Two physical education classes and two mathematics classes from Cranston High School East were recently welcomed for a field trip at the new TopGolf facility in Cranston.

Approximately 60 students and educators, including CHSE physical education teacher and organizer of the field trip, Stephen Hallas were grateful for the generosity of TopGolf in donating the field trip time at the facility. As the golf team coach for Cranston, he has been able to meet the team for open play at TopGolf and he looks forward to being able to utilize the facility as a practice facility when the season starts in the spring. It was while he was there, that he thought of the idea for a field trip for his students at East.

A conversation with Kathy Gillet, the director of sales for TopGolf, Cranston led to the donation of the facility time for the field trip.

“This lets them experience what golf is, to see that it doesn’t have to be intimidating, and it’s great to see everyone being able to experience a sport that has for a very long time been dominated by men,” she said. “We have the Play it Forward practice time available for any high school team from Monday through Thursday until 4pm, but we’re also available for elementary and middle school field trips too.”

The students had the opportunity to practice their swing, use left or right-handed clubs, and to get some critique from instructors and from CHSE staff. Also on hand were Cranston School Committee members Michael Traficante, Anthony Melillo, and Keith Catone. Mayor Ken Hopkins was pleased to see a relationship being formed between the school department and TopGolf.

“When TopGolf first expressed interest in our city, this is exactly the type of relationship we hoped would grow between Cranston and their organization,” Mayor Ken Hopkins said. “I was thrilled to learn about their offer to host Cranston East students. It’s wonderful to see a company like Top Golf invest in the education and development of our students. We hope this partnership will continue to grow as a great example of businesses and communities working together to provide valuable opportunities for our youth.”