Picture this: a group of elementary schoolers, backpacks still on, stepping off a school bus and squinting into the California sunshine — not at a museum or a field, but at an actual, honest-to-goodness golf course. Driving range stalls stretching out ahead of them, putting green flags fluttering in the breeze, the gentle hum of a different world entirely. For most of them, it might as well be another planet.
Thanks to a meaningful partnership between First Tee – Orange County and both the Anaheim Elementary School District and Garden Grove Elementary School District, students from across the program are taking field trips to Dad Miller Golf Course — trading their school playground for real greens and a driving range, and bringing every ounce of the skills they’ve been building right along with them.
On the Golf Course
There’s something that happens when a kid steps up to a real driving range bay or crouches over a putt on an actual green for the first time. The same movement they’ve practiced week after week on the school blacktop suddenly has context — real targets, real grass under their feet, and a real sense of possibility. What was once just a drill becomes, in an instant, a game.
For many participants in the Anaheim and Garden Grove programs — kids from neighborhoods where a round of golf isn’t exactly a weekend staple — this field trip represents far more than a fun outing. It’s an introduction to a world that has historically felt out of reach, an open door into spaces and opportunities that too often go unexplored.
At Dad Miller Golf Course, the kids aren’t just spectators. They’re out on the driving range sending balls downrange, rolling putts across real greens, and soaking in the rhythm and etiquette of the game in the very environment it was meant to be played. Our First Tee coaches experience the game alongside them, encouraging and coaching, making sure every child feels like they belong exactly where they are.
The Bigger Picture
Golf has a long history of exclusivity — manicured courses tucked behind membership fees and quiet dress codes. First Tee was founded precisely to challenge that legacy, and these field trips are that mission made visible. When a child from Anaheim or Garden Grove steps onto the grounds at Dad Miller, they’re not just learning to play golf. They’re learning that this place — and everything it represents — is for them, too.
The smiles say it all. The wide eyes when they sink a putt. The laughter echoing across the range. These aren’t just kids on a field trip — they’re future golfers, future leaders, and proof that with the right opportunity, any door can open.
A huge thank you to the dedicated educators, volunteers, and coaches who make these unforgettable experiences possible. Here’s to many more golf course visits ahead.
