Category: 2018

The First Tee of Silicon Valley Comes to Redwood City

The First Tee of Silicon Valley is excited to begin classes in Redwood City this upcoming Winter season! We are coordinating with Redwood City Department of Parks & Rec, Redwood City Police Activities League (PAL), Redwood City School District, and San Mateo County Sheriff’s Activities League (SAL). Both PAL and SAL have begun delivering The First Tee DRIVE program in Redwood City and North Fair Oaks schools. SAL efforts, in particular, are for their Pete Liebengood Junior Golf Program. TFTSV’s entry in to southern San Mateo County is part of our plan to expand our presence at the new Baylands Golf Links (formerly Palo Alto Muni) and to reach many more low income youth. TFTSV is very grateful to the SAGA Foundation for its generous grant to help make all of this possible.  

Used Club Drive at PGA Tour Superstore

Bring your used clubs to the PGA TOUR Superstore in East Palo Alto on Saturday, November 10th from 11am to 3pm. Collecting used clubs enables The First Tee of Silicon Valley to pursue our mission to impact the lives of young people by providing education programs that build character, instill life-enhancing values and promote healthy choices through the game of golf. Bring your used clubs to the PGA TOUR Superstore (1751 East Bayshore Road, East Palo Alto, CA  94303) on Saturday, November 10th from 11AM to 3PM and receive a $20 off/$60 PGATSS coupon.
  • Club donations: full sets, usable drivers/putters/fairway metals, golf bags, and iron sets
  • Club donors will receive $20OFF$60 (PGATSS coupon)

Our Participant, Erica, Shares Her Experience From the 2018 PURE Insurance Championship Impacting The First Tee

The First Tee of Silicon Valley is so proud of Erica Lam, our participant who competed in the 2018 PURE Insurance Championship Impacting The First Tee at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Poppy Hills Golf Course, September 24-30. Erica summarized her experience by saying, “I had a lot of fun playing at the PURE Insurance Championship. It was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to play at such a prestigious course like Pebble Beach. The part I enjoyed most, however, was socializing and learning how to present myself in a more formal setting such as the strolling dinners. At first it was kind of hard, because I’ve never done anything like this before and it was not in my comfort zone, but everyone was really friendly and eventually I started to get the hang of it and not be so intimidated anymore. It was such a good learning opportunity for me because there are not many other places where I will be able to interact with adults like this and I know that I will definitely be needing these skills in the future!” The PURE Insurance Championship is the only event of its kind in which 81 junior golfers from The First Tee are teamed with 81 PGA TOUR Champions players and 162 amateurs during an official PGA TOUR Champions tournament. They were selected by a national panel of judges based on their playing ability and their application of the Nine Core Values and Life Skills learned through their involvement with The First Tee’s programs. TFTSV Coach Matt & Coach Chris verified Erica’s development over her 9 years in our program. They said, “Erica most notable growth has been her interpersonal communication skills. First Tee mentoring has taught her to speak with a confident delivery, making eye contact. Erica has learned to dictate her perseverance through her own belief to ‘Just push, because I’ve done it in the past and I can do it again!’.  She is very professional in her mannerisms and her thoughtful responses. Erica understands The First Tee curriculum well and we knew she would be a great TFTSV representative.”

Our Participant, Calton, Shares His Experience From the 2018 PURE Insurance Championship Impacting The First Tee

The First Tee of Silicon Valley is so proud of Calton Kong, our participant who competed in the 2018 PURE Insurance Championship Impacting The First Tee at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Poppy Hills Golf Course, September 24-30. Calton summarized his experience by saying, “The experience introduced me to many people and I was able to learn a lot from the pros and amateurs that I played with. It was interesting to learn that Freddy Couples likes real estate. The course was extraordinary! Learning how to play on a championship course, I can definitely carry on to the future. Getting an eagle on hole two at Pebble was definitely a highlight.” The PURE Insurance Championship is the only event of its kind in which 81 junior golfers from The First Tee are teamed with 81 PGA TOUR Champions players and 162 amateurs during an official PGA TOUR Champions tournament. They were selected by a national panel of judges based on their playing ability and their application of the Nine Core Values and Life Skills learned through their involvement with The First Tee’s programs. TFTSV Coach Matt & Coach Chris verified Calton’s development over his 8 years in our program. They said, “Calton has learned meeting & greeting skills and is able to articulate self-management skills like STAR (Stop-Think-Anticipate-Respond) to help him overcome stressful social situations and be confident when meeting new friends and speaking with adults. He has great self-awareness and knows how he can balance his healthy mind with body and how they are interconnected. Calton is confident in his demeanor and thoughtful in his responses. He has demonstrated he is comfortable interacting with adults in high pressure situations and we knew he would be a great TFTSV representative.”

