Category: 2017

On Saturday, May 20th, our participants travelled to Gavilan College Golf Course in Gilroy to play in a 9-hole stroke play tournament to determine our Chapter’s Champion. We had 30 participants take part in the event, which included closest to the pin and longest drive competitions on course. These tournaments give a great, friendly opportunity for our youth who are not quite ready to play competitive tournaments in a learning environment. Thanks to Chevy’s for sponsoring and donating dinner for our participants, their families, and our staff. Everyone enjoyed chicken fajitas with all the fixin’s to end the day. Thanks to Steve at Gavilan College Golf Course for keeping our participants safe and Don for allowing us to take over the course. Also thanks to Coach Liam for helping marshal the event and Sue for taking photos. Check out photos of our Girls Golf Event on our Facebook Page. We look forward to our next chapter championship on Saturday, August 26th. Keep checking your Weekly Emails and Participant Private Page of when registration opens. See you there!

On Saturday, June 3rd, our 2017 Girls Golf Members took part in their Pre-Summer event, FootGolf Play Day. Many paired up with their moms for a fun-filled, activity-based day. Post-FootGolf, participants and their guests painted pots, planted flowers, enjoyed pizza, and most importantly, had a great time just hanging out and being together. Check out photos of our Girls Golf Event on our Facebook Page. We look forward to our next event, scheduled on Saturday, August 19th. Keep an eye out for more information on this exciting Solheim Cup themed day!

On Saturday, June 3rd, over 30 Mentors met at Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course to prepare for our upcoming Summer season. The day started with a yoga session from Coach Colleen, where we learned about a new perspective on the Healthy Habit of Energy and all the great benefits of yoga. The second half of the event, our coaches split between new mentors and returning mentors. New Mentors were given an introduction of the facility and our program. They were able to ask questions of how the program works and what are some helpful tips and tricks to get them through their first season. Returners worked on the Par level focusing on Exploring the Game, Respecting the Rules, Meeting & Greeting Skills (through ALR – ask, listen, respond), 3 Tips to Having Fun While You Learn, Staying Cool (4 R’s), and Finding Your Personal Par. Thanks, Coach Colleen, for tripling as our guest speaker,leading our Coaching Philosophy portion of the training PLUS organizing our lunch. We look forward to making the Summer season great! Check out photos of our Mentor Training on our Facebook Page.

Thank you, San Jose Country Club! We appreciate the outpour of support we have received from various organizations. Our participants represented our organization at the 91st Ernie Pieper Santa Clara Men’s County Championship. Benefits of this tournament came to The First Tee of Silicon Valley. Additionally, multiple golf courses will be hosting our Ace and Ace Certified participants this Summer on golf treks, including SJCC. Lastly, thank you to Ernie Moreno of Moreno Clean for donating a foursome for our 2017 Open. On Saturday, June 3rd and Sunday, June 4th, participants of The First Tee of Silicon Valley assisted at the 91st Ernie Pieper Santa Clara County Championship. Hundreds of golfers came out during the gorgeous weekend to take part in the tournament and be crowned either the Champion or Senior Champion. Younger participants represented as greeters on Saturday, welcoming golfers with a friendly (yet firm) handshake, using their best meet-and-greet skills, and offering The First Tee of Silicon Valley ball markers. Older participants represented as standard bearers on Sunday, keeping and displaying the scores of the final senior group and two last foursomes of the tournament. Thank you to our participants for spending their weekend with us at San Jose Country Club.

Are you financially literate? Birdie, Eagle, and Ace participants will have the opportunity to visit the Downtown San Jose offices of PwC this Summer as we take part in a financial literacy seminar. In year’s past, our participants have learned about Credit & Debit and taken part in mock interviews to prepare them for the future and explore career opportunities. PwC has assisted at various Ace classes giving financial literacy seminars related to that season’s project. For Spring during the Career project, PwC representatives speak upon topics such as Saving & Investing and Income & Careers. In our Fall Education project, they return to present about Paying for College and Selecting a School, We greatly appreciate our PwC friends for helping our Ace participants getting ready for their future and we look forward to our upcoming field trip on July 6th. Thanks, PwC!

