Car Talk

Car Talk is a group of questions based on classes so parents can talk to their children to start a conversation about what they have learned in class.

Week 1 

Age Level: 7-9

• Core Lesson:
  • Welcome to First Tee Let’s Work Together!
  • I Can Be Responsible: Respecting the Rules
• Golf Skills:
  • Putt and Full Swing
• Golf Skills Objective:
  • Target awareness and get ready to swing 

• Target selection and where to aim and align to a desired target
  • Difference in motion for chipping and pitching (length of backswing) 
• Life Skill Questions:
  • Why is it important to respect the rules of golf?
  • Why is it important to show good sportsmanship on and off the course? 
  • When was there a time you showed good sportsmanship and a time when you didn’t?
  • Is it always important to win or can we learn from losing?

Age Level: 10-11

• Core Lesson:
  • Meeting & Greeting with A-L-R
  • Appreciating & Valuing Diversity
• Golf Skills:
  • Putting and Full Swing
• Golf Skills Objectives:
  • How to hold, set-up, and aim & alignment which leads to hitting quality golf shots
  • Learning distance response
• Life Skill Questions:
  • When can we use A-L-R at home, school, on the golf course, or with friends
  • What is the difference between a chip and pitch shot?
  • How can we collaborate at home or at school?
  • How can we collaborate on the golf course? With friends and family

Age Level: 12-13

• Core Lesson:
  • Setting Goals!
  • Getting to Your Goals: Plan to Achieve! 
• Golf Skills:
  • Chip and Pitch
• Golf Skill Objectives:
  • Reviewing hold, set-up and aim & alignment 
  • Learning target awareness and distance to a target
  • The target is not always the hole but maybe a start line
• Life Skill Questions:
  • What is the difference between a short and long term goal?
  • What goals can be set to achieve at home, school, or on the golf course?
  • Why is it important to have a process or purpose in pursuing a goal at home, school, or on the golf course?

Age Level: 14+

• Core Lesson:
  • Dealing with Conflict: making a positive impact 
  • Using good judgment and respecting other perspectives
  • Understanding our personal impact
  • Using CARE (Communicate, Actively Listening, Review Options, End with a win-win solution)
• Golf Skills:
  • Chip and Pitch
• Golf Skill Objectives:
  • Review hold, set-up and aim & alignment 
  • Learning body balance when chipping and pitching
  • Understanding the variable of speed or energy applied to the swing for a chip or pitch
  • Learning variety of clubs to use when chipping
• Life Skill Questions:
  • When can you use CARE at home, school, on the golf course, or with friends and family?
  • How can you deal with a conflict at home, school, on the golf course, or with friends and family?
  • How can we use good judgment at home, school, on the course, or with friends and family?
  • How can we respect other perspectives at home, school, on the golf course, or with friends and family?

Week 2

Age Level: 7-9

• Core Lesson:
  • Making good choices: Doing the right thing
  • Using good judgment
• Golf Skills:
  • Chip and Pitch
• Golf Skills Objective:
  • Learning a grip that works for the participant and the general motion of how to swing the golf club
• Life Skill Questions:
  • When can I make good choices at home, school, on the golf course, or with friends and family?
  • Why is it important to do the right thing at home, school, on the golf course, or with friends and family?
  • When do we use good judgment at home, school, on the golf course, or with friends and family?

Age Level: 10-11

• Core Lesson:
  • Learn and Grow with Grit!
  • Growing through challenges and discovering inner strength
  • Understanding how to dig deep when things get tough
• Golf Skills:
  • Chip and Pitch
• Golf Skills Objective:
  • Review get ready to swing by hold, set-up, aim & alignment
  • Learning and understanding a balanced finished in your swing
  • Reviewing the importance of a golf grip and the different types of grips
• Life Skill Questions:
  • How can you develop grit at home, school, and on the golf course?
  • How can you grow through challenges at home, school, on the golf course, and with friends and family?
  • Have you ever faced a time when you had to dig deep at home, school, and on the golf course?

Age Level: 12-13

• Core Lesson:
  • Getting to your Goal: plan to achieve a goal
  • Learning from the process of pursuing goals
  • Creating plans to achieve a goals 
• Golf Skills:
  • Putt and Full Swing
• Golf Skills Objective:
  • Swing Rhythm 
  • Distance Response
• Life Skill Questions:
  • How can you plan a goal at school or on the golf course?
  • Will you always reach a goal?

Age Level 14+

• Core Lesson:
  • Learning from our failure and dealing with adversity
  • Building positive self-identity
  • Developing resilience and discovering inner strength
• Golf Skills:
  • Putt and Full Swing
• Golf Skills Objective:
  • Learning the swing rhythm in a golf swing
  • Swing tempo
  • Breaking down the swing sequence
  • Using swing tempo to help reinforce distance response
• Life Skill Questions:
  • How can you learn from your failure at school and on the course?
  • When do you build positive self-identity at home, school, and on the golf course?
  • Where can you develop resilience at home, school, and on the golf course? 
  • When was the last time you faced adversity and how did you overcome it?

