Category: Newsletter

On Saturday, November 4^th, First Tee – Silicon Valley had its first Free Parent Golf Clinic at Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course. Parents of children in our program were invited to attend a free, beginners level clinic where our FTSV coaches taught the basics of a golf swing. The event was a big success, with parents and coaches having fun, and parents leaving with concrete skills to build on as well as games and ways to practice with their young ones. We are excited to put on another similar event in the future, as well as to explore other engaging ways to get parents involved in golf and help everyone learn! Thank you very much to all who attended.

We here at First Tee – Silicon Valley know that golf can be a difficult, frustrating and intimidating sport to take up.

Anyone who has tried it for the first time has the experience of struggling to just make contact with the golf ball. With the Parent Clinic, our hope was to provide a pressure free, supportive place for parents of budding young golfers to learn the basics of how to swing a golf club, making the sport more approachable and fun for the whole family.

We started our clinic on the driving range, giving everyone a chance to swing the clubs, meet other parents and relax as we warmed up. Soon after, Coach Manny demonstrated a few of the same golf cues that we teach the kids, touching on the aspects of the swing including grip, body position, and backswing. Armed with new information, parents went back to attempting these new skills, with FTSV coaches walking around and providing direct coaching. Swings improved dramatically across the board! Confidence was built as everyone worked together, and folks who had never swung a club before left the range with the skills and belief that they can practice on their own and with their kids.

Moving to the putting green, Coach Joe instructed on the basics of the putting stroke. From there, parents played engaging games, practicing their new skills and having fun with one another. As we began to wrap up, Joe taught a few putting games that parents can easily play with their kids — no special materials required.

Not only were we able to teach helpful skills, during the FTSV Parent Clinic we discussed some of the strategies that we use in class to keep participants engaged and excited.

This includes how we integrate our life skills and our Try, Show, Try, Play structure model. Not only are these important aspects of FTSV effective with the kids, this approach to learning works for all ages and skills and can be implemented as home as well. Going forward, we hope to be able to spend more time talking with parents about our coaching philosophies and finding ways to collaborate!

A huge thank you again to everyone who attended and made this event a success.

We here at First Tee – Silicon Valley are excited to find more opportunities for events like this one. If you are interested in being a part of our next clinic, please email [email protected] for more information and to be contacted with more information in the future.

First Tee – Silicon Valley is excited to share two of our four Future Planning classes. In the fall of each year, we offer an 8-week Education Future Planning class for participants 10^th grade and above.

This fall we had 15 high school participants take the Future Planning class where they:

• Explored different post high school educational options and their respective cost, focus, and benefits.
• Provided an extensive college research process, where they compared student life/opportunities, fit, cost, student resources, faculty support, majors and classes.
• Demystified application options like early action versus early decision, the common application, application fees, and fee waivers.
• Covered essay writing tips and processes.
• Reviewed the differences between grants, scholarships and loans. Explained how loans work and how compound interest works.
• Provided options to help pay for college – scholarship sites and resources, FASFA, high yield savings accounts, mutual funds…etc. and practiced making a budget spreadsheet for college.

Participants met as a group every Friday and took part in small and large group activities. Together they applied the class material and related the concepts back to their post high school educational journey.

Throughout the 8-weeks they learned that many of First Tee’s transferable skills — goal setting, exploring their identity (interests, skills, personality), asking for help, stretching themselves, and making informed decisions — are directly related to successfully navigating the college application process.

This winter we will be holding the final Future Planning class of the year

It is called the Give Back (volunteering) class. This class discusses all aspects of volunteering — how to research, apply, interview, gain transferrable skills, develop professional correspondence skills, and go above and beyond. It is open to all high schoolers 9^th grade and above, and can be taken in combination with a normal Grades 9-12 class, or on its own.

Completion of the Grades 9-12 classes, plus the four Future Planning classes and their corresponding post class documentation, makes participants eligible to become Ace certified, which is the highest honor for a First Tee participant. Being Ace certified also positions them nicely for the National Opportunities throughout the year.

How to Sign Up

Participants may sign up for the upcoming Give Back class by registering here beginning 11/8 at 11am.  For more information on our four Future Planning classes please email [email protected] or call 408-508-4884.

First Tee – Silicon Valley is always looking for people interested in transforming lives through youth development and giving kids and teens a brighter future. By becoming a coach or volunteer, you will contribute the development of core values and life skills in our students, helping to set them up for the future. Through collaboration, coaches and volunteers are able to create a place of safety and growth, allowing our participants to flourish and develop into capable, strong leaders. With just a small amount of your time, you can make a very significant, positive impact on our youth participants.         

