Category: Feature Stories

Atlanta Falcons’ Beadles, Lindstrom; Atlanta United’s Lagerwey headline First Tee’s inaugural Leadership Academy

Teens from across the U.S. will spend a week in PGA TOUR Superstore’s headquarters of Atlanta learning from Arthur M. Blank Family of businesses, civic and sports leader

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. and ATLANTA, GA. (June 19, 2023) – Youth development organization First Tee will host its inaugural Leadership Academy in partnership with PGA TOUR Superstore from June 19-23. The weeklong Atlanta event will bring together 48 teens from across the country who will learn about building and running a successful team.

First Tee uses golf as a vehicle through which to teach life skills and values. The nonprofit is collaborating with PGA TOUR Superstore and the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation to host its inaugural Leadership Academy, which will feature workshops on cultivating authentic relationships, developing a winning culture and more. The Academy is taking place at various venues across the Atlanta area, including Atlanta Falcons Flowery Branch, Atlanta United Training Ground, Mercedes-Benz Stadium Georgia Institute of Technology, the Bobby Jones Golf Club and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

Event highlights include:

  • Georgia Tech head women’s basketball coach Nell Fortner will share advice on achieving individual growth in a team setting during the opening keynote.
  • Atlanta Falcons President Greg Beadles will speak to participants before they explore the team’s Flowery Branch training facility.
  • Participants will hear from Atlanta United President/CEO Garth Lagerwey before attending a game to witness the team in action.
  • Mercedes-Benz Stadium executive Don Rovak will discuss the importance of supporting your team.
  • PGA TOUR Superstore President Jill Spiegel will address the teens at historic Bobby Jones Golf Club.
  • Participants will visit the National Center for Civil and Human Rights where Atlanta Falcons guard Chris Lindstrom, the team’s 2022 Walter Payton Man of the Year, will deliver the closing address.

Initially envisioned by PGA TOUR Superstore executive Ralph Stokes, who leads the brand’s diversity, partnerships and community efforts, the event’s curriculum was developed by First Tee and an independent youth development expert. Stokes recently became the first Black president of the Georgia State Golf Association and was among the first Black players on the University of Alabama football team, where he played under legendary coach Bear Bryant.

“From playing team sports, I learned that no matter how great an individual player is, you will not achieve success on your own. The team is no stronger than the weakest link,” Stokes said. “Golf is largely an individual sport, but we felt it was important to collaborate with First Tee on this event because these kids are part of families, communities, clubs and eventually workplaces where they need to function within a team.”

For more than a decade, PGA TOUR Superstore and the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation have championed First Tee’s mission through charitable and in-kind donations across the country. In September 2020, PGA TOUR Superstore announced a new grant that will help First Tee reach more kids across the U.S. and strengthen its curriculum for teenage participants, including the development of the Leadership Series, held locally at PGA TOUR Superstores across the country, and the Leadership Summit, which takes place in Emigrant, Montana. The new Leadership Academy in Atlanta is the latest installment in this exciting portfolio of events. 

“Thank you to PGA TOUR Superstore and the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation for their ongoing support of First Tee,” said First Tee CEO Greg McLaughlin. “This new Leadership Academy will provide young people with an amazing and impactful experience.”  

The Leadership Academy is one of several national opportunities provided by First Tee Headquarters to inspire and equip teens on a deeper level as they progress through the program and toward higher education opportunities. 

To be eligible to apply for the Academy, teens were required to participate in a five-week Leadership Series that was hosted at PGA TOUR Superstores across the country this past spring. 

                                                             ***

About PGA TOUR First Tee Foundation (“First Tee”) 
First Tee (www.firsttee.org) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit youth development organization that is supported by the PGA TOUR. Its mission is to impact the lives of young people by providing educational programs that build character and instill life-enhancing values through the game of golf. Since 1997, First Tee has expanded to reach millions of kids annually through its network of 150 chapters, 10,000 schools and 1,700 youth centers. Headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, USA, programs are delivered in all 50 United States and select international locations. President George W. Bush serves as Honorary Chair.   

