By: J. Daniel Pearson
Before she enrolled in The First Tee program as an eight-year-old, Aryana Persaud had never picked up a golf club in her life. The only thing she really knew about the sport was that it was a game that her father really enjoyed playing, so she wanted to give it a whirl.
“I had no idea what I was doing and to tell you the truth I was a little intimidated on that first day because I was the only girl in the class,” she recalled. “But the coaches were great and I fell in love almost instantly with the sport. By the end of the first week, I couldn’t wait to go back again.”
Founded in 1997, The First Tee has a goal of improving children’s life skills through golf lessons. It attempts to do this by integrating the lessons and skills needed in the sport and using them to build a foundation of fair play, inner strength, self-confidence, and resilience—attributes that kids can use in all other aspects of life.
“The program does a fantastic job in that regard,” Persaud said. “Golf is such a mental game and is definitely a game of ups and downs where your emptions can turn on a dime. During a round, you have to have the ability to adapt when things go wrong. The First Tee instructors basically teach you that the principals that you need to use on the golf course are the same skills that can translate into everything you do in your life.”
Founded in 1997, The First Tee has a goal of improving children’s life skills through golf lessons. It attempts to do this by integrating the lessons and skills needed in the sport and using them to build a foundation of fair play, inner strength, self-confidence, and resilience—attributes that kids can use in all other aspects of life.
“The program does a fantastic job in that regard,” Persaud said. “Golf is such a mental game and is definitely a game of ups and downs where your emptions can turn on a dime. During a round, you have to have the ability to adapt when things go wrong. The First Tee instructors basically teach you that the principals that you need to use on the golf course are the same skills that can translate into everything you do in your life.”
Over the years, Persaud has stuck with the program — participating each year and eventually graduating to the ACE program for teenagers that not only helps them establish career goals but also helps create an action path to achieve those goals.
The First Tee program has meant so much to Persaud that she wanted to give back to the organization. Last year, she entered a program to become a junior instructor for First Tee and now coaches younger players entering the program at Eagle Creek Golf Club.
“It’s been an incredible experience working with the young kids and helping introduce the sport of golf to them,” she says. “I remembered what it was like when I first started in the program and I can see the same thing in the eyes of the kids I am working with now. There is nothing more satisfying than watching their confidence grow as they advance through the program.”
“Aryana is truly and amazing person and important asset for us,” Wanda Brewer, Executive Director of The First Tee of Central Florida says. “She has a magnetic personality and is so good at keeping the participants’ attention in the lesson while also keeping it fun and entertaining for them. The kids really gravitate toward her.”
And while many of today’s top level players in college and the pros got their start with The First Tee, developing champions is far from the stated goal of the program, which makes Persaud a “poster boy” for The First Tee’s success.
“She got involved in The First Tee at a young age and has a great grasp of what we want to accomplish,” Brewer added. “She has a real knack communicating with the youngsters. She understands that kids that age want to learn from doing, not listening and she uses that to keep them engaged.”
Although she is a solid high school player in her own right (she earned a spot on the Orange Belt Conference All-Conference team as a junior) she has no illusions about the possibility that her competitive playing days could end after her senior year of varsity golf concludes in the fall.
“As far as college golf, it will definitely be a wait-and-see type of thing and but playing at that level is not a priority with me,” she said. “But I have other goals. I want a career working in sports — perhaps in sports journalism, broadcasting or some other aspect,” the well-spoken senior said. “The First Tee and the game of golf have given me the confidence and direction I need to pursue those goals and that is one of the reasons I always want to support them.”
Source: Aryana Persaud, First Tee
