Week 8: Everything in a Nutshell

Hello, and welcome back to the blog! This was the final week of data collection, partially because of my own schedule but more so due to the lack of interviewees. This past Saturday was the first week when my interviews dried up, mostly because the network that my translator provided was exhausted. In the end, I’ve conducted 10 sit-down conversations with parents, coordinators, and coaches. These conversations have revolved around what First Tee can do to make the program more appealing to the Latino demographic, as well as discussing what they’ve done right to retain them in the first place. With this week being the transition phase from data collection to paper writing for the final product, I thought I’d summarize 3 key findings for a TLDR of the last seven blogs. Basically, these are my project’s results in a nutshell:

1. Golf means different things to different groups, but the biggest selling point to Latinos is community. Once many get past the initial stage of uncertainty in the sport, they keep coming back because they enjoy the leisure time within the game and the fun with their playing partners. First Tee is an extension of that, as parents and participants build friendships and communities within their classes.
2. Accessibility has been on the rise since the pandemic in ways many people might overlook, the biggest of which is the attire and lax course rules. At many municipal and public courses, dress codes have become less of a priority, ranges have become social circles to some extent, and a more casual vibe has been introduced. Of course, this isn’t the case for every course, but the additional barriers of uptightness are starting to unravel.
3. First Tee has become a community meeting spot. Many new immigrants find themselves coming to the program through the fee waiver initiatives and meeting with others in the exact same position. They’ve said they found it ironic that they’ve met so many others in the same situation through such an expensive sport, but that’s something that I’ve found First Tee really excels at doing – introducing communities to a world they thought they couldn’t join.

The next weeks are going to be presentations and final product grinds, but it’s good to finally get over the hump of the challenging research. Thanks, and I’ll see you next week!