Week 3

Age Level 7-9

• Core Lesson:
  • I’m a Good Sport: Being a Team Player
• Golf Skills:
  • Putt and Full Swing
• Golf Skills Objective:
  • Exploring how different swing lengths impact a shot
• Life Skill Questions:
  • How can we collaborate at home or at school?
  • How can we collaborate on the golf course? With friends and family
  • How can we use good judgment at home, school, on the course, or with friends and family?

Age Level 10-11

• Core Lesson:
  • Staying Cool
  • Using good judgment 
  • Learning two of the 4Rs (Relax and Replay)
  • Demonstrating emotional control on the golf course
• Golf Skills:
  • Putt and Full Swing
• Golf Skills Objective:
  • Get ready to swing- pointing the club face to the target and aiming the body with the clubface
  • Target awareness with different clubs 
  • Distance control with the length of the backswing 
• Life Skill Questions:
  • How can you use the two Rs at home, school, on the course, and with friends and family?
  • When do you use good judgment at home, school, on the course, and with friends and family?
  • How can you relax on the course or in between shots?
  • How can emotional control help you play a better game of golf?

Age Level: 12-13

• Core Lesson:
  • Dealing with Challenges On and Off the Course
• Golf Skills:
  • Chip and Pitch
• Golf Skills Objective:
  • Size and length of motion in swing
  • Swing tempo- the swing speed
  • Exploring different tempos and lengths to find what works best for chipping and pitching
• Life Skill Questions:
  • How do you address challenges at home and school?
  • How can you use these lessons to deal with challenges on the course?

Age Level 14+

• Core Lesson:
  • Getting to Your Goal: Taking Ownership of Goal Achievement
  • Learning from both achievements and setback
  • Focusing on different types of goals
  • Understanding the WHY behind a goal
• Golf Skills:
  • Chip and Pitch
• Golf Skill Objectives:
  • Target awareness and distance response
  • Target selection and reaction to target
  • Club selection and reaction to target
• Life Skill Questions:
  • Why do we set goals?
  • What is the difference between process, performance, and outcome goals?
  • What are the four guidelines for setting a reachable goal?
  • How is target awareness related to other golf fundamentals you have learned?
  • How are distance response and target awareness connected?
  • What do you do if your opponent accidentally steps on your ball?

Week 4

Age Level 7-9

• Core Lesson:
  • Developing Confidence: I Can Do It!
  • Building positive self-identity
  • Play with Perseverance: Commit, Don’t Quit!
  • Growing through challenges
  • Discovering your capabilities 
  • Developing self-confidence 
• Golf Skills:
  • Chip and Pitch
• Golf Skill Objectives:
  • Getting ready to swing
  • Target awareness 
  • Target selection 
  • Aim and alignment
• Life Skill Questions:
  • What are you good at? How did you become good at doing those things?
  • How can you help others develop their own self-confidence?
  • When should you mark your ball on the putting green?
  • What does it mean to persevere?
  • Which golf skill requires you to persevere the most? Which is easiest for you? 

Age Level 10-11

• Core Lesson:
  • Finding Your Personal Par
  •  Building a positive self-identity
  • Discovering what they are capable of
  • Growing self-confidence 
  • Defining the different scores in Golf
• Golf Skills:
  • Chip and Pitch

• Golf Skill Objectives:
  • Clubface Awareness 
  • Get ready to Swing- Target selection and aim/ alignment
  • Clubface direction at contact
  • Learning feel of the clubface as you make a bigger swing
• Life Skill Questions:
  • How will you use a personal par while playing golf?
  • How can you use personal par at home, school, or with friends and family?
  • How can you grow your self-confidence?
  • Where on the clubface do you want to hit the ball?
  • Why is it important to clean your golf ball?

Age Level 12-13

• Core Lesson:
  • Embracing Your Identity & Building Your Confidence
  • Respecting & Valuing Diversity
• Golf Skills:
  • Putt and Full Swing
• Golf Skill Objectives:
  • Reinforcement of distance response 
  • Using the 4R’s to create a post-shot routine
• Life Skill Questions:
  • How do you build a positive self-identity?
  • How do we collaborate with others at school, at home, and on the golf course?
  • Why is it important to value everyone’s perspective?

Age Level 14+

• Core Lesson:
  • Being a Trustworthy Person 
  • Building a Trustworthy Team
• Golf Skills:
  • Putt and Full Swing
• Golf Skill Objectives:
  • Target awareness and distance response
  • Target selection and reaction to target
  • Club selection and reaction to target

• Life Skill Questions:
  • How do we find the courage to do what is right?
  • How do we respect the rules in golf and in life?
  • How does being trustworthy and trusting your instincts help you in life and on the golf course?

