Yes it is true we have had 48,500 3-9th graders be introduced to the life lessons learned from the game of golf. Please see the website www.golfps.org , read and see video's of kids from 8 local school districts be taught a game that can be played for a lifetime and for them now it affords scholarship and career opportunities. Plus kids that go to the the field trip and fill out the student survey get free golf at our host course until they graduate high school. All that and it is free to the schools and kids. As a volunteer I get to be in every class watching kids go from what is this to wow! this is fun!
Teaching golf classes in the elementary and high schools for GPS, Golf Program In Schools, has been one of the greatest joys of my life. Seeing the students beginning the week of golf instruction with little or no knowledge of golf, to completing the program with confidence in themselves and having had fun was incredibly fulfilling.
Larry Gantverg
Level III Certified Golf Teaching Professional
Retired
United States Golf Teachers Federation
I was introduced to GPS through a long time friend who was volunteering with them as a golf coach in the schools. He invited my husband, who is an avid golfer and loves working with Jr. golfers, to teach with them. My husband told me they were also in need of admin help, and I jumped in! I have been volunteering for 10 months now and cannot say enough great things about the program and what they are providing for the students and families in the community! I am learning to golf myself to the joy of my husband, and my adult children are getting in on the fun! We have the students out to the golf course for a field trip as part of the 1 week program, and the smiles, laughter and cheering tell the whole story of their joy as they find they can play golf! It chokes me up every time! Learning the life lessons that golf incorporates: Persistence and the payoff to not giving up, Achievement and the confidence it builds, Trustworthiness and how learning integrity impacts your whole life, and Healthy lifestyle of fresh outdoors and exercise for any/every skill level, is so rewarding! I have been so taken with the weekly stories of one or several students that expressed an insight, desire, or some type of positive impact this program has had on them.
Tom Loegering, the founder of GPS, has instilled his love of the game of golf, and his desire to positively impact the future of young people into the program so profoundly that it resonates throughout the entire organization. Everything we do is in line with those two goals. Whether we are trying to write a grant, fundraise, run a tournament, everything has the love of golf and young peoples futures at stake and on purpose. I am grateful to have been blessed with this opportunity in my life, the chance to make such a difference in growth and development of our youth in such a positive way and them leave with the lifelong benefit of golf including scholarships and career opportunities!
GPS is amazing! They are teaching kids about life lessons through golf. They do not charge the school as part of the PE Curriculum and they do not charge the student. And, now they are starting an afternoon school academy for kids to learn and improve their skills by utilizing a simulator.
Our goal is to introduce golf to all 241 schools in the West valley of Phoenix AZ. this year we have signed enough schools to introduce 10,000 6-7-8 and 9 grad students to the life lessons,career and scholarship opportunists from golf.This is done at no cost to the schools or students .It is presented on campus as part of the school curriculum .so every student receives instruction, not just those who can afford golf lessons.every student that completes our program receives free golf at the Sun City Country Club as long as they stay in school.please see www.golfps.org and contact me at tom@golfps.org .