The First Green Field Trip

We are very proud to state that we have now successfully hosted our inaugural First Green Field trip on our property as of the 25^th of April. Taking inspiration from a seminar I attended at the Golf Course Industry Show in February, hosted by The First Green (http://thefirstgreen.org/), we took the necessary steps to prepare ourselves to teach a bunch of bright eyed fifth-graders about some of the science surrounding our field. If your child attends Hidden Valley Elementary School, and is in the fifth-grade, than they were likely part of the event.

We covered four different topics, each with their own station and personnel. Topics included: 'What Makes-Up Soil', 'Soil Fertility and How We Determine What Fertilizers to Use', 'Irrigation Water Management', and also 'How to Properly Hit a Golf Ball'. 

The 'What Makes-Up Soil' station walked the students through the different components of soil, which include; sand, silt, clay, rocks, organic matter. Examples of the different components were presented to the kids to get a better feel for their textures. The differences in percolation rates were  then demonstrated by pouring water through different samples of the soil components which were arranged in upside down water bottles that had the bottoms cut off. They stood up by pushing the top of the water bottle into the bottom of an old practice putting green cup. We also showed them what a  Aerifier is and discussed why we aerate soils. We then let them apply a mixture of sand and seed to the driving range tee and have a little bit of fun rolling balls on our chipping green and playing in the bunker. 

Students check out the 'What Makes- Up soil' station

Asst. Superintendent Jon Arnett talking to kids about the importance of aeration and getting air into the soil.

Moving from that station, the kids were then exposed to the nutrient requirements that plants need in order to be healthy in the 'Soil Fertility and How We Determine What Fertilizers to Use' station. Here we utilized a television with a power point presentation to show them a Periodic Table of Elements and highlighting the relevant nutrients the plants require. The students had a blast showing off their knowledge of the different elements they learned about recently while covering the topic in their class. They were then shown a chart explaining the relative availability of nutrients based on soil pH levels and shown the relative look of abiotic nutrient deficiencies in plants. They were then shown  a recent soil test that we had conducted for our property and discussed how we use it to determine what fertilizers to apply based off those findings. A variety of different fertilizers were shown to them with brief descriptions about how to analyze a fertilizer bag's label, and with the little time that was left, the kids pulled out soil cores and mimicked what we do to take a soil test.

Asst. Superintendent Nick Reyes talking about how we take soil samples

Asst. Superintendent Nick Reyes discussing highlights from a soil test

The 'Irrigation Water Management'station exposed students to the complexities of an irrigation system as well as what it means to be a responsible stewards our most precious resource. Many different components of an irrigation system were discussed including: irrigation maps with an emphasis on the importance of proper design, central controllers, satellites, weather stations, sprinklers large and small, different types of valves, PVC piping components, hoses with quick couplers, and different nozzles. Brief descriptions were given for all the components and the kids were given the opportunity to touch everything. We also touched on the idea of ET (evapotranspiration) and how we determine how much water to use daily, and also the topic of wetting agents and the importance of spot watering were also stressed to the kids.

Before they had the opportunity to escape the kids were then all given clipboards, pencils and a worksheet to walk them through a math exercise in square footage calculations. Irrigation flags were laid out in a rectangle and used to outline an area the kids were to measure. A tape measure was given to a volunteer and the rest of the class wrote down the reported measurements. We primarily used the worksheet provide by The First Green's website which was great and challenging to some. After struggling to retain the kids attention through the worksheet they were directed onward to the next station.

Golf Course Superintendent of Fountaingrove Golf & Athletic Club, Dustin McIntosh along with Fernando Villagran, Golf Course Superintendent of Santa Rosa C.C. discuss the complexities of  irrigation water management.

Golf Course Superintendent of Fountaingrove Golf & Athletic Club, Dustin McIntosh discussing irrigation system design. 

The 'How to Properly Hit a Golf Ball' station was certainly a hit. The kids were shown fundamentals of a proper golf swing and then given the opportunity to try it out themselves. This is a station that requires a lot of organization to ensure a high level of safety and to keep it fun. After receiving initial instruction and being given the opportunity to hit a few balls, the kids were lined up and given a few chances to get their ball as close as they could to the pin on the driving range target green (which we highlighted with white paint). The person from each group with the  ball closest to the flag won a prized logo ball. Winners were announced at the end in front of everyone. After they completed the lesson the kids really enjoyed running out to pick up the golf balls.

Amanda Hauth and her fiance Kyle Listar give instruction of the proper grip and how to properly address a golf ball.

At the end of the event the class was gathered together. The teachers had asked that we talk about career opportunities in the hospitality industry. A quick oversight of the different careers around the field were given and any questions the kids had were answered at this time. The event culminated in the handing out of bottled water and chocolate chip cookies that stole the show (kudos Chef Paul) and were the highlight of some of the kids day.

The event was a hit and we hope to make this an annual thing for Hidden Valley Elementary's fifth-grade. Everything worked out great considering it was our first time, and the confidence gained from attending the class with The First Green at the Golf Course Industry Show helped tremendously. Their website is a great resource and is very user friendly. 

I strongly recommend taking The First Green's class at the G.I.S. to help organize yourself and generate ideas about how you could best implement a program like theirs at your property.

There were little nuances in the way we organized the stations that made a big difference in the flow of the event. We parked various large pieces of equipment out in the middle of the driving range tee to define the area and help keep the kids focused on their respective station. Each station except the  'How to Properly Hit a Golf Ball' station had a table and pop-up tent and were focused outward to also help in capturing the kids attention. We rotated stations after approximately ten minutes given a few minutes in between which seemed to be just about the right amount of time. The event catered to three classes which were split into two separate sessions. Each group consisted of little more than thirty kids, so each station had roughly eight kids (with a chaperone or two) in attendance.

Directly afterwards I sat down with Elena Hagstrom and composed a little video re-cap of the field trip for The First Green's website and our Facebook page. It was much easier said than done. It was quite a humbling experience to try to get through a couple minute speel without making any mistakes. I gained a lot of respect for those that sit in front of a camera for a living by doing this.

The teachers were thrilled with event and commented on how organized and engaging everyone was. About a week afterwards a couple envelopes arrived with letters from the kids. What a nice touch with something special that was greatly appreciated by all that helped out. I would like to formally thank those that helped out including: my assistants Nick Reyes and Jon Arnett, Fernando Villagran Golf Course Superintendent of Santa Rosa CC, Amanda Hauth and her fiancé Kyle Listar (Assistant Golf Professional at Santa Rosa CC), our Catering and Event Manager Elena Hagstrom and Chef Paul. This couldn't have been done without them. Thank you all for your help in making this such a great experience! 

Letters from the 5th grade classes!