About PGA TOUR Superstore 
PGA TOUR Superstore is operated by Golf & Tennis Pro Shop, Inc., a subsidiary of AMB Sports + Entertainment and is headquartered in metro-Atlanta. As the PGA TOUR’s exclusive off-course/off-airport retail partner in North America, PGA TOUR Superstore provides customers with access to the same technology and expertise as card-carrying PGA TOUR pros. All stores are staffed with teaching professionals and have multiple state-of-the-art swing simulators, practice hitting bays, and large putting greens. There is also an in-house club making and repair facility. Along with equipment and accessories, PGA TOUR Superstore has an unmatched selection of men’s, women’s and juniors’ apparel and footwear for golf and tennis. For more information, visit www.pgatoursuperstore.com. 

Contacts:  
Megan Hart, First Tee 
[email protected]

Megan Mahoney, PGA TOUR Superstore 
[email protected] 

Canadian National Indigenous History Month: First Tee – Canada’s Dedication to Indigenous Communities Year round  

The world just turned its attention to Toronto for the PGA TOUR’s RBC Canadian Open. Meanwhile, First Tee – Canada is also taking a moment to reflect in honor of Canadian National Indigenous History Month.  

First Tee – Canada is made up of five chapters: First Tee – British Columbia, First Tee – Premier départ Quebec, First Tee – Atlantic, First Tee – Ontario, and First Tee – Prairies with First Tee – Alberta launching later this year.  

Each chapter has unique and dynamic relationships with local Indigenous communities. 

First Tee – British Columbia opened its first program location, The Musqueam Golf and Learning Academy, on traditional Musqueam First Nation territory in 2021.  

Since then, it has expanded to over 53 program spaces and sold out every session in 2023 thus far. This year, the CPCK Women’s Open will be held at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club, which is also located on Musqueam traditional territory. During tournament week, First Tee – British Columbia will host a youth clinic nearby to the course at Musqueam Golf and Learning Academy.  

First Tee – British Columbia hopes to continue to strengthen its relationship and bring safe, affordable golf programming to an even wider audience as it begins its 2023 summer programs.  

First Tee – Premier départ Quebec collaborates with the Mohawk community of Kahnawake, the Cree community of Waskaganish, and the First Nation of Mashteuiatsh through golf course, school, and community programming.  

The chapter also works closely with the Club 24 Athletics Foundation, an organization that works to support young Indigenous leaders through sport and education.  

Last year First Tee – Premier départ Quebec hosted programming for 18 Indigenous participants. The team hopes to more than double that number this year.  

Jeremy Proteau, First Tee – Premier départ Quebec Program Manager, credits the success of this partnership to the tight knit community and dedicated volunteers.  

In the Kahnawake First Nations reserve, there are seven golf courses,, and the local volunteers are working to introduce golf to children who have previously only had access to lacrosse and hockey.  

The courses are working in collaboration with First Tee – Premier départ Quebec to provide certain programming at no cost to participants and with entirely Indigenous coaching staffs.  

First Tee – Ontario, First Tee – Prairies, and First Tee – Atlantic are in the beginning stages of building relationships with the Indigenous communities around them but are hoping to launch programming soon, some as soon as this summer.  

Canadian National Indigenous History Month is celebrated each year in June to recognize and honor the rich history, heritage, and diversity of Canada’s Indigenous populations.  

For more information about First Tee – Canada and its communities click here.  

Coach Leroy Bates says golf made him a better person. Now he’s sharing his passion in L.A. 

First Tee – Los Angeles coach Leroy Bates estimates he’s helped more than 1,000 kids earn college scholarships over the course of his decades long career. 

He tries to instill values like integrity and responsibility in addition to golf skills. It’s why he connected so deeply with First Tee’s youth development style when he first encountered the organization 20 years ago. 

Bates has helped at least 10 kids earn spots in the field of the PURE Insurance Championship, a PGA TOUR Champions event that pairs golf legends with First Tee participants at Pebble Beach. He also attended First Tee’s Life Skills & Leadership Academy as a coach in 2019. 

He was sad when First Tee – Los Angeles folded due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He’s thrilled the chapter relaunched and is now offering programming, he said 

“Now students are coming back and it’s out with the old and in with the new,” he said. 

 Golf is thriving in Los Angeles, Bates said, especially with the eyes of the golf world on Los Angeles Country Club, site of the 2023 U.S. Open. But not all kids have equal access to the sport in a state where transportation can be difficult. Bates said almost half the kids he coaches today live with a single parent.  

