NYSGA News

The NYSGA has selected 10 schools to receive funding to implement golf in their gym classes. With the equipment and training provided by this program, the schools will be able to teach golf to their students for many years to come. The ten schools are listed below.

A.A. Gates Elementary - Port Byron School District
Cherry Road Elementary - Westhill Central School District
Emily Howland Elementary - Southern Cayuga Central School District
Frazer Elementary - Syracuse City School District
Elmwood Elementary - Syracuse City School District
Meachem Elementary - Syracuse City School District
Lyncourt Elementary - Lyncourt Union Free School District
Split Rock Elementary - West Genesee Central School District
Jamesville Elementary - Jamesville-Dewitt School District
Fremont Elementary - East Syracuse School District

Thousands of kids will now have their first opportunity to learn about the great game of golf in a structured educational environment as a result of the NYSGA’s $25,000 financial commitment to the National School Program.

The design of the National School Program curriculum integrates the learning of skills, concepts and core values in each lesson. One of the major skill sets taught in the curriculum include developing motor skills associated with striking such as putting, chipping, pitching, and the full swing in gradual progression. Another focus of the program includes teaching students the protocols for safe participation like taking turns and checking their personal space before swinging. Furthermore, the lesson plans emphasize the First Tee’s Nine Core Values: honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, responsibility, confidence, respect, perseverance, courtesy and judgment.

A safe and effective school golf program requires developmentally appropriate equipment that fits the muscle coordination of beginners. Therefore, the First Tee National School Program features modified equipment such as oversized clubs, tennis-style balls, and a variety of targets to ensure safety for all participants.

The NYSGA has partnered with Global Golf Post, a FREE digital golf newsletter that is delivered each Monday morning to your e-mail inbox.  For each subscription through the above link on our website, $1 goes to the NYSGA Foundation.  Last year our Foundation granted more than $40,000 towards scholarships and junior golf.

Global Golf Post covers the world of golf, both in the professional and amateur ranks, and provides great feature stories, all for free, every week.  The first two issues feature a great Q&A with Peter Dawson of the R&A and should not be missed.  Please subscribe and support this great new publication and our Foundation initiatives.  You will not be disappointed.

Eleven state champions were crowned at six different sites in the NYSGA’s memorable 2009 Championship season. If you missed any of the action, you can relive the dramatic finishes and record-breaking performances with a copy of the Championship Yearbook.

The 2009 Championship Yearbook is your comprehensive guide to all NYSGA action, starting with the Women’s Amateur in July and ending with the Men’s Mid-Amateur in late September. Each championship is broken up with its own media guide that includes interviews with the defending champion and head professional at the host club, a historical section dedicated to legends of each respective championship, and an outlook on the featured course.

Plus, every round includes a recap with interviews from the top performers along with pictures taken that day on the course. If you are interested in order a copy of the yearbook, a preview PDF is linked on the NYSGA homepage for sample viewing.

Yearbooks will be sold for $15 (black & white) or $25 for a full-color edition.

How to order? E-mail nysga@nysga.org to reserve your copy of the 2009 Championship Yearbook now!

The NYSGA is excited to start the New Year with its initiative to reach 3,500 kids in the greater Syracuse area with a developmental golf program in the classroom. Thousands of kids will now have their first opportunity to learn about the great game of golf in a structured educational environment as a result of the NYSGA’s $25,000 financial commitment to the National School Program for 2010.

A minimum of three schools in the Syracuse City School District and seven in the greater Syracuse area will introduce a curriculum that contains 24 lesson plans designed to include safe, fun and challenging activities for each student.

The First Tee National School Program, which launched in 2004, has reached approximately 900,000 elementary school students in its six-year history. The program is designed specifically for elementary physical education classes as its curriculum was written to align with national physical education standards established by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE).

The design of the National School Program curriculum integrates the learning of skills, concepts and core values in each lesson. One of the major skill sets taught in the curriculum include developing motor skills associated with striking such as putting, chipping, pitching, and the full swing in gradual progression. Another focus of the program includes teaching students the protocols for safe participation like taking turns and checking their personal space before swinging. Furthermore, the lesson plans emphasize the First Tee’s Nine Core Values: honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, responsibility, confidence, respect, perseverance, courtesy and judgment.

A safe and effective school golf program requires developmentally appropriate equipment that fits the muscle coordination of beginners. Therefore, the First Tee National School Program features modified equipment such as oversized clubs, tennis-style balls, and a variety of targets to ensure safety for all participants.

There will be a Handicapping Seminar run by USGA staff on Wednesday, May 12 at Bellevue CC in Syracuse. Online registration for the seminar will begin the first week of January.

The course runs from 9-12:30 with lunch served afterward. As part of the USGA Licensing Program, it is necessary for a club representative to complete either an in-person or online seminar once every four years.

Space is limited so be sure to enroll ASAP. Registration will be available online through the “USGA Handicap Seminars” link. The cost of the seminar will be $40.00 per person.

Beginning at 1:30 pm that same day, there will be a free seminar on the GHIN Tournament Pairing Program. This will also be held at Bellevue CC and should run until 4 pm. Space is limited for that seminar so please contact the NYSGA to register.