Prince William County Government: First Tee Builds Character While Teaching Golf Fundamentals

Press release from Prince William County Government:

Wednesday, 11 Aug 2021

Nathan Stiefel’s son Jacob, now 15 and playing on the Woodbridge High School golf team, has attended The First Tee since he was five years old.

The First Tee, a national program with a chapter in Prince William County, headquartered at the Lake Ridge Park golf course, uses golf as a vehicle to teach its tenets of honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance and courtesy.

“The program introduces kids to the game, and it’s fairly inexpensive for golf,” Stiefel said. “In addition to the game, what I like about The First Tee is that it’s really focused on values and character building for the kids, so it’s not all about competition and being an outstanding golfer. It’s really designed to help kids, not only learn about golf, but how to be a good person too.”

The rules of golf fall in line with the goals of The First Tee. Golfers should be honest in reporting their score even when no one is watching. Integrity on the golf course could mean taking responsibility for one’s behavior. Observing the rules of the game and winning and losing with grace builds sportsmanship. The game of golf asks players to show respect for playing partners and the game. Confidence grows as golf skills increase. Replacing divots in the fairways and greens and keeping up the pace of play builds responsibility. Golf requires perseverance to play through mistakes and bad breaks. Shaking hands at the beginning and end of every round instills courtesy. Judgement comes through club selection, strategy and learning when to take a chance and when to play it safe.

“Everything that has to do with golf is everything that has to do with life,” said Alan Smith executive director of The First Tee in Prince William County. “You have to learn to play with other people. You have to learn to socialize. You have to learn to be honest. You have to show integrity. You have to show sportsmanship. You have to show respect for your playing partners, your golf courses. You have to show good judgement because you hit good shots and bad shots. You have taken care of your playing partners even though they’re your opponents. Everything we do every day in golf is what you want every person to do every day whether it’s in school, whether it’s raising a family, whether it’s doing their job. You want people to be honest.”

For $75 to $150 a week, depending on skill level, young golfers with The First Tee program get instruction in golf along with time on the course. “Our goal is to get on the golf course every day that we have a program,” Smith said. “We work on a life skill, then we pair it with a golf skill that goes along with it, and then we work on that together and hopefully try to apply that on the golf course.”

Other programs can cost twice as much as The First Tee and don’t necessarily teach the same things, Stiefel said. “I think that really sets the program apart from a lot of the other camps out there is that dual approach of learning the game, understanding the game, but then learning how to interact with people, develop relationships and really develop character,” Stiefel said. “I think the program really allows you to learn a skill of course, but then learn how to use your relationships to strengthen your ability to interact with others and what it takes to be a leader.”

“The First Tee allows kids to play golf and enjoy it. It’s not about trying to become the best junior and get a college scholarship. The First Tee sets some moderation. It’s about fun. It’s about learning. Ultimately sports is about helping you develop characteristics that will help you when you become a responsible adult,” Stiefel said.

Visit The First Tee for more information.

This press release was produced by Prince William County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.