Hurry up and register for our June 23rd Open. Don’t miss your chance for a fun-filled afternoon at Cinnabar Hills Golf Club in support of The First Tee of Silicon Valley. Take part in our raffle, silent and live auction, plus on-course contests. Our post-tournament program also includes KNBR’s Hooked On Golf host, Mitch Juricich, as our emcee. Register online today! Check out our Silent Auction for the 2017 Open, which is available for those who cannot attend, via Bidding for Good. We have lots of items available this year which include autographed items by Bay Area sports teams and PGA Golfers, golf experiences throughout California, and more. Online bidding closes at 1pm on Friday, June 23rd.

It’s truly the end of an era as we say goodbye to Molly Springmann after 10 years as our Program Manager. She has worked tirelessly to build our outstanding, high quality programs to benefit the community and literally thousands of Silicon Valley youth. Molly has been an terrific partner and friend as we’ve expanded and strengthened The First Tee of Silicon Valley together during her tenure. We’ll be celebrating Molly and her many contributions at our annual Fiesta on Saturday, November 18th. Thank you, Molly!  We’ll miss you! — George Maxe, Executive Director  

On Friday, April 28th, our Operations Manager attended the Junior League of San Jose’s Volunteer Recognition Luncheon. Earlier, in 2016, she nominated Coach Liam to be recognized by JLSJ as an outstanding volunteer. Liam was recognized and applauded by a room filled with nearly 450 guests including Assemblymember Ash Kalra, NBC Bay Area’s Laura Garcia-Cannon and Sam Brock (hosts of the event), representatives from various Bay Area organizations, and other distinguished guests. Liam received two certificates: Certificate of Appreciation from JLSJ and Recognition Certificate from County Supervisor Mike Wasserman. Throughout his time with The First Tee of Silicon Valley, he has volunteered in multiple classes through various locations as a junior coach, assisted many fundraisers and events as a junior volunteers, and represented our organization at events such as the Men’s County Championship at San Jose Country Club, Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-A and more. “The First Tee of Silicon Valley is very thankful and appreciative of the amount of hours (1,000+) Liam has given back to our program throughout three years. I am very grateful for his dedication to our program and mentoring the youth of his community. He is very enthusiastic, trustworthy, shows great characteristics of a true leader, and has a great personality. I’m sad to see him leave after the Summer season to pursue a career in PGA Management & Hospitality at UNLV, but I’m hopeful he will come back and continue to make a difference in the lives of not only the youth of Silicon Valley but communities, as well.” -Khristine Madayag, Operations Manager

Joe Bronson, friend of The First Tee of Silicon Valley, wrote Golf Chronicles: An Amateur’s Lifelong Dedication to the Game in 2016. Joe is passionate about the game of golf. All proceeds from the his book sales are given to organizations like The First Tee of Silicon Valley and others that support golf in the community. “If you’re a golfer, you’ll love this book for author Joseph Bronson’s passionate description of the game. He’s meticulous in his detailing of the philosophical nature of golf and his insights into major world competitions. His descriptions of the variety of courses he himself has played are entertaining and inspiring.” (www.josephbronson.com) Purchase a copy of Joe’s book on Amazon.com and support organizations like The First Tee of Silicon Valley. Joe recently visited our main program location, Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course, on Saturday, April 22nd. Such visits are an excellent way for supporters to learn more about The First Tee of Silicon Valley’s classes and coaching to build the character of San José’s deserving youth. As Joe said, “The First Tee of Silicon Valley is a significant asset of this community and one only needs to see the looks on the faces of the parents to understand how vital this program is to their child’s development.” View Joe’s full blog post from his recent visit Rancho del Pueblo among many others.