He knows that can be tough.  

Bates’ golf journey began in Selma, Alabama, where his grandfather – a retired Army colonel – owned a small driving range. It’s where his mom sent him in the summer when she needed extra help, and it changed his life. Bates collected range balls and cut the grass before going on to play collegiate golf and then on mini tours. 

He understands the opportunities golf can bring. He said he’s met new people and traveled the world thanks to the sport.  

“Golf made me a better person,” he said. “I learned to respect the rules. I learned to get out and be healthy.” 

First Tee – Los Angeles is currently offering programming at courses throughout the city including Chester Washington Golf Course, which was the home course of Charlie Sifford, the first Black man to earn a PGA TOUR card. 

“Chester Washington is a gem. It makes you smile when you go on-site because there’s so much diversity. There’s so much happiness and joy on the course,” said Kathy Bihr, vice president of programs at First Tee – Los Angeles. 

Last year, U.S. Open host organization, the United States Golf Association, supported 25 First Tee chapters in their efforts to make golf more accessible to kids from all backgrounds with donations totaling $325,000.  

Learn more about becoming a First Tee coach. 

National Caribbean American Heritage Month: Isabel Matos Finds Her Career Path Through First Tee

Isabel Matos is a First Tee – North Florida alumna, whose father was born and raised in Puerto Rico before moving to North Florida. It was he who introduced Isabel to First Tee when she was 8 years old. She started in classes and since has interned with the chapter, spoke at events and helped to coach while home from school.  

Isabel participated in five national opportunities with First Tee while in high school including the PURE Insurance Championship and Life Skills and Leadership (now Game Changers Academy). She said that her favorite memory from her time with First Tee was participating in PURE and playing at Pebble Beach with Vijay Singh as well as meeting participants from all over the First Tee network. 

“I’ve made great friends within my chapter, but I’ve also made great friends all across the country from those national opportunities that I still talk to to this day,” said Isabel. 

Isabel recently graduated from Southern Wesleyan University a year early with a degree in communications and media studies. She credits First Tee for helping her find her passion for communications and showing her that was what she wanted to do for her career.  

“[First Tee] also taught me to step out of my comfort zone. When I started with First Tee, I was super shy, and I didn’t like talking to anyone and then a couple years later I was speaking in front of thousands of people for them,” she said.  

“They made me realize what my goals in life are.” 

At Southern Wesleyan, Isabel played golf for a year before suffering from an injury and fell in love with the area. She hopes to return to Greenville, South Carolina, to work in public relations. She said that living in South Carolina for school made her appreciate her Puerto Rican heritage as she was often the only Puerto Rican person around. Her family still visits Puerto Rico every year and she enjoys that it makes her different.  

“I love that I am Puerto Rican…I think that it gives me a unique perspective on life,” said Isabel.  

Isabel’s father, Idan Matos, is the chairman of the Board of Directors at First Tee – North Florida. He got involved with First Tee out of appreciation for everything they had done for Isabel. He joined the board to give back to the program.  

National Caribbean American Heritage Month is celebrated in the United States every June. The intention is to celebrate the rich and diverse population that has been contributing to the well-being of American society since its founding. 

Jewish American Heritage Month: Ethan Selvers shares his faith, love of golf 

Ethan Selvers believes people should be proud of who they are. It’s what inspired him and a group of classmates to speak with their school’s administration and other classmates after anti-Semitic graffiti was found on campus at his high school last year. 

“We spoke about intolerance with everyone in the class. I shared my family’s unique background, and everyone shared theirs as well. It created a very open dialogue that I think definitely helped prevent future issues from developing,” he explained. 

Ethan volunteers with sixth and seventh graders every Wednesday at his synagogue as they prepare for their bar and bat mitzvahs. “I help teach them prayers and also help them learn about Jewish traditions in a way that makes learning fun,” he said. 

In addition to his commitment to his faith, Ethan is a dedicated golfer. He fell in love with the sport after his dad started taking him to the driving range. Now 15, he’s been golfing for over half his life, and he’s been involved with First Tee – Metropolitan New York for all of that time. 

