Cromwell, Connecticut (May 17, 2024) – On a picture-perfect spring day TPC River Highlands welcomed 170 eighth graders from Cromwell Middle School to participate in the course’s inaugural First Green event.
Founded in 1997, First Green is the only STEAM education and environmental outreach program in the United States and Canada that uses golf courses as learning labs.
First Green, a Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) program, pairs golf courses with local schools for unique Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) learning opportunities.
Upon arrival students were split up into groups and then rotated between five different stations:
- Cool Tool Station – students got to see and in some cases try out the various types of equipment used on a golf course.
- Soil Station – students explored the different soils on the property as well as the various infiltration rates of the soil.
- Water Conservation Station – the focus was on how a golf course is watered and how TPC River Highlands strives to save water while at the same time keep the course pristine and aesthetically beautiful.
- Bug Station – students learned about the different insects that golf courses have to control and manage and what they are looking for with those bugs.
- Math Station – students were exposed to the different ways that math is used on a daily basis at the golf course.
Speaking about what he hoped that students would learn during their visit TPC River Highland golf course superintendent Jason Cannata said, “We wanted to show the students our industry and the wide array of jobs in the industry, how we use STEAM and open up their eyes to what goes into maintaining a golf course. TPC River Highlands is right across the street from their school, and most of their families go to the Travelers Championship each year but we wanted them to see the science behind it all.”
For more information on First Green click here.
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Connecticut State Golf Association functions as an extension of the USGA and provides stewardship for amateur golf in Connecticut. Founded in 1899, it is the country’s oldest state golf association and conducts over 60 Championships, Qualifiers, and One Day Tournaments throughout the year.
