SoulCycle talks with KATE TEMPESTA about her Urban Golf Academy and how she fell into professional golfing.   

 

 

SC:  What is the Urban Golf Academy? 

KT:  It’s a program where I teach golf to kids as young as 4, 5, and 6.  My goal, much like Super Soccer Stars, is to bring golf to the urban environment.  You have weather restraints in the Northeast, but the modified equipment that I use allows me to teach indoors.  I run an 8-week curriculum in the fall, an 8-week curriculum in the spring, and then I rent space during the school year and have it in various schools in NYC.

SC:  How does your golf academy differ from other golf programs out there? 

KT:  One difference is that most golf programs start at age 7 and 8 and I think they’re missing the boat on the 4, 5, and 6-year-olds because it can be done.  Another difference is most golf professionals who teach are really great golfers, but with me I’ve been working with children for 10 years. I know how to captivate the audience and because of that I’m able to teach them in a very special way. 

SC:  Golf seems like an intimidating sport.  Do you find that the kids are intimidated or does it help to get them started at such a young age?

KT:  The kids certainly have fewer inhibitions. There was a great article about a month ago in the Wall Street Journal about the dropout rate of kids in golf.   You really need to keep a playful element of the sport because unless you plan on taking it up and making a career out of it needs to be playful. People learn from play, children learn through play; if it’s not fun, they’re going to be in a corner doing something else. The thing about the equipment that I use, is that it sets them up for success.  That’s the trick for teaching kids at this age. I don’t care if they’re making a putt from one foot away, if you have them feeling successful and you have them in a fun environment then they’re going to come back time and time again.

 

 

SC:  How and why did you start the Urban Golf Academy?

KT:  In 2001, I was given the opportunity to teach creative movement within a nursery school.  I really fell in love with the idea of using movement as a vehicle for children to learn.  I had my summers and took up golfing in 2002.  I loved it and started playing like it was my job – I practiced and practiced and practiced.  A couple of years into it, a professional who had taken me under his wing said, “You know, you should really consider making this into a career.”   I thought to myself, “I’ve only been playing for a couple of years, how can I make this into a career?”  But what I found was that teaching children was actually a really great segue into the golf world.  I decided to start teaching young children the golf swing and I started to use my creative movement strategies to gather them.  Because if you can get the attention of a 5-year-old and speak to them on their level then you’ve got a captive audience that you can teach anything to. 

SC:  It’s amazing that you took up golf so late because now you’re a professional player. 

KT:  I play in a handful in competitive tournaments.  By no means are you going to see me on TV competing with the number one player, however, I play in about five tournaments a year -- some local, some national, and with some really good competition.  It’s really been an incredible community within the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) and I’ve met some of the most incredible mentors, some of the best teachers.  So I really feel like I’ve found my niche. 

SC:  What is the most rewarding part of teaching golf to kids? 

KT:  The sense of empowerment that these children get from it. It’s golf, so of course they’re learning a great game, but I’m using the game as a vehicle for their empowerment and their sense of self.  They’re able to do something that’s pretty cool and they’re having fun and that’s what it’s all about. 

 

 

SC:  What’s it like to have two professional athletes in the family?

KT:  It’s a huge help. There is a huge understanding of what each person is about.  I think Christine (D'Ercole) and I are similar in that we would gladly put up our ability to play both sports in order to be great teachers. I would much rather be a great teacher of the game and know that I’m empowering children and adults than going out and shooting a 72. I know Christine feels the same way.  It lights her up to have a student come up to her after class and say, “You changed my life and helped me through a big decision.” That’s really what its all about, so for two people to share that in the same family is huge.

SC:  What do you do to help your teaching? 

KT:  Taking care of myself is such a simple concept, but it really allows me to give to other people.  The way that I give to myself is through SoulCycle and through Christine’s classes.  She has made a huge difference in my life. I play some of my best golf the day after I’ve spun because my body is loose.  SoulCycle is just an emotional, physical and mental release.

Sign your child up for Kate Tempesta's Urban Golf Academy here!