With his positive attitude and passion for the sport, and with the assistance of his First Tee coaches Peter Aloisio and Bill Castner, Ethan secured a caddy position at historic Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey, which will host the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship next month. He also volunteers to coach younger players through the First Tee. “I just love golf and hope to help those kids love it as much as I do,” he said. 

Last summer Ethan was selected to attend two First Tee national participant opportunities: the Game Changers Academy honoring Joe Louis Barrow Jr. and the First Tee Leadership Summit in partnership with PGA TOUR Superstore. 

The Game Changers Academy brought together 72 First Tee participants in Philadelphia. “We sat down and discussed really important topics like equality versus equity, diversity and inclusion. Meeting so many different kids from all over the country was eye opening,” Ethan said. He made the most of the opportunity and was named one of the event’s Most Outstanding Participants. 

The Leadership Summit took place in Montana, where his surroundings were picturesque, Ethan said. “At one of the first meetings we learned: ‘Don’t be afraid to be uncomfortable because being uncomfortable leads to change,’” he said, which are words he has tried to live by.  Besides learning leadership skills, Ethan also said that: “The whole trip was phenomenal. We were able to listen to Michael Vick discuss his life experiences, we participated in many incredible activities, and the whole experience really exemplified how working in a group is a great way to foster change.” 

In addition to Ethan’s involvement at First Tee and his synagogue, he’s also a captain of the junior varsity Ultimate Frisbee team at his high school. He is also a dedicated student and loves math and science, which he plans to study at college.  

Learn more about First Tee’s participant opportunities. 

First Tee Scholar Malisone Chanthapanya becomes first graduate of program 

First Tee has always been a big part of her life, said Malisone Chanthapanya, who has been involved with the program since she was just 5. Now she’s graduating from Texas Wesleyan University, but the First Tee – Fort Worth alumna said she still has deep roots in the organization. 

“First Tee is why I started golf,” she said. “I have a lot of friendships from First Tee, and the relationships I built there keep me connected to the organization.” Mali still volunteers as a coach at First Tee – Fort Worth and occasionally plays golf at chapter events. 

Mali received her bachelor’s degree in finance on May 13. Of course, it was an exciting day for her family and friends, who celebrated with a big party. But it was also a milestone for First Tee as Mali became the initial First Tee Scholar to complete her undergraduate education. 

The First Tee Scholars program provides mentorship, professional development opportunities and up to $20,000 in financial support for exceptional First Tee alumni during their college journeys. 

“All of the Scholars are pretty close. I really like my mentor and the speakers they’ve brought in to talk to us. It’s been interesting to hear from people from all different backgrounds and jobs and experiences,” Mali said. 

As First Tee is preparing to announce its 2023 scholar class, her advice to the group: “I think it’s important to be flexible and to manage your time well.  The workload is really different than high school, especially being away from home for the first time.” 

Mali completed her degree in just two years. She’s always been ahead of the curve: She was the youngest participant from First Tee – Fort Worth ever to earn her ACE certification, the highest achievement First Tee offers. 

Mali won’t be leaving Fort Worth after graduation. She’s a member of the Texas Wesleyan golf team and still has two years of eligibility remaining. She’ll continue to play for the team as a grad student. 

“Honestly sometimes I complain about missing school or balancing golf and schoolwork, but playing with the team has been my favorite part of my college experience. I’m able to travel and do what I love, meet new people and play new golf courses,” she said. 

Mali was named to the All-Conference team as a sophomore. Playing at nationals during freshman year is her favorite collegiate golf memory so far. Her team finished eighth. “I really enjoyed spending time with them throughout the year, so that was just a fun end to the season,” she said. 

In graduate school, Mali plans to focus on data analytics and supply chain management. 

Learn more about the First Tee Scholars program

Coach Joe: ‘This program has taught me to become a better coach and father’ 

Joseph Goh, or Coach Joe as many know him from First Tee – Greater Dallas, has been a coach for more than 17 years. He sat on the board of directors for the Greater Dallas chapter until focusing his time as a volunteer coach, where he made it his goal to recruit other volunteers. 

Originally from Singapore, Joe started his journey as a coach through First Tee – Singapore and moved to the United States after his technology company was bought out by a company in Dallas. Eventually, he and his wife planted themselves in Texas and started their own family.  

