Core Classes

Program Levels Defined

The First Tee Golf and Life Skills Experience is one of the unique features that differentiate The First Tee of North Florida from other youth enrichment and junior golf programs. It helps young people develop character by focusing on Nine Core Values: Honesty, Integrity, Sportsmanship, Respect, Confidence, Responsibility, Perseverance, Courtesy and Judgment. The Golf and Life Skills Experience classes are split into levels based on age and certifications. All participants ages 7 and up MUST START at the PLAYer level class. See below for a description of the different levels. The Golf and Life Skills Experience is offered in nine week sessions; in which a participant attends one class a week for nine weeks. We offer 3 sessions per year. Spring session begins in February and end in May, Summer session begins in June and end in August, Fall session begins in September and ending in November. (Each session must be registered for separately and all participants must register to be a Junior Member of The First Tee prior to registering for The Golf and Life Skills Experience, 2017 Junior Memberships will be available December 4th, 2016) Program Levels TARGET (Required minimum age 5) – Provides a fun and safe environment that creates curiosity about the game of golf. No prior golf experience is necessary, only an enthusiasm for the game. PLAYer (Required minimum age 7) –ALL beginning participants start in PLAYer. The PLAYer class introduces playing the game of golf with special emphasis on learning The First Tee Code of Conduct, appreciating the rules and etiquette of the game, and developing a game plan for golf and life. PAR (Recommended minimum age 9 and PLAYer Certified) - Focuses on developing interpersonal communication skills such as meeting and greeting, and establishing their “Personal Par.”Participants will continue their golf skills by learning fundamentals of the swing. BIRDIE (Recommended minimum age 11 and Par Certified) – Focuses exclusively on goal setting and how to go about achieving long and short term goals. Golf Skills include: course management, etiquette, and more advanced golf instruction. EAGLE (Recommended minimum age 13 and Birdie Certified) – Focuses on health and wellness for the mind and body in additional to conflict resolution, diversity management. Golf skills focus on competitive play, effective practice, accuracy, and self-correction. ACE (Required minimum age 14 or entering 9th grade and Eagle Certified) - Once a young person has progressed through all program levels, he/she can become ACE-certified. ACE focuses on personal planning, reinforces interpersonal communication skills, self-management, golf setting, self-coaching, and resilience skills. ACE encourages giving back to the community and the pursuit of higher education opportunities. How Does my Child Advance through the Levels and get Certified? As your child progresses through The First Tee of North Florida’s program, he/she will be required to possess a certain level of knowledge for the Life Skills as well as golf ability. After each session, you will be able to sign your participant up online for the assessments. CLICK HERE for assessment information and requirements.