Chicago students swing high learning life skills through golf

CHICAGO (CBS) — Years from now, when some children grow up to be scratch golfers, they’ll remember taking their first swings in a gym class.

That’s one hope for coaches who visited an elementary school on the South Side as First Tee Greater Chicago introduced kids to the game of golf.

If it’s gym class at Edgar Allen Poe Elementary, you’ll have trouble keeping up with an 11-year-old like Kingston Muhammad.

“Yeah, I play a lot of sports. I play baseball. I do martial arts. I do swimming and soccer, so yeah, I do a lot of things,” Muhammad said.

This is the warm-up, and kids are hardly breaking a sweat before they learn how to swing.

“Everything takes practice. So, you just gotta get the right motion and get into your rhythm, so that’s what I do,” Muhammad said. 

Kingston and his classmates are brand new to the game. But they’re learning from some of the best.

First Tee Greater Chicago said it’s helped more than 100,000 kids learn and grow through the game of golf.  It brings its coaches and clubs to schools where kids might not otherwise discover golf.

“There’s been a lot of underrepresentation in golf from certain communities, so I want to make sure we can access to golf to all kids in Chicago,” said Brandon White, Vice President of Programs and Operations with First Tee Greater Chicago.

Some of these kids are swinging golf clubs for the first time, and if the program’s success is any indication, it won’t be the last.

“I’ve met some really good people like Coach Elijah, who I met at six years old,” said White.

“I’ve been his coach since he was six, and now, he’s coaching alongside me at 24.”

“Got to play some college golf, and I get to help kids that were just like me, so it’s a full circle for me,” said Elijah Royal, Lead Coach with First Tee Greater Chicago.

The goal is not to produce pros, just kids who grow up loving the game.

“This game is bigger than just hitting a ball. You learn respect, responsibility, sportsmanship, courtesy, confidence.”

All it takes is one good swing, and a golfer is hooked. 

“Ah, that was a bad one, but I’m going to do one more.”