Can't fault the eagerness of today's youth who take an interest in the game of golf.
Even if it means showing up for their very first practice session wearing cowboy boots and having a Wii remote in the palm of their hand.
That was one isolated incident experienced by West Virginia Golf Association director of operations Brad Ullman as he made his way across the state during the fall while overseeing The First Tee of West Virginia.
"We deal with a lot of different aspects of kids," said Ullman, who made the trip to Vienna's Minibel Golf Course on Tuesday night for the final session of the six-week Little General Juniors program.
"This program is designed for those who are brand new to golf and never touched a club," Ullman continued. "The kids who are participating this fall will jump into next spring (to continue another six-week session) and we want to make sure they continue to progress not only as a junior golfer but also progress within the curriculum of the First Tee program."
Plans are to resume the program in the spring followed by two more six-week courses in the summer, and again in the fall for a total of four opportunities for junior golfers.
In addition to learning The First Tee's nine core values (honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, courtesy and judgment), participants between the ages of 5-8 in the Little General Juniors program learn the basics of putting, chipping and golf course etiquette just to name a few aspects of the game.
"We don't want them to just participate for six weeks then send them home - we're making sure we are creating golfers for life," Ullman said.
The ultimate goal over the next 10 years is to implement this idea into every elementary school across the state of West Virginia. Currently, there are 4,800 elementary schools throughout the country offering The First Tee National School Program.
"It's a pretty daunting task, but we are willing to give it a go because we believe that much in it," Ullman said.
With the help of Minibel Golf Course owner Terry Donnelly, if the experience in the Mid-Ohio Valley is any indication then this venture should be successful.
Case in point: 7-year-old Anna Earl of Vienna. According to her father, Michael Earl, his daughter welcomed with excitment the wealth of instruction offered and actually applied what she was taught when one of her peers reacted after missing a putt.
"She said, 'now be a good sport' - which was one of the skills they were trying to learn," Michael Earl said. "As far as golf, there is a lot of difference in what she was doing from the first week. When she first got started and picked up a club, she kind of hacked at it. It was almost like an axe.
"Now she is starting to come through it a little bit more. Obviously she is 7 years old, but there is a difference in her movement."
