Birdie Class

Lesson Plan # 1

  • Life Skill: Personal Par/Dreams & Goals
  • Golf Fundamental: Get Ready to Swing - Hold, Set-up, Aim & Alignment
  • Healthy Habit: Play- Can help the body stay strong, lean and fit and is fun in the process.
  • Homework: Birdie Book pages1-10

Welcome – This is the first day of class; get students started on the activity as soon as possible. If possible the Lead Coach should stay behind to give a 2 minute summary of what their kids will be doing in Birdie class. They can also open the floor up for a short question and answer session. The assistant coaches should get the class started on the warm-up and lesson plan while this takes place.

Warm-Up: Golf Fitness Warm-Up Activity (odd numbered workout day – see separate “Golf Circuit Warm-Up” handout located on the private coach website) OR Relay Race with soccer dribble, balance beam and aerobic activity such as skipping. Complete 3 times.

Opening Questions: After completing golf fitness warm up exercises above, coaches and participants will discuss the following questions:

  1. Our Healthy Habit is PLAY. Why is this important to our body and mind? Energizing play keeps our body strong and engages our mind in a new environment.
  2. What is Personal Par? (Coach to explain the definition- Personal Par is a measure of performance that varies from one PLAYer to another, and is based on his/her own current ability.
  3. How can Personal Par be a helpful tool on the golf course?
  4. How can Personal Par be a helpful tool off of the golf course?
  5. Do you think your Personal Par will always stay the same?
  6. What are goals? What are Dreams? How do the two differ?

Activity: GOOAAALLLL!!!

Objectives of Game: Students will be hitting golf balls through designated targets/goals. This game is designed to have each individual consider their current abilities and establish their own Personal Par. Encourage the students to work in pairs and share their Personal Par with their partners.

Objectives of Golf Fundamental: Students will be pulling from all previously learned golf fundamentals, concentrating on hold, set-up, aim and alignmentin order to be successful at this activity. Encourage a good, solid posture.

Supplies: Cones, tees, tour sticks/alignment rods, noodles, bucket of golf balls

Description of Set-Up: Give yourself time to set up these activities completely. Coaches will set up the following activities depending on the space they have available to them. Use the diagrams to help. Width of the goals should be appropriate for the skill level of your class. Make sure that all set-ups utilize safety zones! Make sure some of the putts have break.

How to Play:Use the same set up for each activity (putting, chipping and full swing). Before beginning, gather students at the station and explain the set-up. Be sure to point out safety and hitting zones! Decide who will be hitting first and second. This will depend on the number of hitting zones available to you. For the first few minutes have one coach pick out a goal/Personal Par for the students to attempt hitting their ball through. After doing this for a short time, gather the group and take 60 seconds to explain what their Personal Par will be for this activity and how they can alter it.

Incorporating Personal Par: participants must select as many balls as they think it will take to successfully go through each goal in this activity. Once they have hit a ball through the first goal, they can move on to the second goal. A player completes the competition if they can successfully hit 1 golf ball through each of the goals on or below their Personal Par.

Set-up Diagrams: See diagrams at the end of the lesson plan for set-up help and additional instructions that may apply.

Bridge to Life: Use the following questions to help participants apply their “on-course” work to their “off-course” activities and experiences.

  1. How did you determine your own Personal Par?
  2. Was your Personal Par the same or different from your classmates?
  3. Was this activity easy or challenging?
  4. What did you do or what did you think about to successfully complete this activity?
  5. How do you plan on using Personal Par at school, home, on the golf course before our next class?
  6. What core value(s) would be helpful when setting your Personal Par?
  7. Which of the core values might improve if you committed to using Personal Par?
  8. Homework- write down 3 dreams that you have and bring them back to the next class: examples: Golf related - 2 putt every green, hit the ball 300 yards etc. School related - go to Harvard, straight A’s. Your biggest dream- become a doctor, Pro Golfer, Billionaire!

Lesson Plan Progression: Activities will follow this sequence.

  • Warm Up- Golf Fitness
  • Personal Par discussion
  • Activities 1-3- Finding your Personal Par
  • Bridge to Life

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