Our Club obtained funding for a First Tee D.R.I.V.E (Develops Rewarding Inspiring Values for Everyone) program in September, 2017. Rotarians visit the Woodson Boys & Girls Club every Monday after school and offer instruction on basic golf skills as well as life skills such as sportsmanship, honesty, courtesy and respect. The kids in the program are 3rd through 5th graders.
After the first 9 weeks of instruction, the kids were taken on a field trip to Champions Driving Range and offered one-on-one instruction from the Odessa College Men's Golf Team and the UTPB Men's Golf Team. Everyone had a blast! Since the First Tee D.R.I.V.E. program is designed for use in an after school setting such as a gym, the golf clubs are plastic, the targets are Velcro and tennis balls are used instead of golf balls. On this field trip, the kids were able to use real golf equipment and experience a real golf facility while receiving instruction from golfers who hold national championship titles!
We plan to resume instruction after the holidays and organize another field trip in the spring. The kids can't wait! They thanked us for "helping them" and one said, "I'm in love with golf"! Several other kids mentioned that they were going to ask their parents to get them some "golf sticks".