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First Tee Golf Program

Vancouver Lawn Bowling Club and the First Tee Golf Program 2019

The First Tee Golf Program teaches kids and youth golf skills as well as life skills and positive values.  The kids and youth from age 6 to 12 participate in week long golf camps at the Pitch and Putt golf course in Queen Elizabeth Park.
As part of the program, they visited the Vancouver Lawn Bowling on Tuesday mornings during July and August to learn the basic skills of the game in the context of enjoying the game and building on the positive life skills being taught by the First Tee instructors.   
This year, some 220 participants visited the club to enjoy a session of lawn bowling.  The First Tee instructors did an excellent job of explaining the basic of the game and organizing the teams and the games.  They also reinforced the need to be careful while on the green so as not to damage the green.  The participants for the most part were mindful of the green and interested in bowling.  The younger kids had some difficulty handling the smallest club bowls; however, after we used much smaller carpet bowls, borrowed from the Kerrrisdale Lawn Bowling Club, they managed to roll the bowls much easier and smoother. 

As well as using the greens, the First Tee used the club house for their administrative work and on rainy days if the club house was not being used by our members.  Luckily, this year there were not too many days with poor weather conditions.
There were still a few minor issues that we had to deal with such as turnover of First Tee staff, closing of our back gate, and clean up.  All were discussed with the First Tee group and resolved or will be resolved.
The collaboration between the VLBC and the First Tee Golf Program is a way for our club to support and introduce young people to the sport of lawn bowling and to provide a connection and service to the community. 
We hope that we will be able to continue this partnership of the last 5 years and introduce new activities to better engage the kids in the sport of lawn bowling.