Category: 2018

The holiday season is the appropriate time to feature one of the The First Tee Nine Healthy Habits*: Family. As part of our youth development curriculum, The First Tee of Silicon Valley not only teaches youth how to play golf but we promote healthy, active lifestyles and we stress the emotional and social benefits of golf that can also be incorporated into one’s daily life. Family by definition is a group of related (or in some cases, unrelated) people held together by bonds of love and affection. We teach our participants the importance of family support by encouraging them to participate in activities together – share meals, communicate and establish roles and responsibilities. The First Tee stresses with our students that they are more likely to be successful in achieving their health-related goals by involving their family. In addition, when families play golf together, there are a number of social benefits felt by the whole family. Not only are parents spending key quality time with their children, but it provides time to get active for all members of the family, which is crucial – making it a fun activity to take up as a family sport. It is also a great opportunity to socialize with other families and build relationships. Consider registering your child in a class, becoming a volunteer or supporting our non-profit youth development organization. *The First Tee Nine Healthy Habits were created through a collaboration among The First Tee, ANNIKA Foundation and Florida Hospital for Children to promote healthy, active lifestyles for youth.  

“As we join the world in mourning President Bush’s passing, the PGA TOUR and entire golf community share a deep appreciation for all that he meant to our sport. From his love of playing to his selfless dedication and support, golf held a special place for President Bush.” Said Commissioner Tim Finchem of PGA Tour.

George HW Bush was the first Honorary Chairman of The First Tee—the youth outreach program that uses golf to teach life lessons—and promoted The First Tee when it launched in late 1997. “I’m very enthusiastic about The First Tee,” Bush said then, “and I believe it will expand interest in the game. We’ll be uplifting the lives of a lot of kids.” George W. Bush, the 43rd President, succeeded his father as Honorary Chairman in 2011. Former President George HW Bush passed away at his home in Houston, Texas on Sunday, December 2, 2018 at age 94, less than 8 months after his wife of 73 years, Barbara Bush. Read PGA Tour statement here

New volunteer coaches from Sheriff’s Activities League, Police Activities League, Carlmont High School Golf Team, and staff from neighboring schools, attended a mentor training on November 15^th at SportsHouse in Redwood City. The mentor training is one of the 8 steps we take to help prepare our volunteer coaches to positively develop the character of youth. The 20 volunteer coaches learned about integrating core values, swing cues, and empowering youth into their coaching, “It was enjoyable to hear laughter and see the bonding amongst the coaches as they experienced our golf games and youth development exercises during our activity-based training.” Matt Sheppard (Program Manager). Classes begin on November 29^th, register now!

On November 1^st, The First Tee of Silicon Valley hosted San Antonio Elementary for a field trip to Rancho Del Pueblo Golf Course in San José. The field trip was the culmination of a 4-week DRIVE in-school program taught by City Year staff members. Students were able to put their learned core values and golf fundamentals to practice on a real golf course. San Antonio Elementary, located blocks from Rancho Del Pueblo, has 4 club groups (20-25 students each club) scheduled to participate in our DRIVE program through the 2018/2019 academic year.  Program Manager, Chris Moreno-Hunt says, “taking the students on a field trip to Rancho Del Pueblo not only helps reinforce the skills they are learning through the DRIVE program, but also provides a unique experience for many who tell us they live so close to the golf course but have never visited.”

On Monday, October 22nd, The Boys and Girls Club of DCP El Camino implemented The First Tee of Silicon Valley’s DRIVE program for the first time in the 2018/19 school year. Located in downtown San José, Downtown College Prep prepares first-generation students for college success. DCP is a tuition-free charter school serving over 1,700 students. Lead by The Boys and Girls Club after school staff, students will play a series of games integrating The First Tee Nine Core Values and golf fundamentals.

On Saturday, October 20th, The First Tee of Silicon Valley attended Alum Rock Union School District‘s (ARUSD) Fall Parent University Family Fun Day at Mathson Institute of Technology.  TFTSV set up golf games and an informational booth for parents/guardians where they learned about our program and how to register for our Winter Session. More than 300 parents, children, and community members from ARUSD came to the event.  “We are grateful to the Alum Rock School District for including us as a community partner and we are thrilled to share our program with the Alum Rock students” said Chris Moreno-Hunt, TFTSV Program Manager.