Our Participant, Linette, Shares Her Experience From the 2018 PURE Insurance Championship Impacting The First Tee

The First Tee of Silicon Valley is so proud of Linette Jun, our participant who competed in the 2018 PURE Insurance Championship Impacting The First Tee at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Poppy Hills Golf Course, September 24-30. Linette summarized her experience by saying, “I had an amazing time at the Pure Insurance Championship. I was lucky enough to be paired with Ken Tanigawa, the champion. He was a great player and I was able to learn so much from him and his caddy. We ended up making the cut for the final day, and we were the last group to go off. The final hole was my favorite because not only were there so many people watching but I got to see my pro eagle 10 to win!” The PURE Insurance Championship is the only event of its kind in which 81 junior golfers from The First Tee are teamed with 81 PGA TOUR Champions players and 162 amateurs during an official PGA TOUR Champions tournament. They were selected by a national panel of judges based on their playing ability and their application of the Nine Core Values and Life Skills learned through their involvement with The First Tee’s programs. TFTSV Coach Matt & Coach Chris verified Linette’s development over her 6 years in our program. They said, “Linette’s most notable growth has been her desire to give back to the community and learning to lead by example. She was inspired to apply to play in the tournament by her youth coaches who previously played. She also shared how she creates “Go-To” teams to better prepare for tournaments. Linette has a profound ambition to succeed which translates well in her aura of confidence coupled with her competitive drive. She eloquently provides and demonstrates real-time examples of life skills she has learned. We knew she would be a great TFTSV representative.”

Our Participant, Kelly, Shares Her Experience From the 2018 PURE Insurance Championship Impacting The First Tee

The First Tee of Silicon Valley is so proud of Kelly Yu, our participant who competed in the 2018 PURE Insurance Championship Impacting The First Tee at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Poppy Hills Golf Course, September 24-30. Kelly summarized her experience by saying, “My week in Monterey was truly a dream come true. Larry Mize, my professional playing partner and Chris, his caddy, were the most supporting, funny and kind people I’ve ever met. They were constantly going out of their way to make me feel welcomed and mentoring me. Being able to play at Pebble Beach was surreal and no matter how I was doing during the round, I couldn’t help but smile because I was playing at Pebble! I am so grateful to have had this amazing opportunity where I got to meet such amazing people from all over the country and make so many unforgettable memories.” The PURE Insurance Championship is the only event of its kind in which 81 junior golfers from The First Tee are teamed with 81 PGA TOUR Champions players and 162 amateurs during an official PGA TOUR Champions tournament. They were selected by a national panel of judges based on their playing ability and their application of the Nine Core Values and Life Skills learned through their involvement with The First Tee’s programs. TFTSV Coach Matt & Coach Chris verified Kelly’s development over her 8 years in our program. They said, “Kelly’s most notable growth has been her interpersonal communication skills and confident manner when interacting with adults. She was very prepared for her application interview which she delivered with a smile and pleasant tone. Kelly was able to communicate how her TFTSV “Go-To” Team has helped her through tough times in her life. She also described how she has learned to be a “Go-To” person to others. Kelly is able to set goals and to appreciate each step or the process to achieving her goals.  Kelly thoroughly understands The First Tee curriculum and we knew she would be a great TFTSV representative.”

The Importance of Volunteer Coaches

The First Tee of Silicon Valley believes positive youth development happens through a meaningful, quality relationship between the coach and participant. Mentor coaches are critical to ensuring our participants have an optimum and enjoyable learning environment. Therefore, we are always looking for high quality volunteers to serve as mentor coaches. The First Tee works with experts in a variety of fields to help coaches deliver programs that seamlessly weave golf and character-building activities into each lesson. Our coaches follow a philosophy centered on positively reinforcing a child’s actions and ensuring a great experience. As a child progresses through The First Tee’s programs, the activities and life lessons become more involved, helping her/him build character and become even more equipped to make good choices on and off the golf course. TFTSV Coaching Philosophy We believe that positive youth development happens through a meaningful, quality relationship between the coach and participant. Young people do not care what a coach knows until they know a coach cares. This philosophy is implemented through four building blocks. Activity-Based Doing versus telling  (create experience-based learning environments; seamless delivery of life skills within golf activities) Mastery-Driven Seek challenging tasks that help develop new skills  (balance the focus on process versus outcome) Empower Youth Young people actively participate in the decision-making process  (develop positive relationships and take a student-centered approach) Continuous Learning Foster long-term solutions rather than short-term fixes  (engage young people in feedback and identify coachable moments) Coaching is a very rewarding experience. Click here for an application to be considered. Onboarding steps must be completed by November 15th to coach the Winter Session (Dec-Feb).