“First Tee is more than a golf instruction program; we teach life skills. This program has taught me to become a better coach and father because of it,” he said. 

He enrolled his two children in the program and the rest became history.  

His two kids participated in First Tee throughout high school. His oldest, Jonathan, attended the University of California, Los Angeles and graduated in 2021 with a major in electrical engineering. He currently works at Amazon Robotics in Boston as a hardware development engineer. 

His youngest daughter, Joni, is attending the University of Texas in Austin and will graduate in May 2023 with her degree in architecture engineering. She is currently an intern at The Boring Company and will be working with Southland Holdings as a business development associate. 

“I want to emphasize that the First Tee program has built a foundation for its participants, including my own kids,” said Joe.  

He makes it his mission to positively impact and equally empower First Tee participants with the skills and opportunities they need to be successful.  

“As a volunteer coach at First Tee, I could change the trajectory of a child’s life,” he said. “No other organization gives me the opportunity to impact another’s life and add value to them like First Tee would.” 

Joe, like many other First Tee coaches, is just one of many unique stories that make First Tee’s impact so profound. If one person can make a difference, a difference can be made upon a multitude of generations.  

Find a First Tee Near You

A small idea that led to a mission to Save Our Salmon

Austin Picinich, an 18-year-old participant at First Tee – Greater Seattle, is using his passion for art to paint Save Our Salmon Murals in Seattle, Washington. Today may be Earth Day – but for Austin, every day is Earth Day.

Here is Austin, in his own words:

Living in the Pacific Northwest, nature surrounds me. I enjoy nature outdoors on the golf course and I am currently in my 11th year with First Tee – Greater Seattle.

Off the course, I’m an avid artist.

In 2021, I was selected to attend the Innovators Forum – a leadership summit of 28 teens from First Tee chapters across the country. I spent the week in San Jose, California learning about innovation, leadership, and sustainability. Each of us First Tee students were tasked with developing our own innovative service projects to implement in our communities.

When I learned that Juanita Creek – the salmon-spawning stream less than a minute from my home in Kirkland, WA – had only three salmon return to spawn, I had identified the focus for my Innovators Forum project. But, as a high-schooler, I couldn’t envision how to make a difference; it initially felt like “too big of a problem to solve”.

First Tee encouraged me to think outside the box. I narrowed down the problem: Juanita Creek is hidden in a culvert, and a missing link is neighbors not knowing how to care for the stream. I decided to use my knack for art and passion for the environment to educate my community about Juanita Creek and its salmon.

I found the perfect “canvas” to bring my public art project to life – a 112-foot blank wall along Juanita Creek. I named my project the “Save Our Salmon” (SOS) Mural.

This wasn’t my first mural – in fact, First Tee gave me my first public art experience back in 2019. I painted a mural in the clubhouse of Crossroads Par 3 Golf Course, the course where I started golfing at First Tee – Greater Seattle.

My goal wasn’t just to create a mural that’s nice to look at – but a mural that teaches and inspires my community to protect salmon. I hosted a Community Paint Day leading 170 volunteer painters, ages 4 to 74, to “paint-by-number” the 112-foot blank wall – transforming it into vibrant public art, while teaching attendees how to become better stewards of Juanita Creek.

The Seattle Times summed up my project as, “it takes a village to paint a mural. Sometimes it takes a teen to bring a town together”.

First Tee inspired my confidence as a leader. I stepped up from an artist who enjoyed nature while golfing, to a leader actively protecting nature. I developed confidence in my leadership while a First Tee staff coach at Crossroads.

Since the first mural, I’ve painted two more SOS Murals along McAleer Creek. In total, I’ve led 370 painters and 1,000 event attendees painting 300 feet of “art-ivism” walls.

I tapped into another skill from First Tee: marketing. I’m now currently the Director of Marketing & Communications for First Tee – Greater Seattle’s Junior Advisory Board (JAB) where I create flyers and graphics for JAB.

I create SOS merchandise sold in a dozen local shops. So far, I’ve raised $23,541 with 100% of proceeds supporting stream restoration – an impact that continues long after the paint dries.

In 2023, I’ll be leading five new SOS Murals – with seven new streams each benefitting with a mural – and a projected 4,000 attendees.

