Pilot Program at HPGC/TFTGA

We are proud to announce that The First Tee of Greater Austin/Harvey Penick Golf Campus has been selected as one of seven sites nationwide to host the new Ernie Els #GameON Autism Golf Program - a pilot series of a specialized program aimed at using golf as a life skills development tool for individuals on the autism spectrum. The comprehensive program, which has been developed by Els for Autism with support from PGA REACH and thru a grant from New York Collaborates for Autism, utilizes multiple evidence-based practices, identified by the National Professional Development Center on Autism. It consists of nine groups lessons and takes four and a half weeks to complete with golf lessons taking place twice a week. Each session has a specially designed lesson plan that delivers golf instruction paired with specific autism focused learning concepts, including: communication, regulatory, motor and social skills. The Austin program took place in September 2015. It was a success and the chapter plans to re-offer the program again in fall 2016. Other cities selected to host the program include The Palm Beaches, FL; Northern New Jersey, NJ; Boston, MA; Princeton, NJ; Hilton Head, SC; and Chicago, IL. Click the download button below to read the full release from Els for Autism.