Youth from Hillside Children’s Center will participate in the First Tee of Rochester’s community outreach program again this summer. The nine-week program teaches life skills such as honesty, integrity, and sportsmanship through the game of golf. The program is held at Genesee Valley Golf Course and is taught by PGA Pro Tom Bolduck, the course pro. Twenty to thirty youth will participate during July and August.
According to Hillside Children’s Center Recreation Therapy Manager Claudia Herman, Hillside youth have been participating in the program for more than ten years. “Golf is a great activity for some of our kids,” she says. “Some of them have a tough time with team sports. Golf is individual and sometimes that works better for our kids.”
Golf can also give youth an incentive to stay active. “I try to teach our kids lifetime sports,” she says. “If they try golf while they’re here and like it, it’s something they can do for the rest of their lives.” Claudia says that some youth have golf experience when they come to Hillside. “For some families, golf brings them together. If the family is having problems, sometimes golf is the only thing they have in common.” For other youth, golf provides a first opportunity to succeed in a sport. Whether they’re just getting started in the sport of honing their skills, the youth benefit from golf in many ways. “The kids gain self-esteem when they start to hit the ball,” Claudia says. “They learn to respect the pro and they learn etiquette. They learn to participate in an activity in the community where there are behavior expectations. And it’s great exercise!”
Claudia is extremely grateful to Genesee Valley Golf Course for making the program possible each year. “They’ve been extremely generous,” she says. “Tom, the PGA Pro, is very kind with the kids. He does trick shots to keep them motivated.”
Tom believes that golf helps give the youth a new perspective on life. “When you’re hitting golf balls, it takes a lot of concentration. It takes you away from a lot of things. It takes your mind off a lot of problems.” The Hillside youth also seem to enjoy the beautiful course environment. “It’s something different than they’ve ever been exposed to,” he says. When he tees up a ball and demonstrates his skills, “they find it pretty neat. They can tell it’s not as easy as it looks and they get pretty excited. They learn a lot while they’re here.”
Both Tom and Claudia hope the youth will continue to play after they leave Hillside. “Golf is a different type of escape,” Tom explains, “and I hope it’s something they’ll stay with.” Claudia actively encourages them to keep at it. “If kids really get into it, I try to send them home with at least a partial set of clubs so they can keep playing. I’m always looking for bags and clubs people no longer use. I can put them to good use here at Hillside.” If you have golf equipment you’re no longer using, please contact Claudiaat Hillside Children’s Center’s Recreation Therapy Department.