Category: 2017

2017 Ellie Mae Classic Youth Day

Noah, Gabby, Erica, and Calton were great representatives of The First Tee of Silicon Valley at the Ellie Mae Classic Youth Day on Monday, July 31st! Thanks to Web.Com Tour player, Sam Ryder, and Steph Curry for making it such a fun day! 

Suizo Returns from Life Skills and Leadership Academy

Albatross participant, Isabel Suizo, just returned home from The First Tee Life Skills and Leadership Academy at Michigan State University. This national opportunity gives participants the chance to develop and hone their skills to become leaders in their communities back home while experiencing championship golf, career exploration, and dorm living. Throughout her week, Isabel learned a ton about her golf game and leadership. She was even able to connect with The First Tee of Silicon Valley’s Coach Kuniko. Welcome home, Suizo!

NorCal Regional Cup

On Wednesday, July 26th, six of our participants – Isabelle, Kelly, Noah, Ralph, Calvin, and Avery – teamed up to represent The First Tee of Silicon Valley and played in The First Tee Northern California Regional Cup at Poppy Ridge Golf Course in Livermore. Using their top four scores, they finished in first place for their gross team score of 300 and runner up for their net team score. Most importantly, these participants were able to take away some key lessons in good sportsmanship and pace of play. Well done, guys!

Our Supporters – Empower Save The Date Friday, 10/6

Save the date for Friday, October 6th at Half Moon Bay Golf Links for our second Empower Women’s Clinic and Lunch. This event benefits The First Tee of Silicon Valley and features LPGA TOUR Players and Female Industry Leaders. Thanks to Skyline Construction, for being our clinic sponsor this year. Mariann Byerwalter is this year’s keynote speaker. Byerwalter is currently the Chairman of the Board of Directors for SRI International. Previously, she served as Chairman of the Stanford Hospital and Clinics and is a former Trustee of Stanford University. Byerwalter is well known for her time as an entrepreneur, co-founding America First Financial Corporation, which raised funds to purchase and turn around failed savings and loans from the government. This year’s LPGA Professional Guest is Pat Hurst, who was part of the inaugural event in 2016. Hurst, a Bay Area native, has played on the LPGA Tour since 1994. Over her career, Hurst has won six LPGA events, including one major. She’s also made five Solheim Cup appearances prior to serving as Assistant Captain two years in a row (2015 and 2017). Check in on our Empower Page to learn updates of our sponsors and how to take part in the event.

Our Impact – 2017 Open Participant Guest Speakers, Mia and José

Guests at our recent Open tournament at Cinnabar Hills were impressed by participant speakers Mia Lopez and José Rocha. Both shared their insight on the impact The First Tee of Silicon Valley has on them and how they continue to use what they learned in their futures. Mia, who also spoke at last year’s Open, provided everyone with an update on middle school and extracurricular activities, including classes with The First Tee of Silicon Valley at Gavilan College Golf Course in Gilroy. She was a hard act to follow — made all the harder when the microphone gave out —, but José stepped up to the challenge using his “military voice.” José Rocha is a Cadet at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. He is a graduate of San José’s Evergreen High School and The First Tee of Silicon Valley. As a boy, José dreamed of one day becoming a pilot. Through a lot of hard work and dedication, he is well on his way and excelling at the Academy. We are extremely proud of the upstanding and confident young man that he has become and are humble and gratified that he credits The First Tee of Silicon Valley for giving him a brighter future. We love this photo of José and Mayor Sam Liccardo, who also spoke during the program — bright smiles of a budding leader and San José’s current leader.

Our Events – 2017 STEM Stomp

Stomp your way over to to our STEM Stomp event on Saturday, August 12th and learn more about unique ways that golf helps learn about science, technology, engineering, and math. Thanks to our friends at The Golf Club at Moffett Field for hosting this event. We hope to educate our community with how STEM relates to golf through various booths, exhibitors, and activities. This event is FREE and open to the public. Visit our STEM Stomp Page to stay up-to-date on our vendors, sponsors, and activities at the event.  

