers to a variety of targets on the driving range.
When it was time to take a break from the heat, there were art stations and snacks on the deck. At one art station, girls decorated golf balls to be as unique as they are. Ideas ranged from solid black golf balls to stripes of every color of the rainbow! At the other station, the girls created a tee shirt design to be entered into a contest for the years official Girls’ Golf Tee-Shirt. (The winning design will soon be available for purchase!)
Both parents and kids alike had wonderful things to say about the event. One parent said, “My daughter had so much fun at this event. She was really nervous to come at first, but the activities and the mentors made her feel comfortable right away. She even made some new friends.” Echoing her final point, one of the girls told us, “My favorite part of Girls Golf day was getting to play golf with my friends.”
In addition to the friends and memories made at this event, girls’ participation in sports has many long-term benefits. Sports help girls discover their full potential for success, live a healthy and active lifestyle, and build confidence and social skills. First Tee – Four Corners recognizes the importance of these benefits, and as such we have been providing girls’ golf programs for 8 years and 42% of our participants are female. We are looking forward to the continued expansion of our girls’ programming in the future!