Don’t miss our Summer registration, which closes on Tuesday, May 30th. New participants can join a PLAYer Part 1 class at any of our various locations (The Golf Club at Moffett Field, Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course, or Gavilan College Golf Course). Visit our Youth Classes page to view our schedules. Returning participants in Par, Birdie, or Eagle, have the option to take our Golf Play class (non-certifying activity) during weekdays. Sessions are four classes for 2.5 hours playing at Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course. Work on on course etiquette and technique to better a round of golf with family and friends or pass certification next season. Schedules are also available on our Youth Classes page. Youth Classes Page

Time is running out to join us as a Mentor for our 2017 Summer season. Our Open Enrollment ends on May 15th. Visit our volunteer page to learn more about what being a Mentor entails and the steps to complete the process. For questions about volunteering, contact Julie at [email protected] or (408) 508-4882. Volunteer webpage

It’s GRADUATION time. Take a look at our college-bound participants taking the leap into continued education. We have also received notification of The First Tee’s 2017 Participant Opportunities selections. Check out who will be representing our chapter at various opportunities. It is a bittersweet feeling for our participants who are graduating from high school during the 2017 Spring semester/quarter and moving on to the next chapter in their young lives. We would like to highlight some of the participants who are making this transition and congratulate them on their accomplishments. Jacob M. – Ace Certified Graduating from Ann Sobrato High School in San Jose Will attend Sonoma State University Pursuing a degree in Molecular Biology Plans to be an Orthodontist Joshua M. – Ace Certified Graduating from Ann Sobrato High School in San Jose Will attend California State University of Chico Undeclared major Undecided career Liam H. – Ace Certified Graduating from Leigh High School in San Jose Will attend University of Nevada in Las Vegas Pursuing a degree in PGA Management and Hospitality Plans to take on a career in the PGA Sabrina C. – Ace Certified Graduating from Gunn High School in Palo Alto Will attend Brown University Pursuing a degree in Applied Math – Economics Plans to take on a career in Business Dylan S. – Ace Graduating from Evergreen Valley High School in San Jose Will attend Evergreen Valley College Will work on his AA to transfer to State University Plans to be an English or History Teach (Middle or High School Level) Erica L. – Ace Graduating from Evergreen Valley High School in San Jose Will attend Yale University Pursuing a degree in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB) Plans to be a Physician Gabrielle R. – Ace Graduating from Independence High School in San Jose Will attend Mission or Ohlone College Pursuing a degree in Web Development/Information Technology Plans to be a Web Developer/Database Administrator Davida S. – Eagle Graduating from Valley Christian High School in San Jose Will attend San Jose State University Pursuing a degree in Biological Studies Plans to take on a career in Education Juan H. – Eagle Graduating from Santa Teresa High School in San Jose Will attend San Jose State University Pursuing a degree in Industrial Engineering Plans to be an Operations Engineer Hooray for our participants who have been selected for a 2017 Opportunity! John Deere Drive Your Future Academy – Varsha N. This all-girls event will focus on leadership development, remaining active in the game of golf, learning the value/impact of volunteerism, and recognizing the importance of teamwork. USGA “Learning Science Through Golf” Academy – Rhea A. At the inaugural USGA “Learning Science Through Golf” STEM Academy, teenagers will experience hands-on access to the USGA Research & Test Center, a facility that houses both specialized golf club and ball testing equipment. Participants will learn from highly educated and skilled individuals whose work is focused on understanding the game’s technology and new equipment’s potential effect upon the game. Perfect Sense Unified Challenge – Ishaan N. The Perfect Sense Unified Challenge is a Ryder Cup team event with junior golfers from The First Tee paired as teammates with wounded veterans and Special Olympics golfers from around the country. In addition to playing two rounds of golf at some of the top courses in the nation’s capital, golfers will also enjoy a welcome banquet, a career exploration day at Perfect Sense, and a tour of DC’s monuments and museums! Par-3 Championship – Ralph K. The First Tee Par-3 Championship is a 36-hole individual stroke play golf competition at The Kanawha Club in Richmond, Va. Participants also work on life skill development through dorm living, interaction with participants from around the country and guest speakers. By the end of the week they will have a better understanding of competitive golf rules and regulations and will be ready to act as leaders and role models for other participants at their local chapters.