Save Our Salmon Through Art is now nationally-awarded – I won the Barron Prize for Young Heroes, and SOS was named one of the top 15 international projects making communities and the environment a better place.

It all started as my idea at the First Tee Innovators Forum, with support from experience I gained from First Tee opportunities in leadership, marketing, and murals.

Prestigious Payne Fellowship will enable First Tee alumna Karrington Knight to help others 

Karrington Knight has been interested in global politics since middle school. Now she’s getting ready to embark on a career that could take her all over the world. 

An alumna of First Tee – Greater New Orleans, Knight recently received the competitive Donald M. Payne International Development Fellowship that will facilitate a career with the U.S. Agency for International Development, which aims to reduce poverty and promote democracy abroad. 

Knight graduated last year from Rhodes College in Memphis, where she was a team captain of the golf team. She’s heading to the nation’s capital this fall for graduate school, where she’ll study international affairs with a concentration in democracy and government. Through the Fellowship, she’ll also spend one summer working at a congressional office in Washington, D.C. and another at a U.S. embassy abroad. Then she’ll spend at least five years in the USAID foreign service after graduation. 

“In high school and in college I was able to have teachers and professors foster that passion of mine,” Knight said. “Now I’ve found exactly what I want to do. I’ll be able to go to South America and work in politics and with indigenous populations. It’s everything I’ve wanted all wrapped into one.” 

As an undergraduate student, Knight minored in Spanish and wrote a thesis on indigenous political parties in Bolivia and Guatemala. She’s looking forward to working on the continent – especially after the COVID-19 pandemic dashed her plans to study abroad in 2020. And that’s not the only change she’s experienced in the last few years. 

“My original plan was to attend law school after graduating, but something just didn’t feel right,” Knight explained. “I think a big part of planning is allowing yourself to take a step back and reevaluate your goals.”  

One thing that’s for sure is golf will continue to play a role in Knight’s life. “It’s growing all over the world,” she said. “I would love to integrate golf into international development. There’s so much you can learn from golf, and it can bring people together.” 

Knight first got into the sport when she was young and would ride in the cart with her dad. “He’d let me sit in his lap to drive,” she recalled. “After always going out with him, my parents put me in First Tee just to see if I’d take to it, and the rest is history.” 

She’s still connected with First Tee – Greater New Orleans as chair of the chapter’s alumni committee. “I think it’s important to stay involved because First Tee gave me such a great foundation, not only for golf but just as a person,” she said. “Especially for Black girls, it’s important for them to see that golf might not be a very popular sport right now but it can be rewarding in the long run.” 

As committee chair, Knight keeps in contact with other First Tee – Greater New Orleans alumni and serves as a liaison between them and the chapter. She also helps the chapter find alumni to speak at classes and events. 

She’s happy to give back to the organization, she said. “First Tee has nurtured me at every stage of my life. It’s something where a lot of other youth organizations fall short. I just praise First Tee so much for seeing who I was as an individual and catering to what I needed at each stage of my life,” she said. 

Learn more about the First Tee Alumni Network.

Derrick Ow on how he overcame an obstacle to achieve his dream 

Without First Tee, I would still be the shy kid from Salinas, CA with Autism Spectrum Disorder.  

Devoid of lessons learned through First Tee programs, I would simply not be writing this letter yet alone be talking.  

When you suffer sixteen seizures at two years old and have doctors tell your parents that you will never talk or never succeed in a mainstream class in school, I guess you can say I learned perseverance early in my life.   

My parents enrolled me into numerous special education classes, occupational and physical therapy to regain my small muscle skills. However, with those classes came constant bullying of racial slurs and derogatory labels.  Looking for appropriate programs that would help my social and physical development, my parents enrolled me into First Tee – Monterey County in 2005.  

You can say that my local chapter and I have grown up together, so I consider myself part of the foundation and groundwork of our chapter. The coaches were always inclusive and willing to help guide my growth as a young adult on and off the golf course.  

Despite the respect and acceptance into a sport that has given me so much, I still had a secret that I needed to tell. I did not share my disability with my First Tee coaches until 2014 when I talked to our Executive Director, Nick Nelson.  

I was applying for the Outstanding Participant Summit, and I needed a recommendation letter from him. When he read my essay for the application he said to me,” Derrick, I had no idea you had Autism.”  