Register for a 2017 Fall Class

Don’t wait until it’s too late to sign up for our 2017 Fall season. Registration opened Wednesday, July 12th for new participants. These are youth 1st-12th grade who have never taken a class with The First Tee of Silicon Valley, ever. They may join any PLAYer Part 1 class or PLAYer PreTeens class (4th grade and above, San Jose location only). Returners must wait until August 9th to register. All class registrations close at midnight on Tuesday, August 29th. A $10 late administrative fee will be applied for any withdrawals, transfers, or registrations done after August 29th. View a list of our classes on our Youth Classes and/or Participant Private Page.

Learn more about our 2017 Summer Program Assistants

Each Summer, we hire a Program Assistant to assist us with classes and administrative tasks. This Summer, we were lucky to have two alumni join our staff and hire one of our volunteers. Amogh P., Ryan R., and Alan S. have assisted us with weekday and Saturday classes at Rancho del Pueblo, 18-hole certification rounds at Los Lagos, and various events such as our 2017 Open at Cinnabar Hills Golf Club. Learn more about their journey and goals as Program Assistants this Summer:
Amogh Pathi is currently a student at UC Berkeley and started as a participant of the program when he was 11 years old. He wanted to become a Program Assistant because in high school, he enjoyed volunteering “and thought it would be a great opportunity to work with kids”. As a PA, he hopes to “learn how to be an effective mentor and work well with children from diverse backgrounds”. He hopes to return as a Program Assistant or volunteer next summer as his goals include learning “how to work well with children”. His future goals is to become a doctor and knows “people (of all ages) skills are important”. In the end, Amogh states “I think the program is really important and helpful to young kids, as a participant myself I have learned many life skills which I still use everyday.”
Ryan Ramboyong is currently a student at UC Riverside. He was one of our original participants when we were “The First Tee of San Jose” and progressed through the program to become Ace Certified. “I want to give back to The First Tee of Silicon Valley for the life skills they taught me… and hope to gain more experience of working with kids and to learn how to efficiently assist a class.” The highlight of Ryan’s summer so far is “spending time with family and friends that he couldn’t see since I was in college”. He would like to “keep in contact with many staff and others in The First Tee while  in college and possibly go to some events if in town.” “My goals as a Program Assistant are to keep the students safe, make new friends, create memories and have a great time golfing!I met a lot of great people in this program since I first joined in 2006 and was gifted many different opportunities through The First Tee.”
Alan J. Smith is an educator in San Jose. When starting his golf team at Downtown College Prep, he was encouraged by Chris McIntyre, DCP’s Athletic Director, to reach out to The First Tee and get their kids started with some lessons.  When asked why did he get involved as a Program Assistant, Alan said “Coach Armando was awesome at guiding my high schoolers in discovering their golf games.  In this process of working with him, I learned that I also had a talent of teaching/coaching newcomers to the game of golf.” Alan really hopes to learn more about the program curriculum and how it blends seamlessly into the different levels within The First Tee program. He is “also looking forward to working with different age groups of varying abilities.  Whether they are touching a golf club for the first time at age 13 or they have 6 years of golfing experience at the age of 12.  All ages and abilities present new and exciting learning opportunities for me as a coach and human being.” The highlight of his Summer so far? “… working with the participants on the importance of playing 18 holes with good pace while teaching them golf etiquette”. Alan will continue as an Instructor during the weekends and with his high school team. We hope they, too, will join us as volunteers then eventually Program Assistants and Instructors in the future. He hopes its “a way to build up their golf knowledge as well as teaching skills”. His goal as a Program Assistant it “to become a skilled golf coach and to help others have fun while learning…” and looking “forward to meeting all old and new faces.” If you see Coach Alan on the course or around, make sure to say hi, as he is a team player!

