Teaching Golf in Public Schools: How A Teacher Transforms

A Classroom into a Golf Facility in Brooklyn

by Herb Rubenstein

Dedicated to Jose Ramos, 8th Grade Math Teacher, Brooklyn , NY

Introduction

Everyone would agree that physical education is lagging in public school. Even the regular gym period that those of us over sixty either loved or hated from the first grade through the twelfth grade, has disappeared for my school children.

One teacher took it upon himself to restore physical education in his public school, IS 211. (IS stands for Intermediate School) in Brooklyn. “Mr. Rios” as he is known to his students is an avid golfer, plays in tournaments, and has received his golf teaching certificate after taking a one week program of the United States Golf Teachers Federation.

The great news is the “Jose Rios Golf Program (RGP)” can be repeated by any teacher in the United States. Will the teacher have a fight with a principal over this? Probably not. Will a teacher need to be a great golfer to develop a Ramos Golf Program (RGP) in his or her classroom? Probably not.

Yes, the teacher will need to know something about golf, but, there are many people we believe, for free, who would volunteer to help any teacher who wants to set up a Rios Golf Program in his or her classroom.

The Rios Golf Program

We start with the physical set up. All of the golf equipment sits near the walls of the classroom out of the way. It takes about five minutes to set

up the four pieces of golf equipment after moving the desks out of one part of the room.

There is a golf net near one wall of the classroom. You pull out the golf net to approximately six feet from the wall when you want to set it up for hitting. There is a golf mat where the students stand and where the ball is placed to be hit into the net. There is a golf “tracking device” (computer and device next to where the golf ball is hit that is a camera usually able to shoot pictures at 1/1000th of a second. It captures the speed of the golf ball, so it can tall how far the golf ball will go. It captures the left and right spin of a golf ball and its direction to see if it will go straight at, left (left spin) or right (right spin) of the target.

With just this equipment, plus some donated, cut down golf clubs and golf balls, students can hit golf balls. With the use of a simple smart phone or any video recording device or camera, videos or still pictures can be taken of a student hitting a golf ball. On a chart of paper on an easel, a fellow student or the teacher can write down the distance the ball is measured by the machine. A teacher can see who hits the farthest, or set a specific distance for a student to hit a shot and see who comes the closest to that distance, which is great for chipping, pitching, and other short shots that require “touch.”

Each student can keep a written record of the results of this hitting golf balls and track progress.

In addition to the net, the mats, the tracking device and the computer needed to report the results of the tracking device, the Rios Golf Program includes a four foot wide and twenty-five foot long “golf putting green.” This synthetic, astro turf type (actually more like a rubberized carpet) golf putting green has a shallow “golf hole” about three feet from either end. Mats are placed under the putting green, but not under the golf “holes” which have cups in them to raise the mats high enough to allow for the one to two inch golf hole to go below the surface of the “putting green”. Thus. putting contests can be held including who makes the putt from the farthest distance, or who gets the ball closest to the hole.

That’s it. Very simple. Much of this equipment can be bought used, can be donated, so the cost of having a “golf facility” for hitting and putting should not be very significant. Of course, actual costs can vary depending on the quality or newness of the equipment, but teachers should contact golf equipment companies like the PGA Superstore or Club Champion for donations.

Certainly, golf balls and cut down and regular used golf clubs can be donated and are easy to procure. Certainly, it helps if the teacher knows a little about teaching students how to hit a golf ball and how to putt.

How The Program Operates

When there is a study hall or a lunch period or a time when the classroom is not being used for academic classes, the desks are moved to the sides of the room and students come to the room in an organized manner, and practice golf. Mr. Rios instructs them and supervises all of the activity.

In addition, it is possible that the indoor golf activity could occur after school as part of some organized after school activity. Also, this type of “golf facility” could be set up in empty classrooms, empty spaces, an auditorium, or in many underutilized areas of a school including a cafeteria or even outdoor play area. Of course, the computer and not cheap camera/tracking device will need to be stored under lock and key.

What The Students Say

I visited PS 211 and I saw that the students love the golf set up. It teaches them hand eye coordination and gives them real “physical education.” In addition, it is always the goal of Mr. Rios to get the students on a real golf course and almost always local public golf courses will allow students, supervised by adults, to practice and even play on a golf course free of charge.

Conclusion

Teachers make a difference every day. For a small cost, a teacher can set up an excellent golf facility in his or her classroom. If the teacher cannot get the equipment donated, a teacher might be able to raise the money from donations to pay for the equipment. It is our hope at the Brooklyn Golf Alliance that the work of Mr. Jose Rios can be replicated in schools throughout the United States.