Hearing that from someone I respect and look up to be a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders. This was the first time in my life that I felt loved by people who truly care for me, the sport of golf provided me an inclusive and safe environment where I was allowed to grow and develop as a golfer but most importantly a future citizen.  

Building on this newfound confidence I was able to share my disability with my best friends at school and others outside my family.  

In addition to life skills and core values I learned the importance of networking. I was honored to participate in five national First Tee events, where I met fellow First Tee members like me from all around the country. I keep in touch with most of the participants I have met along the way and cherish their friendship and support.    

What so many people consider to be a rich man’s sport is a sport that has given me a once in a lifetime opportunity. First Tee taught me life and golf skills – how to speak at public events to coaching an anti-bullying station during summer camp.  

Most of these small accomplishments seem impossible to achieve with a disability like mine, but all you have to do is persevere through all the learning experiences I had to endure, working hard and never ever giving up. That is the impact First Tee has given me.  

Coach Jignesh leading the next generation 

It started with his passion for the sport.  

Coach Jignesh, from First Tee – Raritan Valley, found a love for the game of golf and only wanted to get better. He focused a lot of his time on playing in tournaments and excelling in his skills to be a better player.  

When it came time to grow his family, he knew that he wanted to share his love for the game with his kids and once they were of age, he got them involved with First Tee.  

“First Tee builds mental health and strength for the kids so after many years of experience with the chapter, I too wanted to get involved to give back to the community and be a part of building game changers,” said Coach Jignesh. 

Since his kids have been involved with First Tee, they have been excelling in their golf game and together as a family, they build memories over their shared passion. Over time, Coach Jignesh would see change in how his kids became focused in school, in their golf game and instilling daily the character building blocks into their lives.  

“First Tee brings so many life values for the kids including mentorship and safety,” said Coach Jignesh. 

“I saw a big change in my son’s behavior and how when he goes out and plays, he brings those values to the tournaments.” 

Coach Jignesh started as a coach in 2020 and has gone through First Tee’s Coach Level 2 training, now a senior coach. Eventually, he will take his skills and passion to soon become a master level coach.  

As for his kids, they continue to stay involved in the chapter while his son has recently begun to volunteer himself as a way to give back to what has been given to him.  

“First Tee is more like an education itself, knowing there’s safety in the program and values that you can learn such as being able to define what confidence is. Here, the kids get to learn, be smart and have fun – all at the same time.” 

Isabella Curtis found a new passion at First Tee summer camp 

First Tee – Central Arkansas participant Isabella Curtis understands the importance of setting goals. The 14-year-old does it every year for school and sports. She aims to shoot even par in a golf tournament this year. Ultimately, she’d like to play college golf, she said. 

Curtis, who also plays volleyball, has only been golfing for a few years. She took part in a First Tee summer camp after an older girl from her church recommended the program. “I really had no interest or experience in golf, but I thought, ‘This could be fun,’” Curtis said. 

She loves the challenges that golf presents, she said. “I like anything with competition. We did a drive, chip and putt competition at the end, and it was fun,” Curtis said. 

Her advice for new golfers: “Just have fun and don’t take a bad shot too seriously because the most important shot in golf is the next one.” 

Curtis’ golf career has taken off quickly. She’s been named the South Central PGA Player of the Year for her age group and won dozens of tournaments.  

“It’s kind of like the beginning of a book,” said her father, Jonathan Curtis. “The story at the beginning is so important, and we’re so grateful for the staff and volunteers at First Tee who make a really complex game one that’s fun for kids.” 

Curtis competed at the Notah Begay III Girls Golf National Championship in Louisiana last year, and she said she’s looking forward to seeing where else golf takes her – even if the sport wasn’t always on her radar. 

“It has been a joy to watch Isabella grow not only into a competitive golfer but more importantly into a very impressive young lady,” said First Tee – Central Arkansas Executive Director Monica Blake. “Isabella first came to our chapter through our summer golf camps which provide the space to explore the game of golf while creating opportunities for personal growth. We take pride in knowing that First Tee is the place where Isabella developed her love and passion for the game.”  

In addition to sports, Curtis also likes reading and volunteering with her church, where her dad is the pastor. 

Find a First Tee summer program near you.