Students visit golf course to gain STEM skills
SPRINGVILLE, N.Y. (WIVB) -- Springville students traded their classroom for the golf course on Thursday to learn more about the process of upkeeping the greens at Concord Crest Golf Course in Springville.
"It gives them a whole new appreciation for nature right in our backyard," said Mila Clauss, a fifth-grade teacher at Springville Elementary. "In Springville, we're all about experiential learning, we're encouraged to take risks, we're encouraged to give the kids tons of experiences. So this fits right in to kind of the mission of Springville -- to get these kids out and get them active in the community and see what's around us."
Trevor Ploetz said that Concord Crest Golf Course is a family-run business, and that golf was always his father's passion. His family turned Springville farmland into a golf course in 1999 and it now sits on 131 acres. He hopes the stations they set up for the field trip help teach students the potential careers in golf course landscaping.
"Between mowing or being the superintendent, being an irrigation tech, being an equipment manager, there's a lot of great different career paths that a golf course can lead you down," said Ploetz. "I think that's one of the best ways to learn, just with the hands on."
From learning about the equipment, to the different types of grass seed, to talking wildlife nature walks and learning how to putt on the green, based on the student's reactions their field trip experience was far from sub-par.
"I get to experience something different than being inside and having more air, fresh air," said Milea Prinino, a fifth grader.
"I like being out here and I get to run around and see my friends," said Ethan Courneen, another fifth grader. "I'm learning math and how to play golf and how to fix holes in the ground."
For more information about Concord Crest Golf Course, visit their website here.