Collaborating with other is the best way to make big changes. The only way FTSV is able to reach as many participants as we do is because of the collaboration we have between our coaching staff and the volunteers that make everything possible. By working together, volunteering our time and energy to a bigger cause, serious change and impact becomes possible. Beyond our volunteer coaches, our donors, board members and others who donate their time and energy make FTSV into what it is. We recently expanded our program to reach even more kids, something we were able to do because of the tremendous group effort of those collaborating together.

Importance of Community Members like you

Our coaches and volunteers play a CRUCIAL role in FTSV’s ability to succeed. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on community members determined to make a difference to work with us, delivering the fun life skill curriculum to the kids. It is our goal to maintain a 4 to 1 student to instructor ratio, so every volunteer and coach makes it possible to grow and accomplish our goal. Not only will you be contributing to changing lives and growing character, but you will also continue to develop and hone your own mentorship and leadership skills, all while being a part of something bigger than yourself.

If that sounds like a good fit for you, please visit our volunteer page where you can apply.

When you start, you start building a base for building character and building a supportive environment, and over time and over seasons, you see the big changes and long lasting difference FTSV can make.

Thank you for your support!

Boulder Ridge Ladies Golf Club is held its 2^nd Annual Member Guest Tournament on September 23rd. They celebrated with the “Women of Film” as their theme and chose First Tee – Silicon Valley Girls Golf program as the beneficiary of their charity golf event again this year.  Isabella Herrera, FTSV Participant and Junior Coach, spoke (click here for speech) at the lunch program to share the impact donations have made on her and will have on introducing other low-income girls to the game of golf.  Development Director, Judy Deaton was also in attendance and spoke to the ladies about getting involved as volunteer coaches which she has done 2019.

Thank you!

We would like to thank the very generous Presenting Sponsor: Hsing Family Foundation, Boulder Ridge Ladies Group and all the hole sponsors that donated $8,750 directly to FTSV…

• Material Motion
• Trifecta Group, Inc.
• DeMattei Construction
•  Melissa Thornburg
• CSI Custom Homes
• RJ Perez Construction
• Fremont Fire Department
• Escobar Diamonds
• Jessie Blount & Kristen Templeton
• Sign Shop
• Bloomster’s Florist
• Shaheen Real Estate Group

Special thanks to Tournament Chair Candace Caballero for her continued support!

First Tee – Silicon Valley’s Girls Golf Program is an opportunity to appreciate and enjoy the game of golf while empowering participants to feel confident, build self-esteem and make new friends in an all-girl environment. Girls Golf seasonal events are open to FTSV Participants – click here for more info.

On September 20^TH, Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) delivered their “2^nd Goal Parent” workshop to our parents/guardians in English and again on the 27^th in Spanish. The workshop is the first parent-specific training held for our chapter, but the 3^rd time that our two organizations collaborated to deliver a training/workshop. The first instance occurred in 2020, and was the pilot training/collaboration that led to a national partnership between First Tee and PCA.

PCA’s content, training, and resources are now shared nationwide, throughout First Tee‘s network. They provide resources and training that help participants, parents, and coaches build a positive and impactful youth experience. Their mission is to change the culture of youth sports so that every child, regardless of social or economic circumstance, has access to a positive youth sports experience.

Both First Tee – Silicon Valley and PCA share common coach and learning philosophies centered around process-focused coaching, participant empowerment, and a positive and supportive team culture.

In the hour-long workshop the trainers helped FTSV parent/guardians:

• Assess their children’s goals and desires in youth sports in comparison with their own.
• Provide suggestions on how to talk with their child about practices, and what their child is learning (other than outcomes) through the sport.
• Enact and reinforce PCA’s main principles: Mastery of Sport (Not Just Scoreboard Results), which values effort, learning and bouncing back from mistakes and adversity; and Filling Emotional Tanks, with the correct mix of truthful, specific praise and constructive criticism.

“Non-profits are more effective when they work together to reinforce their values,” says First Tee – Silicon Valley Program Director, Chris Moreno-Hunt. “We are grateful to PCA for delivering their workshop in English and in Spanish to our parents/guardians. When parents and coaches are in alignment with their learning goals, and work together to deliver a supportive learning environment, we notice the participants are more likely to enjoy sport and more likely to absorb the key life lessons that build character.”

In addition to the workshop, we have PCA articles and resources for parents/guardians and coaches on the private side of our web site.

In a world with rising mental health concerns, we all need to work together to build supportive environments for youth. Thank you PCA, and thank you parents/guardians for taking the workshop and being committed to reinforcing life lessons that build a positive youth sports experience.

First Tee – Silicon Valley Classic had a successful tournament at Baylands Golf Links on October 9^th 2023!

