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GREENSBORO -- Marsalis Davis recalls his reaction to learning his mother signed him up for youth golf clinics at First Tee of the Triad.

"That's strange," he thought. "I play basketball and football."

Now there were weekly golf lessons to attend. And life lessons as well -- about honesty, respect and responsibility. The first lesson was about courtesy. Make eye contact, say your name loudly and clearly and have a firm handshake, instructor Kimberly Dunn told her students.

Character still counts today at First Tee of the Triad.

Although golf is its focus, First Tee teaches that there is more to golf than handing kids a sleeve of balls, a bag of clubs and a book of picky rules to follow. Golf is merely a tool through which students can learn character-building values.

"Respect is more than just a word," instructor Zeke Mazyck tells his beginning students. "You need to have respect for yourself, respect the people you are with and respect your surroundings."

To illustrate his point, Mazyck asked his class what they call a ball mark left on the ground after a golfer hits his ball.

"A dent," volunteered Sequoia Nichols. "No, a divot," Mazyck replied, showing them how to replace a divot. "You need to replace your divot so the course can be in good shape for everyone else."

Simple lessons like this form the backbone of First Tee's weekly golf sessions, held at four golf courses in Greensboro and Winston-Salem.

Affiliated with a national group called The First Tee, the local Triad chapter became a reality in 2008, when youth golf clinics were first offered to 100 students at Winston Lake Golf Course in Winston-Salem. Additional clinics were added in 2009 at Gillespie Golf Course, and at Tanglewood Park and Salem Glen in 2010 and 2011, swelling the Triad chapter's ranks to 650 students.

Nearly a third of those students are young girls like 7-year-old Alexis Mazyck. "Learning to swing a club was good," Mazyck said. "You have to hold the club out a bit; you bend your knees and poke your butt out."

Dozens of volunteer coaches, such as Mazyck's father, "Coach Zeke," get their kicks watching kids soak up golf. "Oh, man, It's a high for me," Mazyck said.

First Tee not only encourages parents to volunteer at clinics, they also require it if their child receives any financial assistance with annual dues (currently $135 a year).

Since students are never turned away because of financial hardship or lack of golf clubs to play with, a little volunteer time seems like a reasonable trade.

Youngest golfers start in a players class and use plastic clubs and a tennis ball so they can learn the swing before trying real clubs and balls. As the students advance in skill and in age, they move through five classes of ability level.

Sessions are held on the driving range and putting green at Gillespie, but on occasion, students walk the course to play real holes.

During one of these rounds, Marsalis Davis scored his first par. "I was really, really happy," Davis said. "My mother and coach Kimberly were proud of me, too."

Tyree Cureton, 13, was even more excited when he scored his first par. "I felt like a pro that day," Cureton said.

Seeing her son become so excited about golf is one of the reasons Marsalis' mother, Karla Brooks, signed him up to First Tee last winter. "It's another outlet for minority kids besides football and basketball. Everyone seems to always focus on the NFL and the NBA. Golf helps Marsalis focus more on his school and his academics. Plus, he really seems to like it."

Marsalis doesn't disagree. He recently dropped football and basketball to concentrate on golf. And his schoolwork doesn't seem to have suffered. "He's on the A-honor roll," his mother said.

That's not surprising given that 70 percent of all students enrolled at First Tee of the Triad's golf clinic are named to their school's A-B Honor Roll.

"If we can reach them while they're young, it makes our job a lot easier," Mazyck said. "After all, these kids are the future."

Contact H. Scott Hoffmann at 373-7029 or scott.hoffmann@news-record.com