FWTL Leadership Academy

The FWTL Leadership Academy focuses on developing future leaders by providing an immersive learning environment involving golf. The leadership curriculum centers on six “Leadership Moments” on the golf course and uses these moments to enhance students’ ability to be strategic, adaptable, curious, mindful, empowering and act with integrity.

The Immersive Learning Curriculum

Learning the sport of golf requires developing the ability to be strategic, curious, adaptable, mindful, empowering and act with integrity. FairWays to Leadership draws upon the leadership requirements of golf in creating an immersive learning environment for teaching college undergraduates and graduates from underrepresented groups key leadership traits that will help them become leaders in the future.

Students receive training over a six-week period. Each week, students attend two classes. They attend an online class covering leadership one evening during the week and they attend a class covering the golf swing at the golf course one day during the weekend.

Each online session discusses one of six leadership moments on the golf course. The leadership moments covered include being at the clubhouse, practice area, tee box, fairway, green and 19th hole. Students learn why and how certain leadership behaviors are required during each leadership moment on the course. There are six key traits that the training emphasizes during the training —adaptability, strategy, empowerment, integrity, mindfulness, and curiosity. Students learn that employing these leadership behaviors will enable them to be effective leaders both on and off the golf course.

The online leadership learning is reinforced during lessons students receive from a certified LPGA or PGA instructor at the golf course. The playing lessons on the course provide an opportunity for students to practice their online learning by exposing them to each leadership moment. During the playing lessons, students learn the fundamentals of the short game, irons, and woods. The time students spend in the clubhouse, at the practice area, on the tee box, in the fairway, and on the green provides an immersive environment that leads to a rich learning experience supporting the online leadership training.