The Results

Our Scramble Tournament with a field of 94 players ended in a tie with a low score of 56. Baylands GM, Kevin declared our Hosting Sponsor foursome from PGA TOUR Superstore the winner (Nick Kendall, Jennifer Brambaugh, John Driver, and Frank McMenomy) with a scorecard playoff over our other Hosting Sponsor foursome from Gallagher (Brian Hutchens, Dave Ring, Bobby Todd and Kevin Buckley). Players from both teams were awarded a Baylands Golf Links certificate for a foursome, carts and small bucket of balls. Closest to the Hole winners were Andrew Beelaard and Sam Gianotti. Long Drive – Men winner was awarded to Mike Grzanowski and Long Drive – Women winner was awarded to Jennifer Brambaugh.

FTSV Kids are the real winners

The real winners are all the kids in need of financial assistance who will now receive access to our youth development program. Donations to our chapter allow us to continue creating experiences that empower kids and teens, especially low-income youth that need to feel supported, safe and better prepared in life.  Joe Stuban, Baylands Program Coordinator, welcomed the golfers and shared how we are growing our program by working with Title 1 schools in the area. Norah Yang, 8-year participant, spoke at the post tournament dinner sharing the impact our program has had on her leadership skills and has also taught how important it is to give back to the community by coaching.

Click here to see all the tournament player photos.

Huge thank you to our Sponsors!

Presenting Co-Sponsors: SAGA Foundation

Hosting Sponsors: PGA TOUR Superstore and Gallagher

Contributing Sponsors: Johnson Lumber, Pinnacle Bank, Luna Mexican Kitchen, Blach Construction, and Great Clips – Palo Alto

Hole Sponsors: Duran & Venables, Inc., Best Electrical, Evotek-11:11 Systems, Rutan, The Farwell Family, and DGDG Hole-In-One

Foursome Sponsors:

ACCO Engineered Systems

Almassy

Beelaard

Bettina Bella, Inc.

Blach Construction

CourseCo

Daley’s Drywall

Duran &Venables, Inc.

Element Landscape, Inc.

Evotek & 11:11 Systems (x2)

FTSV Board

Gallagher (2)

Great Clips in Palo Alto

Johnson Lumber

LUNA Mexican Kitchen

PGA TOUR Superstore (x2)

Pinnacle Bank

SAGA Foundation (x3)

Televerde

Beverage In Kind Sponsors: Reyes Coca Cola, Body Armor, and Clos La Chance

Additional thanks to the Baylands Staff, Emcee Dan Rusanowsky and participating Board Members including Classic Co-Chairs: Steve Almassy and Andrea Brenholz, Committee Members: Doug Moffat and James Woodbury, plus Victor Arrañaga, Steve Guerrero, Sarah Beelaard, DJ Wheeler and Tiffany Sparks

Raffle Winners

1) Toro 60V Flex-Force Power Mower and Trimmer – Ron Lee

2) San Jose Country Club – Michael An

3) Half Moon Bay Golf Links – Sam Gianotti

4) Napa Golf Course & Metropolitan Golf Links – Laura Jarrell

5) Callippe Preserve & Las Positas Golf Courses – Sarah Beelaard

6) Laguna Seca Golf Ranch & Pacific Grove Golf Links – Neil Sterchi

7) Crystal Springs & Deep Cliff Golf Courses – Alan Eustace

8) Cinnabar Hills Golf Club & Los Lagos Golf Courses  – Chris McGugan

9) Foxtail Golf Club & Boundary Oak Golf Courses – Chuck Henderson

Live Auction Supporters: John Diver, Debbie Blucher, Sarah Beelaard, Ben Escobar, Glenn Voyles, Andrea Brenholz, Laura Jarrell and Jeff Ostrum

The Classic was a great day with a full field of golfers and full room for the dinner awards. It was great to showcase our partner course Baylands Golf Links as we embark on a capital fundraising campaign to make improvements that allow us to grow our classes and outreach on the Mid-Peninsula.

Please contact Judy Dixon Deaton if you would to like discuss how you can help us.

Last week, twenty-four high school girls from First Tee chapters across the country attended the First Tee Drive Your Future Academy presented by John Deere, hosted at the Lake Merced Golf Club in San Francisco.  Two of our own First Tee – Silicon Valley participants attended this awesome event and came out of it with memories and perspectives that will last a life time.

The Drive Your Future Academy consists of interactive workshops with inspirational female guest speakers from many different types of STEM careers. The attendees also participated in a guided volunteer experience and were able to play the not yet opened Golden Gate Park Par 3 Course. Lastly, everyone went on a hike through the Muir Woods and spent time reflecting on the weekend, the things that they had learned and seen, and the practice of being in the moment.

FTSV Participant Isabella Herrera

For FTSV participant Isabella Herrera, the experience was very impactful. The group attended a group volunteer trip to the Pomeroy Rehabilitation Center where they set up SNAG games with tennis balls and Velcro, and taught the others how to play the golf games. According to Isabella, “Seeing all these nice people learning how to play golf despite the challenges they face was a really heartwarming moment”. Working with the people in the Pomeroy Center is an experience that she says will stick with her for a long time, along with the friendships she formed while she was there.