Week 5

Age Level- 7-9

• Core Lesson:
  • Using Good Judgment 
  • Making good choices 
  • Showing Discernment 
• Golf Skills:
  • Putt and Full Swing
• Golf Skill Objectives:
  • Distance response and target awareness
  • Size and length of motion 
  • Target selection
  • Club selection
• Life Skill Questions:
  • What types of decisions do you have to make at home, school, or on the golf course?
  • Why do you think it can be hard to make decisions?
  • How do you practice making smart decisions?
  • How many parts of the golf course can you name?
  • What is the difference between a chip and a pitch?

Age Level 10-11

• Core Lesson:
  • Dreams and Goals
  • Growing and learning by setting goals
  • Difference between a short and long term goal
• Golf Skills:
  • Putt and Full Swing
• Golf Skill Objectives:
  • Distance response 
  • Body balance
  • Club selection 
  • Having a balanced finished

• Life Skill Questions:
  • What is the difference between a dream and a goal?
  • What is the difference between a short term and long term goal?
  • What can you do today to start to make your dream a reality?
  • How does having a balanced finish help you control distance?
  • In which golf skill (putt, chip, pitch, or full swing) is it easier to control distance and / or balance?

Age Level 12-13

• Core Lesson:
  • Respecting and Valuing Diversity
  • Collaborating with others 
  • Respecting and valuing other perspectives 
  • Recognize how individual differences can contribute to team success
• Golf Skills:
  • Chip and Pitch
• Golf Skill Objectives:
  • Clubface awareness
  • Get ready to swing 
  • Target Awareness
  • Hold set-up, aim and alignment
• Life Skill Questions:
  • How can your unique talents and abilities contribute to your success on the golf course?
  • How can discovering what you are capable of help you at and away from First Tee?
  • How can your unique talents and abilities contribute to your success when you are off the course and at home, at school, or out in your community?
  • Is your pre-shot routine the same for every shot?
  • Why might your pre-shot routine change from shot to shot? 

Age Level 14+

• Core Lesson:
  • Who Am I? Embracing Identity and Developing an Understanding of Self
  • Building positive self-identity
  • Collaborating with others
  • Using good judgment
  • Being trustworthy and trusting your instincts 
  • Having the courage to do what is right 

• Golf Skills:
  • Chip and Pitch
• Golf Skill Objectives:
  • Clubface awareness 
  • Clubface direction at impact and how it affects the different types of ball flight
  • Clubface direction at impact centeredness of hit
• Life Skill Questions:
  • What does it mean to be trustworthy?
  • Why is it important to surround yourself with a go-to team you can trust?
  • Why is it important to listen to your intuition and trust your instincts as a go-to person?
  • What does an optimal impact position feel like with a driver? With an Iron?
  • Why is clubface awareness important?
  • What do you do when your ball comes to rest on the wrong green?

Week 6

Age Level 7-9

• Core Lesson:
  • On Your Mark, Get Set, Goal!
  • Pursuing Goals 
  • Learning from achievements and setbacks
• Golf Skills:
  • On Course
• Golf Skill Objectives:
  • Playing a few holes on the golf course
  • Learning the game on the course
• Life Skill Questions:
  • Why is it important to set goals and work toward achieving them?
  • What can you learn from failing to accomplish a goal?

Age Level 10-11

• Core Lesson:
  • Appreciating and Valuing Diversity!
  • Collaborating with others
  • Appreciating differences
  • Respecting others perspectives
• Golf Skills:
  • On the Course
• Golf Skill Objectives:
  • Playing a few holes on the golf course
  • Learning the game on the course
• Life Skill Questions:
  • What is diversity?
  • How can diversity and our differences be strengths?
  • What should you do if you hit the wrong ball?
  • Why is it important to put identifying marks on your golf ball?
  • Which golf skill is easiest for you to aim your clubface? Which is the hardest?

Age Level 12-13

• Core Lesson:
  • Being a Go-To Person 
  • Building a Go-To Team
• Golf Skills:
  • Putting and Full Swing
• Golf Skill Objectives:
  • Pre-shot routine
  • Get ready to swing-aim and alignment
  • Using STAR to create or refine a pre-shot routine (Stop, Think, Anticipate, and Respond)
• Life Skill Questions:
  • How do we use the game of golf to build a winning attitude?
  • How do we use the game of golf to build a winning team?

Age Level 14+

• Core Lesson:
  • Planning for the Future: A Game Changer’s Game Plan
  • Pursuing goals
  • Demonstrating excitement to grow and learn without fear of failure
  • Envisioning your future
• Golf Skills:
  • On the Course
• Golf Skill Objectives:
  • Playing a few holes on the golf course
  • Learning the game on the course
• Life Skill Questions:
  • How can visualization be used as an effective tool on and off the golf course?
  • What are some ways you can adapt if unexpected changes or shifts to your plan occur?
  • How can a pre-shot routine help you prepare for your shot?
  • How can a post-shot routine help you plan for future shots?
  • What are the three different types of relief?
  • When should you play a provisional ball?