Local Fifth Graders Beat the Cold at Brackenridge Park Golf Course in San Antonio On Monday, February 23, 115 fifth-grade students from Boone Elementary visited historic Brackenridge Park Golf Course in San Antonio, Texas, for hands-on environmental science activities. They learned about the difference between storm water and sewer water, ran their hands through soil samples, calculated the area of a practice green, and got to putt all part of a First Green field trip. Students weren’t the only ones learning on the golf course. Observing the field trip were over twenty golf course superintendents from around the country who were attending the Golf Industry Show (GIS), sponsored by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA). [More] First Green Teaches at Western Canada Turfgrass Association Meeting
TurfNetTV Covers First Green TurfNetTV covered a field trip hosted by superintendent Frank Tichenor of Forest Hills Field Club in Bloomfield, New Jersey. View the coverage. Superintendents Field Trip Kits Many First Green field trip activities use materials that are readily available at your golf course. Some of the lesson plans on our website are readily done with the tools and resources already in use on the golf course. Others use science materials from educational companies. We have provided links on the website where you can order the materials if you would like to do these learning activities. In the past, we have provided kits to a number of superintendents, through grants from the USGA, Northwest Turf Association or Washington State Golf Association. We have found that it is easier if superintendents select the learning labs that they want to do and order the educational materials for those labs directly. If you would like to build your own Resource Kit or order refills, see the First Green website. Connect with your Local Golf Course Teachers -- If you would like to bring your class out to a First Green field trip, reach out to your local golf course superintendent. The First Green website has guidance on how to connect with your local golf course. Schedule Field Trips for the Spring As word about First Green spreads, we are finding that some golf courses have more demand for field trips than they can satisfy. Golf course superintendents will need to work with teachers on a first-come, first-served basis. So, teachers, it’s not too late to reach out to your local golf course superintendent to schedule your spring field trips. Or, begin now to talk with your local golf course superintendent about a field trip in the fall. It is helpful when superintendents know of your interest and can plan ahead. Teachers and golf course superintendents - please let us know when you’ve scheduled your field trips so we can add them to our calendar. Contact us with your field trip date(s). Upcoming Events U.S. Open, June 15-21, 2015 Chambers Bay, University Place, Wash. Did You Know?
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First Green continued its work with the Western Canada Turfgrass Association (WCTA), giving about 65 golf course superintendents a 90 minute seminar on hosting First Green field trips at the WCTA annual conference in Victoria, B.C., in March. In addition to the seminar, First Green had a booth in the trade show. Karen Armstead, First Green executive director reports, "We were very well received. People came by the booth and asked questions. There are a number of superintendents eager to have field trips. We also had an opportunity to talk with Mary Polak, Minister of the Environmental for British Columbia who is quite interested in our work and is looking forward to observing a field trip later this year."