KAHNAWAKE, Que. — For girls in Montreal’s Notre-Dame-de-Grâce community (Comité Jeunesse NDG), discovering golf can come with barriers that have little to do with learning how to swing a club.
Cost, transportation and access to golf facilities can make it difficult for youth to get started. Through partnerships with adidas and Comité Jeunesse NDG, First Tee – Premier départ Québec is helping remove those barriers and create opportunities for more girls to discover the game.
From August 17-20, First Tee – Premier départ Québec and adidas hosted four consecutive all-girls clinics at Caughnawaga Golf Club, welcoming youth from the community for two-hour sessions at no cost. Transportation to and from the golf course was also provided, creating a more accessible introduction to golf.
Supported by RBC Community Junior Golf, Caughnawaga Golf Club is a new First Tee – Premier départ Québec partner for 2026, with the clinics providing an opportunity for participants to experience a golf facility and learn the fundamentals of the game in a safe environment.
Led by First Tee coach Simeon Pompey and coaches Amilion Sandy, Omar Bacchus and Brian O’Connell, participants moved through putting, chipping and full-swing stations. Along the way, they explored First Tee’s life skills curriculum, including lessons on respect, perseverance and self-confidence.
The meaning of respect was especially highlighted within the sessions: respect through active listening, being considerate of each other’s time, caring for surrounding nature, and following rules and etiquette. To begin practice, Simeon encouraged participants to greet six of their peers with “it’s nice to meet you” and a handshake.
The sessions also emphasized discovery. Participants were encouraged to try new skills, learn from their coaches and support one another. That support could be heard across the driving range as girls celebrated each other’s successes, including enthusiastic shouts of “I did it!” after connecting with a full swing.
For some participants, the clinic marked their first experience with golf. Shaleena Moore, who picked up a club for the first time during the program, said she enjoyed hitting the ball “high and far.”
The clinic also gave participants the chance to see what they could accomplish themselves. Marie-Michèle Richer, program manager for First Tee – Premier départ Québec, demonstrated her long drive while the coaches encouraged the girls to repeat a simple message: “If she can do it, I can do it.”
For Simeon, creating opportunities for youth who may not otherwise have access to golf is one of the most rewarding parts of being a First Tee coach.
“For most of these children, playing golf is something that they haven’t done before or thought of doing,” he said. “Golf courses are not easily accessible to kids in urban areas. Introducing them to the sport will forever change them because they can share their experiences with others.”
Beyond learning to putt, chip and swing, participants were introduced to a sport they can carry with them throughout their lives. Simeon believes golf is for all ages — an experience that can be shared between generations of a family, passing down the lessons and etiquette of the game.
Through support from partners such as adidas, along with community organizations and golf facilities, First Tee – Premier départ Québec is helping make those opportunities possible.
By lowering barriers and creating positive first experiences, these programs are giving more girls the chance to discover golf and see themselves as part of the game.