View Photos from our 2017 Open at Cinnabar Hills

On Friday, June 23rd, our distinguished guests, staff, and volunteers were at Cinnabar Hills Golf Club in San Jose for our 2017 Open. Nearly 150 golfers took on the Lake, Mountain, and Canyon courses in a fun-filled afternoon. Mitch Juricich, of KNBR’s Hooked On Golf, was our emcee for the day. He used his best meet and greet skills as golfers checked in, gave our welcome speech, and hosted our post-tournament program. As part of the Open tradition, Coach Tyrone Willingham, who is one of our dedicated class volunteers, greeted our guests with encouraging words, this year included his favorite Core Value, before taking off to their holes. Thanks to Ambassador Andy, who assisted and provided items for our Silent and Live Auctions. These included items from Bay Area sports teams, golf legends, and more. This year, we included items on Bidding For Good, allowing those who were not able to attend the event to bid on items. Big thanks to all the volunteers who assisted us pre-, during, and post-tournament. We could not have done it without you and our staff is very appreciative of your hard work and flexibility that day. Check out photos from the event on our Facebook page.

Read about the NorCal Leadership Academy

From June 18th to June 22nd six of The First Tee of Silicon Valley participants took part in the participant opportunity, NorCal Leadership Academy. Here they spent time at the Stevenson School with participants from other Northern California First Tee chapters. Coach Lionel H. has been part of the event for a few years as a color group leader. When asked what is NorCal about, his response was: It’s a week away from home and parents and all things normal. It’s a week of self discovery and of making new friends. It’s a week of pushing yourself further than you ever thought you could and still coming out on the other side with a huge smile. It’s about a nervous stressful round of golf and then a relaxing fun round of golf too. It’s about team spirit and about friends. It’s about not just speaking about the 9 core values but living them each day. Mostly though it’s about growing as an individual and learning that there is support all around you. Our participants were able to share more about their experience, which included:
Gabby R., incoming college freshman, Ace participant Which Core Value did you use most and why? I learned Respect the most because I was always meeting new people every day and I wanted to represent The First Tee of Silicon Valley well, so showing respect with anything that I did really showed them that I was having a great time and that I really wanted to be there.
Rishi A., rising 10th grader, Ace participant Overall, what did you like and dislike about the experience at NorCal? NorCal was a great experience, and it will remain as one of my unforgivable trips where I forget how I spend those 5 days. It was great that we got to play Peter Haye, Del Monte, and Poppy Hills golf courses in Pebble Beach. It was enlightening to talk to the people from the Pebble Beach Company and learn more about their jobs at a golf course and also what they are doing to prep for the 2019 US Open. The visit to the Taylormade fitting studio was another event that was memorable, as it helped me to learn about how they made clubs and were able to see how one of the tour trucks looked inside. During our visit to the studio, I was the only player who was able to putt the ball in to hole and it was sweet as this resulted in my winning a new Spider putter. I appreciate the time and effort the coaches and the staff, who were all very friendly and great spent with us, teaching us the core values, motivating us to do better and perform at a higher level every shot. The concert by Eddie Bush, dinner with Bobby Clampett at Poppy Hills restaurant were all events that will leave a lasting impression in my mind. I enjoyed my time at the academy, playing different courses, making new friends, building new relationships and best of all winning the Ken Morton Sr. “Core Values Award,” for my mastering and using the Nine core values. I would like to thank the coaches at The First Tee Silicon Valley in having faith and selecting me to represent my chapter in the academy. I would like to go back again and maybe someday be part of the academy as Coach helping mentor other kids.
Juan H., incoming college freshman at San Jose State University, Eagle participant What was it like being/staying at the Stevenson School? Staying at The Stevenson school was a great experience for me because I got to meet wonderful people during the days I had to stay there. Also, the school was awesome, the environment we were surrounded with was calm and the staff were very attentive. Out of the different courses you played, which was your favorite and why? I liked Poppy Hills a lot because I almost made a hole in one, the greens were beautiful, and the course overall was well taken care of.
Ralph K., rising 9th grader, Eagle participant What did you think about the college tour at CSU Monterey Bay? Would you consider going to school there? Although we were walking through strong winds and freezing cold air during the tour at CSU Monterey Bay, I am glad that I was able to see what the campus was like and to learn about the history of the school and what they have to offer. I would consider CSU Monterey Bay as one of my options to go to for college because of the small community, the class sizes are small, and it is close to my home. Overall, what did you like and dislike about the experience at NorCal? Furthermore, off the golf course at Stevenson School, CSU Monterey Bay, and Cannery Row with the coaches, chaperones, and other participants, I had to use good judgment because I am representing the Silicon Valley, so by making smart decisions I represented my chapter in a positive light. In addition, I really liked how everyone supported and cheered each other on during our endeavors, and the strong positive vibes every participant had. The coaches, chaperones, and participants that I was surrounded with truly made my experience at the NorCal Leadership Academy worthwhile and much thanks to the donors and sponsors for making it possible.
Read more about their adventures at the NorCal Leadership Academy through The First Tee of Contra Costa’s article.

