ATM’s Hogenson gives back to the game

SNOHOMISH

Sam Hogenson is a kid who gets it.

So many people talk about golf being a great sport because, in addition to being a fun game, it also teaches humility, integrity and about life in general.

Yet how many golfers really think about any of those things during their weekly round?

Hogenson, for one, is somebody who seems to grasp those concepts. At the age of just 16, he is already getting more from — and giving more to — the game of golf than most golfers two and three times his age.

Hogenson, who will be a junior at Archbishop Murphy High School in the fall, is a member of The First Tee of Snohomish County, an organization that’s mission is to provide affordable access to quality golf instruction, including The First Tee Life Skills curriculum.

The First Tee, an organization that last year celebrated its 10th year of existence, is all about growing the game while teaching kids life lessons. Hogenson, who has been involved with The First Tee for three years, is learning those lessons while also passing them down to younger golfers.

Recently, Hogenson learned he was selected to attend The First Tee Life Skills and Leadership Academy at Kansas State University. The First Tee has more than 250 chapters worldwide, and nearly 1,000 members applied for the academy. Hogenson was one of about 100 selected.

Hogenson will travel to Manhattan, Kansas, not to become a better golfer — though some of the curriculum is geared towards golf — but mostly to become a better person and a better leader.

“The main thing about First Tee is using golf as a tool to teach life skills,” he said. “We’ll be learning life skills through the game of golf like any other First Tee students, and I’m looking to take some of the things they teach me and bringing that back to all of these kids.”

As one of the older and more experienced members of the Snohomish County chapter, Hogenson regularly serves as a volunteer coach to younger students.

“It’s a tremendous help,” said Jeff Cornish, the executive director of The First Tee of Snohomish County. “Most of us, students and adults, we learn a lot by modeling, and who do we look up to? We tend to look up to people within our generation. He’s only three or fours years removed from most of the students in this class, so they can relate to him and his experiences. For them to think 30 years out at the age of 12 is a little hard.”

At a recent class at Snohomish Golf Course, Hogenson helped with a class of 10 to 13 year olds that included his younger sister Anna. When the class broke up into smaller groups, Hogenson worked with a group of three girls helping them learn how to chip while also talking to them about dreams and goals.

“I’ve always been someone that loves working with kids,” said Hogenson, who also plays basketball for Archbishop Murphy and is an avid skier. “First Tee has given me lots and lots of opportunities and I want to help give these kids those opportunities. I like to make sure that all of them grow up and be safe and everything. That’s one of the main reasons I like to help. Kids are the future of the world, and if we start them at a young age, it’s easier to learn. So if we teach them how to become better people at a younger age, the sky is the limit for what can happen in the world, that’s really huge. Golf is a gentlemen and ladies game, so I think it’s the best tool you can use to teach them that.”

Hogenson doesn’t talk about golf as a means to a college scholarship or a future career, but rather a game to enjoy that also teaches a lot of life lessons. He regularly shoots in the mid 80s, and his goals for the future include attending the University of Washington and becoming a successful business man. He hopes the networking opportunities opened up by his involvement in The First Tee will help him with the latter.

This week’s life skills and leadership academy should also help with future goals, Hogenson says. Sure he may come back with a slightly lower handicap, but he’s more interested in learning from coaches and peers from six countries while sharing life experiences and teaching methods.

“It will be interesting learning from people from six different countries,” he said. “That’ll be a good experience hanging out with them, talking with them. Hopefully I can bring back some of what I learn to teach the kids here.”

John Boyle writes for The Herald in Everett.