GATE Girls Go Golfing

Girls from the GATE program took part in the First "T" of Pittsburgh, a golf program hosted by Schenley Park Golf Course. This was the second time Auberle has participated in this program; the Junior boys have already been able to participate in the same program.

The girls thoroughly enjoyed the course and the instructors. The program is an actual course where kids are taught a combination of "life skills" and "golf" by tying together the discipline of golf with life lessons. Two to three instructors that attend every session give the kids personal attention when learning important basics of golf such as posture, gripping the club, and the right way of swinging.

All participants are given are given a book at the beginning of the course, which covers things like how to introduce yourself, why rules and respect are important in life, how to get fun out of something new, what to do when you get angry or frustrated and how to find your personal par. The book also introduces the golf vocabulary.

Upon completion of the class, the girls all have a better understanding of the game of golf and how it related to everyday life. At the final session, the girls were invited to Schenley Park Golf Course, where they got to see first-hand what a real course looks and feels like and got to practice some chipping, pitching and putting. As the evening continued, the girls were invited to try their luck with two of three golf simulators in the clubhouse. All of the girls had an absolutely exceptional time, and many started to adopt the golf lingo, showing that they really took away a lot from the class.

The "First T of Pittsburgh" is without a doubt an exceptional program. There will be a lot of happy kids and very fortunate ones for having such an opportunity to participate in such a quality event.

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