Westminster elementary students learn how science and technology tie into golf

BALTIMORE - Westminster National Golf Course hosted 100 third graders from Westminster Elementary School on Thursday for a hands-on cross-curricular STEM-related field trip.

The students learned all about golf and the science and technology related to the sport.

The greens and tee boxes were turned into learning labs.

"I'm looking forward to those two stations that are up top," third grader Emma Williams said. "I forget what they are, but they look fun."

The students were not only introduced to golf, but they learned about topics that they will be able to connect to lessons throughout the school year. 

It's all through a program called "First Green," which is an environmental education outreach program that uses golf courses as environmental learning labs. 

The children were happy to get out of the classroom for a day. 

 "Yeah, it's very fun," Williams said.

Golf course superintendents need to be highly trained in STEM to manage golf courses.

Those superintendents shared that knowledge with students and showed how that knowledge can be applied in the real world. 

"Technology in general is just creating something or modifying something to better meet human needs," said Bryan Shumaker, Carroll County Public Schools STEM coordinator. "There's a lot of that happening out here. Whether it comes down to the design of the clubs, the putters, the contours of the green, the land management, the architecture, there is a lot of technology involved that has nothing to do with electricity."