The First Tee wants everyone who completes the First Tee program to have acquired basic golf skills and to be able to demonstrate certain fundamental life skill concepts – such as interpersonal communication and the importance of rules and etiquette. At each level of the program – PLAYer, Par, Birdie and Eagle – participants will work through a Certification Process and an evaluation of participants’ understanding of and ability to apply the golf and life skills relative to the level of the program.

The primary objective of the Certification Process is to ensure participants have been exposed to core lesson material and have a basic grasp of the concepts and skills.

Participants will complete a given number of golf and life skills lessons, and play a certain number of rounds on a Chapter course. They also will demonstrate and/or discuss core life skills and basic golf skills for instructors, who evaluate their performance.

Certification assessment is an opportunity to reinforce those concepts. The process is designed to provide additional assistance to those who need help in certain areas while advancing other students to the next level to acquire more life skills.

If someone is having difficulty with an aspect of the assessment process, instructors will help review the material and let him or her try again. Each of the assessment and evaluation forms state the specific score required to pass the golf and life skills sections at the PLAYer, Par, Birdie, Eagle and Ace levels.

The assessment and evaluation for life and golf skills is done at the same time so participants understand that their life skills are as important, if not more so, than their golf skills.

THE FIRST TEE SKILL LEVELS

TARGET

Target most basic Life Skill (LS) level and serves as the introduction to the game of golf. All new groups begin at Target. There is no certification process to advance from Target to PLAYer, and no prior golf experience is necessary. AGES 5 & UP

PLAYER

PLAYer introduces participants how to play the game of golf with special emphasis on learning the basics of golf and The First Tee Code of Conduct. All individual sign ups begin at PLAYer. PLAYers learn to appreciate the rules and etiquette of the game and being to develop their game in golf and in life. Certification in PLAYer is required to advance to Par. MINIMUM AGE 7 & UP

PAR

The Par level emphasizes interpersonal communication and self-management skills. Students continue to work on their swing, grip, and stance as well as learning how to introduce themselves, the meaning of respect, and finding their “personal par”. Certification in Par is required to advance to Birdie. MINIMUM AGE 9 & UP

BIRDIE

All Birdie students must be Par certified. Birdie focuses exclusively on goal setting and how to go about achieving both long term and short term goals. Golf skills include: course management, advanced etiquette, and advanced swing/putting skills. Certification in Birdie is required to advance to Eagle. AGE 11 & OLDER

EAGLE

All Eagle students must be Birdie certified. Eagle focuses on wellness and health for the mind and body as well as conflict resolution, diversity, and explores the various jobs in the golf industry. Golf skills include: playing competitively, effective practice strategies, and how to self-correct, and accuracy. AGE 13 & OLDER

ACE

All Ace participants must be Eagle certified. Ace focuses on personal planning, reinforces interpersonal communication, self-management, goal-setting, self-coaching, and resistance skills. Ace encourages giving back to the community and the pursuit of higher educational opportunities. All while providing the student the support structure to flourish and excel in their lives after high school not only in golf but academically and socially as well. REQUIRES EAGLE CERTIFICATION