Morton Golf’s Kelli Corlett, Junior and Disabled Golf Program Director for Haggin Oaks wrote today’s article that first appeared in the Morton Golf Foundation’s Annual Review.
Here at Haggin Oaks, many youth programs are offered not only to help improve a participant’s golf skill’s, but also to educate, change and enrich lives. The Inner City Youth Program, put on by The Center for Fathers and Families and Haggin Oaks, is one that aims to improve the lives of our under privileged youth by incorporating the Core Values of The Center for Fathers and Families and The First Tee. We explain and show how one can be honest, respectful, responsible, courteous and personify integrity through the game of golf. We also prove how those ideas and life skills can be applied to everyday life, both at home and at school. As a coach, I look forward to sharing personal stories and answering questions about college and being “a big kid.” Through those encounters, the ideas of confidence and perseverance have been introduced and explained to the students. It has become clear that this is an extremely important time of life for these youth; as they are capable of understanding how important it is to live by the Core Values as well as work toward their lifelong goals and to continue with their education, all of which can be taught through the game of golf.
Throughout the school year, two Haggin Oaks staff members work with four different groups of students, one at a time, for six weeks. The program runs every Friday from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is during the hour to hour and a half of actual instruction time that the students and Haggin Oaks staff review the previous weeks “Core Value Word,” discuss the current “Core Value Word,” focus on one to two elements of golf as well as converse about the weeks happenings at school. The Inner City Youth Golf Program is one that is truly valued, not only by the boys and girls who participate, but by the coaches as well. It is a time in which we all look forward to!
Want more information? Contact Kelli Corlett at 916-808-2531.
