FEATURE
Minto Personifies The First Tee Values at Mid-Amateur
The following article was written by Ron Driscoll and appeared on the USGA website during the week of the U . S . Mid-Amateur .
W hen Rodean Minto first took up golf , he First Tee program to become a certified coach and
viewed it as a way to pass the time and program manager with the joint Metropolitan New stay out of trouble . It was a lot easier York / Connecticut chapter that resides at the facility . to find trouble in Bridgeport , Conn ., than it was to Minto is one of six First Tee instructors at the course master the intricacies of the game . who teach golf skills to about 450 local youngsters ,
“ With the way the city is , all the different while also instilling the values inherent to the game . gangs , if you get mixed up with the wrong person , “ Last week I was in Cromwell [ Conn .], for a anything could happen ,” said Minto , who was new to continuing education unit ,” said Minto . “ We got to this country , having emigrated from Jamaica at age see the new curriculum they have put into place on a 16 . “ My cousin and my future brother-in-law said , national level . At our location , it ’ s a little challenging ‘ Let ’ s play ,’ and I just went with it . They were the only sometimes to keep the older kids – we are always people I knew who played .” working to make it more age-appropriate and fun for
Little did Minto know that the course where he the kids .” first swung a club – Fairchild Wheeler Golf Course , Minto played for the golf team at Bassick in neighboring Fairfield – would go on to become High School in Bridgeport , then drifted away from both his workplace and his competitive arena . “ The the game for a few years . He returned in 2005 , and Wheel ,” as the course is affectionately known , also began competing in Metropolitan Golf Association provided a supportive atmosphere for his quest to and Connecticut events a few years later . He shot play in a USGA championship . his lowest competitive round , a 68 , on Sept . 1 at
Minto began working at Fairchild Wheeler Wampanoag Country Club in West Hartford , Conn ., in 2005 , and he has gradually advanced with The to gain entry into this week ’ s U . S . Mid-Amateur at
22 | CSGA Links // November , 2015 www . csgalinks . org