Why Choose First Tee?

Research: Proven Results

At First Tee, we don’t just teach golf, we teach life skills — and we have the independent research to back it up. After three years in the program, youth at First Tee chapters reported¹:


73% reported high confidence in their ability to do well academically.

82% felt confident in their social skills with peers.

52% credited the program for their ability to appreciate diversity.

TeenAlumni_Empowering YouthWhat our Teen & Alumni Say

Further research² shows The First Tee’s youth development program has a lasting impact, creating better citizens and lifelong golfers in the process.

Better Citizens —91% of alumni engaged in community service while in The First Tee and 72% continued after their time in the program ended. These numbers are significant compared to the 22% of the US citizens between ages 16 and 24 participating in community service³.

Lifelong Golfers — We’re happy to report 96% of teens in the program say their golf skills have improved, and we’re even prouder to say that 90% of our alumni consider themselves lifelong golfers.

Better Students — This is a big one: we have found more than 80% of teens and alumni say The First Tee helped them become a better student.

Prepared for life — Our program aims to get young people ready for life’s challenges, and teens and alumni report just that. The longer they stayed in the program, the more they reported an improvement of interpersonal skills, managing emotions, goal-setting, and resilience.

From Coaches to Mentors – Participants don’t go through the program alone. The power of mentorship is extremely important to us, and both teens and alumni said their relationship with their coaches grew stronger and more meaningful over time.

research

¹ An independent, four-year, longitudinal research study led by University of Minnesota’s Maureen R. Weiss, Ph.D. Flip through the online version or download it as a PDF.

² “A Lasting Impact: The First Tee’s Role in Fostering Postive Youth Development,” 2015, Springfield College Center for Youth Development and Research

³ 2014 survey, U.S. Dept. of Labor: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/volun.nr0.htm