It’s one thing to be told to be courteous. Learning to be courteous? That’s something altogether different.
The same goes for respect, responsibility, perseverance, integrity, honesty, confidence, sportsmanship and judgment.
“I don’t care who you are or where you live, those nine core values are going to help you do whatever you choose to do in life,” says Boots Farley, the First Tee of North Florida’s executive director.
That’s the First Tee youth development program’s modus operandi: To have children develop character skills on the golf course, with hopes that they ultimately will apply them to real life.
The free, year-round program features hands-on instruction and offers positive reinforcement at a place where mistakes are the norm rather than the exception: the golf course.
“We may or may not turn out better golfers, but we definitely are going to turn out better citizens,” said Farley, a former longtime Jacksonville Beach Golf Club professional.
Minutes from Downtown on Golfair Boulevard just off Interstate 95, picturesque Brentwood is one of two home courses for First Tee of North Florida; the other is the St. Johns County 3-Hole Course in Elkton.
“I tell people I have three offices: One at Brentwood, one at St. Johns and the other on the 45-minute drive between the two courses,” said Farley, who took the First Tee post in 2013.
First Tee of North Florida is among nearly 1,000 chapters of the St. Augustine-based, international First Tee organization, which began in 1997 as a way to make golf more accessible to children from low-income families.
Partnering with other youth-serving organizations including public school systems, Communities In Schools and Boys & Girls Clubs, First Tee now focuses on life skills development rather than simply providing an introduction to golf.
Participants from 7 years old to high-schoolers learn such proficiencies as properly introducing themselves, managing emotions, resolving conflicts, and goal-setting.
“I’ve seen kids go from being difficult to deal with to developing into model citizens,” said Sean McGauley, Brentwood Golf Course’s PGA professional.
Through a certification process, First Tee participants advance through life five skill levels — player, par, birdie, eagle and ace.
First Tee staffers and volunteers also provide an encouraging environment for homework, and Brentwood has a free lending library of golf-related books.
First Tee of North Florida operates with about 50 employees and a $1.5 million annual budget that relies largely on corporate sponsorships and volunteers.
It’s growing; as a result of an agreement reached this month with Duval County Public Schools, all elementary students in the system will experience the First Tee program.
“Classes will be taught by PE instructors who will all have First Tee certification and we’ll go in with our PGA professionals a couple of times a year to conduct classes,” Farley said. “And while we’re there, we’ll say, ‘You can come do this outside of school, you know,’ and we’ll get a lot of them into our life skills program.”
The lessons provided by First Tee are much more meaningful than knocking a small white ball from a tee and putting it into a hole, Farley says.
“Junior golf has always been my focus, but this program is much more than a junior golf program. It’s much more important. And I’m proud to be a part of it,” he said.
By this fall, Farley expects that First Tee of North Florida will impact 70,000 children in eight counties annually.
He took over the local organization when First Tee’s Jacksonville and St. Johns County chapters merged.
“It was a natural move for me, sort of the pinnacle of my career,” he said.
McGauley said being associated with First Tee has validated his career choice by enabling him to help people with their golf game — and in the real world.
“Seeing First Tee in action and seeing how children become better people by being around golf, including a lot of kids who otherwise wouldn’t have this opportunity, is really something special,” McGauley said.
Brentwood and St. Johns have dual roles. In addition to hosting First Tee, they are public golf courses that supplement the youth program’s costs.
Brentwood, a 92-year-old facility that once hosted the PGA Tour’s Jacksonville Open, has nine holes.
Farley said that Brentwood, in particular, is a gem that more and more people are learning about. It has three par 3s, five par 4s and one par 5.
“It’s kind of like the best-kept secret in Jacksonville that people that more and more people are learning about,” Farley said. “There’s a popular misconception that it’s a kids’ course when, in fact, it is a quality nine-hole course, with a great practice facility (driving range). And this place is in very, very good condition.”