Joe Bronson, friend of The First Tee of Silicon Valley, has written his next book, ‘Through The Green: Golf Shots, Spots and Stories Inspiration and Aspirations’, published in August of 2018. Joe is passionate about the game of golf. All proceeds from his book sales are given to organizations like The First Tee of Silicon Valley and others that support golf in the community. “Golf is more than a game. It mirrors life and is a great revealer of character. Take it from author Joseph Bronson, who has played golf for over 40 years at many of the top courses in the world, from the United States to Scotland, United Kingdom, China, Japan, New Zealand, and even Israel. Through the Green: Golf Shots, Spots, and Stories Inspirations and Aspirations details how to play Pebble Beach from an amateur and professional perspective; contains a complete layout of the world’s hardest and most enjoyable holes that he has played; and delights with a fictional short story about a retired business executive who tries to compete for a USGA national championship. Golf is a difficult game to play and more difficult to master, but with Bronson’s experience and insights, golfers and non-golfers alike will want to improve their golf game and relish the challenges that the game provides. Proceeds from book sales will facilitate college golf programs and The First Tee.” (www.amazon.com) Purchase a copy of Joe’s book on Amazon.com and support organizations like The First Tee of Silicon Valley. Joe visited our main program location, Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course. 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.”  (www.josephbronson.com) View Joe’s full blog post from his visit Rancho del Pueblo among many others.

Saturday, October 6^th found George Maxe and Carlos Herrera (our resident football expert), at the San Jose Earthquakes v the New York Red Bulls game as guests of Rod & Laura Howard of Synectic.   While the Earthquakes did not enjoy success on the field, George & Carlos had a lot of fun and learned much about Synectic and Avaya. Watching the game from the Avaya suite allowed them to see Avaya product demos.  Rod & Laura had the opportunity to learn about The First Tee of Silicon Valley throughout the game as well.

Playing the game of golf can improve your quality of life as there are many physical, emotional and social benefits. The First Tee Nine Healthy Habits were created through a collaboration among The First Tee, ANNIKA Foundation and Florida Hospital for Children to promote healthy, active lifestyles for youth. The First Tee of Silicon Valley participants learn Nine Healthy Habits as part of our education curriculum and one of the social healthy habits is Friends. The First Tee of Silicon Valley teaches our participants to maintaining healthy relationships and encourages them to surround themselves with friends and supportive people. We have relevant discussions about how to effectively handle challenging situations, including bullying and navigating the digital age with social media. We have also observed the special friendships our participants have formed through being involved in our program from 2nd to 12th Grade through 5 levels of certification. There is something different about the friendships they make through golf, an extra dimension, a deeper link. It’s amazing, you smack a little white ball across a few miles of mowed turf and it shows you–and your mates—what kind of person you are: flawed, full of hope, willing to push hard against the limits of your ability, ready to laugh, weep, try and keep trying. All the ingredients of true friendship. Consider registering your child in a class, becoming a volunteer or supporting our non-profit youth development organization.

There are so many common courtesies that are the fabric of the game of golf. As one of The First Tee’s Nine Core Values, Courtesy teaches participants respectful behavior toward others. Our weekly curriculum incorporates handshakes and introductions at all program levels. A round of golf should begin and end with a handshake between fellow competitors. Players also should be still and quiet while others are preparing and performing a shot. Whether players are waiting to get started on the first hole or waiting their turn while others are playing the course, following some simple rules and etiquette will help maintain order while playing and allow them to remain courteous toward one another. A strong handshake with confident eye contact creates an immediate image of strength, professionalism and belief in oneself. It helps pull shy, insecure participants out of their shell, creates a bridge for communication between individuals of all ages and backgrounds, and sets the tone in showing respect for others. Parents, volunteers and spectators have commented that they can point out a participant of The First Tee of Silicon Valley from a crowd of young adults just by watching their demeanor and ability to communicate with other individuals. Consider registering your child in a class, becoming a volunteer or supporting our non-profit youth development organization.