Dear Parents,

We are writing to inform you that First Tee – Greater Pasadena is making some changes to the way you will be registering this spring as we move to an aged-based grouping approach for our Life-Skills Education classes. This means that participants will be grouped with others of similar age rather than the current level-based approach. After much study and consulting with experts in the fields of child development and sports psychology, we believe that this approach will provide a better learning experience for our participants. Additionally, this approach will foster a more tailored curriculum for your child to have more fun, make better connections and stay in the sport longer if they are with children of their own ages.

We are also making changes to the way we recognize your child’s achievements in golf and life skills as well. Your child will still progress at their own pace toward mastery of the game, but now will have a much better idea of their progress and development each four weeks of a given session.  We will do this by providing challenges in the four areas of golf skills—putting, chipping, pitching and full swing as well as their golf knowledge by earning badges for their accomplishments. We will no longer have the designation of Player, Par, Birdie, and Eagle, but the life and golf skills necessary for those levels will still be acknowledged. We will still have TARGET (5-6 yrs.), My Parent and Me (3-4 yrs.) and our Girls classes (5&6 yrs.) and (7-8 yrs.).

Furthermore, with you the parent in mind, there will be major upgrades made with new Parent Portal for registration. Listed are a few of the improvements:

• Registration and payment process has been shown to be up to three times faster.
  • You can expect more intuitive experience.
  • The parent portal will now be mobile-friendly.
  • Filter settings to show you just what you want to view including: locations, times, and age groups.

            Thank you for your continued support of First Tee – Greater Pasadena. We look forward to seeing your child grow and develop with us. We have included an FAQ to help answer questions you may have. Please read these and if you have further questions, please contact me.

Regards,

Dan Hufford

Program Coordinator

Age-Based Transition FAQ

– My child is 8 and is ready to move to Par

A: Because the updated curriculum contains material from all of the previous levels and our twice per session golf challenges, your child will continue to be challenged both in life skills and golfing abilities.

-How will we (Parents) know that they are progressing in their golfing abilities?

A: Using our newly designed bag tags and badges mentioned above.

-What can I do to help my child improve in their golfing abilities?

A: Encourage them to practice regularly, go over their progress on their bag tags highlighting what they do well and where they could improve, join camps and tournament leagues.

Learn to play the game if you do not already know how to do so. Golfing with the family opens so many doors into your lives throughout your lives.

-When can I register my child for the next age group?

A: If your child’s birthday falls anytime during the upcoming session, they are eligible.

-How will more advanced players be  taught in a class with those just learning the game?

A: Classes will be split up into smaller groups that are based on ability.

-How will eligibility for non-class opportunities be determined?

A: Coaches will help identify kids who are ready for non-class opportunities. These kids then may need to complete additional steps prior to being eligible for the event.

Be sure you and/or your child let the coach know they are interested.

-Will it be harder for my child to get into a class?

A: No, we have done research into the breakdown of each age group at various locations and used this data to create the schedule.

We will continue to fine tune the process.

-Will there be an exception for siblings of different ages to be in the same group for convenience purposes if they are at the same skill level?

A: No, we will adhere to the age of participants. Accommodations will not be made for siblings.

The curriculum iss designed for the specific age groups, kids staying in their age group will ensure the kids are getting a curriculum that is developmentally appropriate.

-Will my child be placed with children of the same skill level in the new aged-based approach?

A: While the new approach groups participants by age, we will make every effort to ensure that children are placed in groups within the classes with others of similar skill levels.

-How will the transition to the new aged-based curriculum affect my child’s current progress and achievements?

A: Because of the twice per session challenges and badge system, you, your child and their coaches will  know exactly wherein lie their strengths and weaknesses and be able to better acknowledge and praise their achievements and better direct their growth; providing a more personalized learning experience.

-Will there still be opportunities for my child to compete and participate in tournaments.

A: Yes, we will continue to offer camps and tournament leagues for participants to grow and showcase their skills and to compete with others. To visit our Tournament League website visit: www.tournamentleaguegp.com or email Tournament League Director, Stephen Im at: [email protected]

 -How can I provide feedback on the new aged-based curriculum and the changes made?

A: We will provide parent surveys at the end of each session. These will be sent to the email address you provide in the registration portal. As always, you are always encouraged to speak with either your coach or Dan Hufford ([email protected]).

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