Media Contact:
Jane Fader, The First Tee
904-940-4009
jfader@thefirsttee.org
.gif)
Research Confirms The First Tee Positively Impacts Young People
St. Augustine, Fla. (July 21, 2010) – An independent, four-year, longitudinal research study from 2005 through 2008 was released this week confirming The First Tee’s ability to teach life skills and The First Tee Nine Core Values™ to youth participating in the Life Skills Experience, the educational curriculum delivered at all Chapters. The study confirms young people learn and exhibit these life skills on the golf course, as well as in school, at home and other settings.
“Our desire to understand how The First Tee Life Skills Experience impacts young people has driven our commitment to conduct on-going research,” said Joe Louis Barrow, Jr., CEO of The First Tee. “I am incredibly proud of the results, which provide convincing evidence The First Tee is having an impact in many ways on the youth served through our Chapter network.”
The 2003-2008 Impact Report, provides a synopsis of the research completed over time. Highlights include:
- 73% of The First Tee participants were retained from year one to year four of the research. This retention rate is impressive given the average dropout rate per year is about 50% in other youth organizations.
- Youth credited The First Tee for their ability to transfer many of the life skills they learned in golf to school and other areas of their lives. For example: managing emotions, setting goals and resolving conflicts were life skills they consistently transferred.
- 57% of youth surveyed across three years credited The First Tee for their meeting and greetings skills, and 52% credited the program for their ability to appreciate diversity.
- During personal interviews, 78% of interviewees described their ability to transfer life skills through specific examples and stories.
- In all four years, school was unanimously identified as a setting in which participants transferred life skills. Job/college, friends and out-of-school activities also showed an increase in life skills transfer.
- After three consecutive years of participation in The First Tee, 73% reported high confidence in their ability to do well academically and 82% felt confident in their social skills with peers.
As it relates to golf, The First Tee youth surveyed reported above average confidence (2.9 on a 4 point scale) in their golf skills after participating in the program for three years. In fact, approximately half of all participants surveyed reported high confidence in their golfing ability.
“This information is of particular importance as youth who believe they can successfully perform on the golf course are more likely to stay involved in the game,” Barrow continued. “We want young people to continue playing golf so they can enjoy the life-long benefits the game provides.”
Summary reports of the research are available upon request through The First Tee’s website.
To learn more about The First Tee and its mission to impact the lives of young people, visit www.thefirsttee.org.
About The First Tee
The First Tee (www.thefirsttee.org) is an initiative of the World Golf Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in St. Augustine, Fla. at World Golf Village, home of the World Golf Hall of Fame. Its mission is to impact the lives of young people by providing learning facilities and educational programs that promote character development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf. Since its inception in 1997, The First Tee has introduced the game of golf and its values to more than 3.5 million participants in 50 states, 3,500 elementary schools and four international locations - Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and Singapore. Former President George H. W. Bush serves as honorary chairman. The First Tee Founding Partners are LPGA, the Masters Tournament, PGA of America, PGA TOUR and the USGA.
# # #
As Founding Corporate Partner of The First Tee, Shell Oil Company has provided financial resources to support the development of this charitable youth initiative aimed at promoting character development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf. Shell’s initial contribution has led the way for other individuals, corporations and organizations to provide ongoing financial and promotional support to The First Tee and its Chapters.
