Our commitment to Birdie Basics will not make golfers out of all of our students. While some of them may choose golf as their sport, the value of Birdie Basics goes beyond the sport itself:
- Improved eye-hand coordination
- Reinforced math lessons
- Taking turns
- Safety first
- Cheering for friends
- Striving for continuous improvements
- Fun exercise
Birdie Basics (learn more here) is a unique lesson package designed and tested by real teachers and golfers to:
- Make young children feel successful at golf from the get-go
- Engage all the senses
- Use repetition to reinforce the fundamentals of golf
- Adapt to children’s skill level and state of development
Instructors (“Coaches”) use proprietary teaching methods—such as Birdie-isms, Magic Shoes, and Magic Tracks— to ensure our young golfers grasp and develop sound golfing techniques while having lots of fun. These proprietary teaching methods make up a curriculum developed by Kate Tempesta.
Kate founded the Urban Golf Academy (UGA 2007-2020) to combine her passions for golf, early childhood education, and movement. UGA went on to teach thousands of children ages 3-8 for over a decade. She created a popular summer camp in Central Park that incorporated golf, creative movement, art, and dramatic play. She created Birdie Basics™, specifically with the child in mind. Birdie Basics™ is licensed to over 100 golf professionals, including Penn West California. Kate is a Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher. She currently teaches group classes for ages 3-8, and she knows what she’s doing because she has a preschool-age son.
Kate and her 2 partners, Kerry Sweeney and Meredith Gray, both certified teachers with over 3 decades of combined experience, use Birdie Basics to promote social-emotional growth, cognitive thinking skills, and creativity while helping very young children learn the fundamentals of golf.
Bridie Basics is a unique opportunity to supplement our classroom lessons and we appreciate the collaboration with the Professional Golf Management team at Penn West California.