National Opportunities

National opportunities like this one give First Tee – Silicon Valley participants unique experiences to grow, learn, and impact others. The important life skills learned in the regular program are reinforced in real world ways. To find out more about these opportunities, please contact Phoenix Jarrell-Desch [email protected].

Registration for our 2023 winter season opens here on Wednesday, November 8^th at 11am and closes on Thursday, November 16^th at Noon. The 8-week winter season begins the week of November 28th and ends February3^rd, with no classes December 19th through December 30th.

Register on November 8th and take part in engaging and fun life skill and golf skill classes at either Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course in San Jose, Baylands Golf Links in Palo Alto, or Gavilan College Golf Course in Gilroy.

Financial aid is available. We make our programs accessible to youth of different backgrounds and perspectives and affordable to families experiencing financial hardship.

New this year

This year we have a new, expanded, long-term use agreement at Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course so more classes are available at Rancho than ever before!

Select your grade group

Classes are broken down by grade group, so feel free to invite a friend and take part in our winter classes. This past fall season we had a record 629 participants take classes, so please mark your calendar for November 8^th to make sure you secure your spot. The schedule is now posted here.

Each week our participants will experience one of our 6 Life Skills and 6 Golf Cues. Our life skills cover everything from goal setting, building a positive self-identity to collaboration skills. Most importantly we strive to integrate the skills seamlessly through age-appropriate games and activities that make classes and learning fun.

Each of our life skills have multiple variations that are tailored for each grade group. Here is an example of how our life skill of “Collaboration” is structured for the different grade groups:

• Grades 2-4 – collaboration through using good sportsmanship
• Grades 5-6 – collaboration using ALR (ask, listen, respond) to understand and appreciate others
• Grades 7-8 – collaboration by embracing people’s differences and variety of perspectives
• Grades 9-12 – collaboration using CARE (communicate, actively listen, review options, end with a win-win) to resolve issues together.

We encourage youth 2^nd grade and above to join our program and ask that you help spread the word. For more information click here. Click here to view our program video and learn more from our participants, parents, and coaches!

See you at the course!

The Moca Foundation has provided a $15K grant to support course sessions for Gilroy youth and $10K to support driving range improvements for Gavilan Golf Course.

First Tee – Silicon Valley delivers Youth Development to South County

First Tee – Silicon delivers our youth development program at 3 locations throughout Silicon Valley with Gavilan College Golf Course serving South County youth. The Moca Foundation grant will help underwrite mentor training to provide a 1 coach:4 participant ratio coaching, curriculum supplies and golf course access fees especially for the youth in the Gilroy area. FTSV is focused on building relationships, fostering teamwork and inclusion, and creating an engaging activity-based learning environment that makes learning interactive and fun.

Moca Foundation Funds will aid in improvements to Gavilan Golf Course

We are also excited to announce that The Moca Foundation will be funding driving range upgrades which has been on our wish list for a few years.  It will include replacing the range mats, safety dividers, golf ball trays and rubber tees on the upper range and building out a new lower driving range with the same necessary amenities.  This will allow FTSV to provide a more engaging class with more hitting and less watching and waiting.

May van Scherrenburg, The Moca Foundation Associate Director shared…

“We are proud to support First Tee – Silicon Valley’s efforts of character and leadership development for Gilroy youth to foster a culture of acceptance and provide mentorship. Golf provides a powerful vehicle to help kids build the strength of character and life skills that they can use both on and off the golf course.”

If you are interested in learning more about how you can support our programs or improvements, please contact Judy Dixon Deaton, Development Director [email protected] or 408-508-4881.

First Tee – Silicon Valley was able to attend this year’s Maze Day, a community resource fair held at Hoover Community School in Redwood City. It was a major success where our Program Coordinators were able to meet about 200 families, hand out 100+ backpacks that included First Tee – Silicon Valley flyers, and had more than 40 parents’ express interest in joining the program. Thank you to Hoover Community School for having us out, and we hope to come back in the future!

What is Maze Day?

Maze Day is a large community resource event where community organizations all come together to offer information about their programs. Organizations in attendance included the Sheriffs Activities League (SAL), Police Activities League (PAL), after school programs, and groups committed to providing books and school uniforms. For FTSV, we were able to build relationships with other community groups as well as community members. We attended both days of the resource fair and ended up leaving extra backpacks with Hoover Community School to distribute in the future, helping to make sure students have what they need to succeed.

FTSV Outreach Events

Outreach events like Maze Day are important parts of FTSV’s commitment to community partnerships. Being able to reach more families and create partnerships with schools and organizations allows us to impact even more people. If you are a part of a school or community program and want to get involved with us, please contact Joe Stuban at [email protected].