Check Out Ishaan’s Experience at Perfect Sense

​I had the unique opportunity to attend the Perfect Sense Unified Challenge in Washington D.C. from June 25-29. During the event, the 18 participants selected from The First Tee chapters nationwide stayed in hotel rooms at the Hilton on Tysons Corner in McLean, Virginia. We played two rounds of golf in which we were paired up with a wounded U.S. Veteran from Feherty’s First Troop Foundation, a USA Special Olympics Golfer, another junior golfer from The First Tee, and a professional golfer on the PGA Tour! On our very first day, all of the golfers arrived at the Country Club of Fairfax where we enjoyed an opening banquet, were acquainted with our playing partners for the rest of the week, and got to meet the other The First Tee participants from across the country! It was an excellent opening evening, and I had a wonderful time meeting all of the people who made this event possible! On Monday we played TPC Potomac, the same course where the Quicken Loans National Tournament took place that week! I was paired up with D.A. Points as my professional golfer, and he was able to give me tips about my short game and my putting, which I thought was super neat. After playing a fantastic round of golf in Potomac, we had a nice lunch in the clubhouse where awards for the afternoon were announced, and then retreated to Tyson’s Corner where all of us participants watched a movie to end the night. The following day, we attended a career exploration day at the Perfect Sense Digital headquarters and took a tour of Washington D.C.’s monuments in the evening. Career day was a great experience of exposure for me because all of us were able to test Brightspot, a software that Perfect Sense Digital developed when publishing articles. We also got to have individual meetings with company representatives who explained their backgrounds in the field, similar to the SAP Career trip we do here in Silicon Valley! The D.C. Tour was such a fun evening, and having the opportunity to explore the heart of our nation with some newfound golf friends felt like a dream, and we all celebrated when we went back to the hotel that night. Wednesday was the penultimate day of the event, and it was another round of golf, this time at the Country Club of Fairfax (where the opening banquet was held). We were split up into teams in a Ryder Cup Format and had individual matches to determine who the winner was (my team ended up winning!). Anyways, after the final round of golf we had a great time at TopGolf, which was one of the most memorable parts of the week for me. I had never been before, and it is such a cool place to have fun playing golf and I highly recommend it! Everyone was there, including some of the Veterans and Special Olympic golfers and I had a great time playing and interacting with everyone! On Thursday, we said our goodbyes to what was one unforgettable week in D.C. We watched a little bit of the first round of the Quicken Loans National before our final departure. As a whole, I learned so much about The First Tee network and building connections in general. I loved interacting with the Veterans and the Special Olympic golfers, because they were so inspiring and never failed to brighten up my day! I hope to apply everything I learned from this experience to my own chapter and beyond, and am so thankful to The First Tee for this amazing opportunity. – Ishaan N., Ace Certified

Contact Coach Molly for Private Instruction

We have been very grateful and appreciative to have Coach Molly as our Program Manager for the past 10 years. Although she will not be the manager anymore, she will still be involved with our organization through private instruction. Our Instructors have emphasized the importance of practice and play outside of The First Tee of Silicon Valley. Private Instruction is something we encourage our participants to take part in to ensure they develop their golf skills more than what is taught in our classes. Coach Colleen, Coach Mark, Coach Kuniko and Coach John also teach private instruction, and now Coach Molly is one of them. Please contact Coach Molly at [email protected] to book/schedule a lesson. She will be available to teach lessons at Moffett Field Golf Course and Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course, pending her schedule. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors!