My name is Samuel Barbour and as of this week, I am Ace Certified from the First Tee program. I have recently graduated from Dobyns Bennett High School, and in the Fall, I will be majoring in mechanical engineering at the University of Tennessee. I am among 14 other students at the University of Tennessee that will be a Haslam Leadership Scholar for the class of 2027. The Haslam Leadership Scholarship is given to 15 students and includes benefits such as paid internships, education abroad experiences, and tuition and fees covered. I am very honored to be a part of this program, but I would attribute a considerable amount of my distinction as a Haslam Scholar to the First Tee, and specifically, the First Tee Ace level.
I began my First Tee journey when I was 8 years old. In the PLAYer, Par, Birdie, and Eagle levels I learned a lot about the rules of golf, golf etiquette, and life skills on and off the course. This shaped my experience as I traveled through middle school and later high school golf at Dobyns Bennett. I felt more comfortable on the golf course as I met competitors from other schools, and I was able to help with ruling disputes that came up quite often in high school golf. While staying at a competitive level was important for me in high school, keeping a fun and positive environment was more important. Being a part of the First Tee allowed me to step up as a leader in situations that prompted leadership. For example, once I became a Senior in high school, several golf teammates I looked up to graduated from high school. This left me as the only senior on the golf team. Stepping up as a leader by welcoming the incoming freshmen and creating a good atmosphere at practices was something I tried my hardest to do.
When I graduated to the Ace level, my focus in high school was already changing to thinking about college and my career going forward. It was very meaningful to talk with other golfers about their plans and how they tried to incorporate First Tee life skills to make decisions about their future. It is not very common that students in high school take the time to reflect on their future. The First Tee allowed me to slow down and think about important decisions that I had not considered, such as what college makes the most sense for your needs. The Ace level brought in a new, practical perspective on golf, and while we still found time to practice golf and have a good time, opening our minds to new thoughts and project ideas at our Ace classes became equally important.
In my senior year of high school, Coach Adam and I put one of these project ideas into place. Adam has been my First Tee instructor ever since I can remember and urged me to continue in the First Tee program. He has always cared so much for his First Tee students. And in my senior year, we brought the First Tee to Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School with the help of the YMCA and Dobyns Bennett Beta Club. It was remarkable to see so many excited kids get to try out golf for the first time. The First Tee can really make an impact on younger kids’ lives, and I hope that we offered that chance to many kids at Roosevelt.
Now that I have officially become Ace certified, I can confidently say that the First Tee program has made an extremely positive impact on me. I can bet that colleges look at graduates of the First Tee program very highly, and it helped with my application. However, Ace certification is not just something to put on a resume, it is an opportunity and a turning point to learn more about oneself and their plans for the future. I cannot wait to start college this Fall, but I want to make sure to thank Coach Adam and all the First Tee instructors for making this experience possible for myself and many others.