Lesson 3: The Pond and the Creek
Many golf courses have ponds, lakes, or streams. These water features are not just part of the game — they are ecosystems filled with life.
Frogs live near water. Birds come to drink and hunt. Dragonflies hover above the surface catching insects. Fish swim below. Even the water itself is alive with tiny creatures too small to see.
Water on a golf course also has an important job: it collects rain runoff, provides water for the grass, and creates habitat that the surrounding landscape might not otherwise have.
Why do you think so many animals live near water? What do they need water for?
Sit near a water feature on the course for 5 minutes. List everything you see moving in, on, or near the water. How many different kinds of living things can you count? Try to sit very still — the more still you are, the more you will see.
The stillness required for this activity — just sitting and watching — is often harder for young children than any intellectual task. Build it into the lesson as a challenge: ‘Let’s see if we can count 10 different living things before we move.’ Framing it as a game makes patience achievable.