As a First Tee coach one of the many rewards is playing a full round of golf with the participants. The new Eagle program we have started this season allows for just that. Last Friday I had the privilege of playing 18 holes with John Bosco thanks to Pease Golf Course. John is a long-time participant in the First Tee of NH, and in recent years has become a volunteer and mentor for the younger kids. He is going into his Junior year at Buckingham, Brown and Nichols High School in Cambridge, MA. We have watched John mature in his golf and more importantly his life skills over a five year span. In this round of golf John set a goal for this round of golf—to beat Eric Recher’s (our program director) four over Par score he shot competing in the 2009 Seacoast Amateur Championship. On track into the eighth hole, John endured an unlucky bounce into a hazard behind the green by practicing the 4 R’s, a life skill that taught John to move past what just happened and prepare for the next shot. He did just that by miraculously pitching a very difficult shot five feet from the hole and then sunk the putt for a bogey. John confided that double bogey never entered his mind; a sign that he continuously practices in golf and life positive thinking. Throughout the entire round, John employed STAR (Stop, and look at the shot ahead; Think of all options; Anticipate the results of each choice; and Respond totally committed). John easily made par on the last hole; he beat his goal by two strokes.

    More  than witnessing John Bosco’s golf prowess, I was thoroughly impressed with the camaraderie he showed with his playing partners Tracey Marshall and Krystal Knight, and of course myself. This round of golf validated what is so special about golf; that four people with diverse golf skills, ages, and backgrounds can play together because we had one thing in common — we all love, respect, and appreciate this great game. John is a great asset to The First Tee of NH and we are proud to have him as a participant.

-Jim Blalock and The First Tee NH Staff