PURE Insurance Championship Impacting The First Tee

On September 30th, The First Tee of Silicon Valley brought 36 TFTSV DRIVE participants on a bus trip to the 2018 PURE Insurance Championship Impacting The First Tee at Pebble Beach Golf Course. TFTSV participants, who were mostly from our outreach efforts in the Alum Rock Unified School District in East San José, took part in the Chevron STEM Zone and learned how science, technology, engineering, and math impacts golf. They also cheered on our 4 local chapter teens: Linette Jun, Calton Kong, Erica Lam & Kelly Yu who were selected to compete in the official PGA TOUR Champions event September 24-30. What an inspiration for the field trip students to observe how the efforts of our high -school, Eagle certified participants earned them the coveted spot to play along-side professional and amateur golfers in a nationally televised event. After watching the golf tournament, they returned to Rancho del Pueblo to hit range balls and turn their inspiration into action! TFTSV sends a special thank you to the Monterey Peninsula Foundation http://www.montereypeninsulafoundation.org/ for providing the grant which allowed us to cover transportation to and from Pebble Beach and participate in the Chevron STEM Zone. TFTSV will be piloting its own STEM classes to Birdie level participants this Winter. Elective classes for Par, Birdie, Eagle and Ace will begin in the Spring of 2019. TFTSV’s STEM curriculum will integrate The First Tees’s nine golf fundamentals with developmentally appropriate STEM concepts.

SVBTA Golf Classic Donates $2,000

The Silicon Valley Business Travel Association (SVBTA) named The First Tee of Silicon Valley their charity beneficiary for the third year in a row and made a generous $2,000 donation. The 24th annual tournament of business leaders responsible for the purchase of annual travel services exceeding $1Billion was held on Monday, September 24th at Silver Creek Valley Country Club. Tournament Director, Chris Suarez said, “We are happy to give back to a non-profit that introduces youth to the game of golf while teaching them life skills”. Robby Keith, former participant and current instructor, delivered a powerful speech to the 200 members. He shared how the TFTSV program embraced, educated and empowered him to become the person he is today. Robby joined the program when he was 7 years old and graduated Ace certified in 2015. He is proud to be a role model and enjoys giving back as a mentor.

Vehicle Donations Now Accepted

It’s easy!  While you’re carving your Halloween pumpkins, think about carving out space in your garage and donate your vehicle to The First Tee of Silicon Valley. Whether you give a car, truck, boat, motorcycle, or RV, we make it easy — and the pick-up is free for any vehicle you give. Our partner Donor Representatives are available seven days a week to walk you through the process from start to finish. Call 855-500-RIDE (7433) or go to our Vehicle Donation page so you can schedule your free pick-up in time for a sweet 2018 tax deduction. Running or not, spooky or not — your generous donation will be a much-needed treat!  Learn More

Saratoga Country Club Open House hosted by Dave Cook

Board Ambassador, Dave Cook hosted 30 fellow Saratoga Country Club members at an Open House on Sept. 27, 2018 to promote and introduce The First Tee of Silicon Valley. Thai Hoang, a Senior at Willow Glen High School and Ace Participant, spoke about the impact the program has had on his life over the last 8 years.  He concluded his speech by saying, “ I came to The First Tee of Silicon Valley to play golf and ended up learning so much more than golf, like the life lessons and giving back to the community. I definitely feel blessed to be part of ‘The First Tee Family’. I have a go-to team for life, and in return, I do my best to support my family when I can.” In addition to hearing a participant testimonial, guests enjoyed hearing how Dave got involved in TFTSV starting as a volunteer coach and then joining the Board in 2015. The evening also included watching the “More Than A Game” video and guests had an opportunity for a Q&A with Executive Director, George Maxe. It was a very attentive and supportive group that all left with their Masters raffle tickets with high hopes that they will be headed to Augusta. Open Houses are designed to further educate people about The First Tee of Silicon Valley and encourage support through advocating, volunteering, or donating. If you would like to host an Open Houses of your own, please contact our Development Director, Judy Dixon, at [email protected].

Peter Pabst, S.J Legacy Golf Tournament at San Jose Country Club

The First Tee of Silicon Valley was pleased to participate in, and support the 11th annual Peter Pabst, S.J Legacy Golf Tournament benefiting Sacred Heart Nativity Schools and Cristo Rey San José Jesuit High School, held on September 24th, 2018. All of the tournament proceeds go towards helping Sacred Heart Nativity School and Cristo Rey Jesuit High School break the cycle of poverty through education. Sacred Heart operates largely as a tuition-free private school serving low-income youth in San José, and Cristo Rey Jesuit empowers students from underserved communities to be accomplished leaders committed to a lifelong pursuit of learning, faith, and justice. 98% of their funding comes from individual donors and from events like the Peter Pabst Legacy Golf Tournament. The First Tee of Silicon Valley is proud to be a tee sponsor for the tournament and pleased to be a partner with Sacred Heart Nativity School through the delivery of our in-school DRIVE program.