First Tee’s research finds that most parents (87%) lose sleep over their child’s development, citing emotional health, academics and behavior as their top concerns. About three-fourths (74%) are turning to extracurriculars to help improve their child’s wellbeing. “Being in the youth development space, we have long been aware of the role extracurriculars can play in character development, but perhaps did not realize the urgency parents are feeling in this area,” says First Tee CEO Greg McLaughlin. “Parents are turning to sports not just for fitness or competition, but to help their kids build self-confidence, leadership skills and much more.”First Tee believes that the game of golf is a powerful vehicle for learning experiences that help kids navigate mental pressures and prepare for a successful future. Through its personal growth curriculum, kids aged seven to 18 learn to master golf fundamentals while developing five key life principles: pursuing goals, growing through challenge, collaborating with others, building positive self-identity and using good judgment.That curriculum is applied across hundreds of in-school and after-school programs at 150 chapters worldwide, many in partnership with other national youth organizations. First Tee also works with its longtime supporters like the PGA TOUR and corporate partners
to host events and provide a scholarship program for participants.
KEY FINDING #1
Parents Worry Kids Lack Life Skills
89%
of parents are looking for more character-building opportunities for their kids
In golf, you keep your own score, call penalties on yourself and overcome obstacles. It turns out golf is a perfect platform for teaching life skills and values, and that is the inspiration behind our curriculum.”
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Greg McLaughlinCEO, First Tee
First Tee’s research suggests parents increasingly value athletics. This year, more respondents say their kids play sports compared to the 2023 survey—and a larger share point to the character-building benefits of golf in particular. First Tee parent Josina Sharau is one of them. When she started looking for a youth leadership program for her four children near their home in Wichita, Kansas, golf wasn’t even on the radar. Neither Sharau, originally from Kenya, nor her husband, a Tanzanian native, had ever played and they assumed it would be too costly. But when a friend told her about First Tee, Sharau learned that the organization offers scholarships to qualified participants and supplies golf equipment. “As a parent, all you want is your child to be well-rounded, to be able to survive in this world,” Sharau says. “[Through] First Tee, not only are my children learning golf, they're able to learn the ability to drive themselves, the ability to hold themselves accountable.”Time management, self-discipline, a positive attitude and goal-setting are among the life skills Sharau says her kids, aged eight to 16, are gaining on and off the fairway. She points to golf and First Tee for the personal growth she’s witnessed, like the courage of both her oldest son and daughter to pursue leadership roles in their high schools.
Children Who Play Sports Thrive
KEY FINDING #2
First Tee participant Jaylynn Sharau, 16, practices golf.
Say It Exposes Children To New Things
Say It Improves Youth
Mental Health
Say It Creates Opportunities To Work With Others
Parents whose kids play sports:
A majority of parents (90%) say that coaches are the unsung heroes of youth development. But there’s a problem: 80% also say there’s a shortage of high-caliber coaches today. Addressing that need, First Tee has invested in training and developing nearly 5,000 background-checked coaches to be positive role models for young people. One of them, coach Caleb Leung, says resilience and collaboration are key themes rooted in both the First Tee curriculum and coach trainings.“You're not just teaching them skills for a sport, you're teaching them values that they can … use in the real world,” he says.Leung first joined First Tee at age six. He says it was the coaches who inspired his return to the organization as a coach himself. First Tee’s CEO credits those kinds of connections for the organization’s lasting impact.“Our coaches [all] have at least one story about a young person who either came out of their shell, achieved a personal goal or overcame a challenge after participating in First Tee,” McLaughlin says. “They are all so clearly passionate about what they do.”
Golf Coaches Can Inspire Success
KEY FINDING #3
of parents want their child to have a coach who’s a role model
92%
Learn How Coach Caleb Leung Helps Others Through Golf
Download The Full First Tee-Harris Poll Report
“It’s one of the only sports without a referee—no officiating involved. So that builds integrity and honesty, and those are some important values not just in golf but outside golf. On top of that, it’s an individual sport, so you’re responsible for yourself. It teaches independence. It teaches you self-encouragement, or positive self-talk.”
How does golf cultivate life skills?
What’s your favorite thing about being a coach?
How did a First Tee coach impact you during childhood?
“It’s being in the field, on the golf course or in the classroom with the kids and just watching them learn. Over time, you see them pick up on things and grow as a person and as a golfer. … Last year, I got to witness a hole in one from one of my high schoolers.”
“My first golf coach, and now he’s my boss. … When we were playing serious golf or something that needed focus, we could zone in on the moment. But, after the fact, it became all fun and games. It was just a good time, and he never pushed you too far. He was always very positive and uplifting.”