Category: 2020

USGA Awards Grant to First Tee – Silicon Valley for Local Youth Development Programs

USGA grant is part of a nationwide initiative to provide greater access to golf for youth The United States Golf Association (USGA) has awarded a $2,500 grant to First Tee – Silicon Valley  to further their efforts of introducing young people to game of golf and experiences that empower them to build their strength of character. The grant is one of 51 being awarded nationwide to chapters located in or around USGA Championships and Allied Golf Associations as part of the organization’s strategy to leave a positive impact on its local host communities. Since 1997, the USGA has invested more than $26 million in grants to First Tee to provide greater access to golf for juniors and cultivate a life-long passion for the game. The commitment to expanding participation is part of the USGA’s mission to champion and advance the game. “Year after year we are seeing the positive impact that First Tee and other junior programs are having in breaking down barriers and connecting communities through sports,” said Mike Davis, CEO of the USGA. “It is vital for golf’s long-term health that we continue to create pathways for all juniors to participate.” First Tee brings kids and teens to the game of golf and leverages it as a catalyst for personal growth through experiences that build inner strength, self-confidence, and resilience. With USGA’s support, First Tee – Silicon Valley reaches more than 14,000 young people annually at 3 program locations, with support from 100 volunteers. First Tee impacts young people through character education and life skills programs at in-school and after-school programs. George Maxe, CEO & President expressed his appreciation, “Our chapter was faced with additional Covid-19 expenses to cover the cost of PPE items that were necessary to resume our class operations. The USGA grant made it possible for us to purchase health and safety supplies.’ Dealing with Challenges’ and ‘Playing with Perseverance’ are two of The First Tee’s 27 core lessons that are very relevant during this time of sheltering-in-place. It is noteworthy that what we teach the young people in our program applies well beyond golf to other parts of life including how we as individuals, families, organizations, and communities make the best of a public health crisis.” The funding is part of the USGA’s annual $70 million investment back into the game fueled by revenues generated by the U.S. Open. For more information about the First Tee – Silicon Valley, visit firstteesiliconvalley.org. Visit  firsttee.org to see the full list of USGA grant recipients. About the USGA The USGA is a nonprofit organization that celebrates, serves and advances the game of golf. Founded in 1894, we conduct many of golf’s premier professional and amateur championships, including the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open. With The R&A, we govern the sport via a global set of playing, equipment, handicapping and amateur status rules. The USGA campus in Liberty Corner, New Jersey, is home to the Association’s Research and Test Center, where science and innovation are fueling a healthy and sustainable game for the future. The campus is also home to the USGA Golf Museum, where we honor the game by curating the world’s most comprehensive archive of golf artifacts. To learn more, visit usga.org.       USGA Media Contact Danny Vohden USGA Communications 908-326-1217 [email protected] First Tee Media Contact Sara Henika First Tee 904-881-7398 [email protected]

Forrest Richardson Remembers Grant Spaeth

Forrest Richardson (pictured far-right above) is the architect for the Baylands Golf Links renovation and a good friend of TFTSV. Here’s one of his memories of Grant Spaeth, who was one of TFTSV’s original Board Directors and a former USGA President. Grant was a gentleman, and also fun to be with. About 25 years ago he was consulting with a Japanese owner who had acquired Scottsdale Country Club (now known as Starfire). The owner, Mr. Oto, had arrived from Japan via Los Angeles and came late to the course. He apparently did not get any sleep on the flights. I had never met Mr. Oto, who stood all of 4-ft., 10-in. Mr. Oto spoke no English, at least that I could tell. Grant, being kind and wanting me to get to know Mr. Oto, suggested that I take Mr. Oto in my golf cart. This is where it got funny. Every so often Mr. Oto would exclaim something, point, etc.  I would stop and Grant — bless him — would do his best to translate. All to no avail. It was hopeless, yet we continued on. At one hole we got out and I pointed to a bunker and made a gesture across my throat — as if we were going to kill it. Mr. Oto was very pleased at this and nodded that, he too, liked getting rid of the bunker. So off we went. Then it happened. I swung to the left to meet up with a cart path and Mr. Oto — who had fallen fast asleep unbeknownst to me — started to fall out of the cart … while yelling some profanities in Japanese. Fortunately I caught Mr. Oto by the arm just as he was falling backwards over the short cart armrest. When we stopped, I could tell he literally had no clue where he was — or who I was. Grant was laughing his head off. Soon we were all laughing as Grant made his way to Mr. Oto, who by this time was wide awake. It took four more holes before Grant stopped laughing, but he never let Mr. Oto see him! Later, Grant gave me some sage advice — “Forrest, it’s never a good plan to kill the owner, especially before he pays the bill…remember that.”

Remembering Grant Spaeth

Golf lost a great friend recently with the passing of Grant Spaeth, who was one of TFTSV’s original Board Directors. He had strong ties to USGA, Stanford and public golf, including at Palo Alto Muni, which is now Baylands Golf Links.

Grant and I immediately clicked when I began as TFTSJ’s Executive Director in 2008. I think he felt sorry for me as a Cal Golden Bear! I will always remember his quick wit and grin as we would banter. I thought very highly of him and greatly appreciated his support and friendship.

Grant was instrumental in the early days of Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course and The First Tee of San Jose, our original name, as one of our Board Directors. USGA was very generous with funding for us in our early years. I’m certain that Grant’s affiliation as a past USGA President really helped. When we later expanded to Palo Alto Muni, Grant made sure that I understood the importance of changing our name to The First Tee of Silicon Valley as an umbrella name over all our program locations.

I received a call from Grant early one morning in 2009. “George, Please call me. I understand that Coach Willingham wants to get involved in TFTSJ, but you haven’t informed me.” I thought, “How on earth did I miss that? I’d certainly know if Coach Willingham had contacted me.” Nervously, I called Grant who then told me, “I will write a letter today. You will call Coach Willingham in three days.” When I called him I found out that he had just recently contacted our Program Manager, Molly, and was in the process of interviewing to become a Volunteer Coach, which he still is today. I enjoy this memory of Grant’s purposeful, direct approach to helping TFTSJ.

Forrest Richardson, the architect of Baylands Golf Links, recently asked me which hole is my favorite. “Oh, the ninth hole!,” I said without hesitation. I explained that I always think of Grant while walking up the ninth fairway having played a wonderful few holes there at twilight with him one time. The ninth hole also makes me think of one of my favorite authors and Stanford’s Wallace Stegner. As Grant and I walked and talked, I mentioned for some reason that I was reading Stegner’s “Crossing to Safety” to which Grant replied, “Oh, Wally! He was one of my dearest pals.” It was a great moment.

Grant walked into the Palo Alto Muni cafe for a meeting with me in late 2009/early 2010 with the voluminous USGA rules books under his wing. “Why are you of all people carrying those around?,” I asked. Grant quipped (with his quick wit and grin), “I’m studying to be a rules official at the upcoming 2010 US Open at Pebble Beach. Some son of a gun USGA President put a testing requirement in place when he was in charge!” Of course, he was speaking of himself. Too funny.

USGA and NCGA have very nice articles about Grant.

The banner photo (also below) includes Grant speaking at Rancho del Pueblo in 2001 where he presented a check to the Eagles at Rancho, the junior golf program that became TFTSJ in 2005, as well as Grant and me at the Grand Opening of Baylands Golf Links in 2018.

I am extremely grateful for his significant contributions to TFTSV.

George Maxe President & CEO, First Tee – Silicon Valley

Francis Awarded Dennis Kettmann Scholarship

The 2020 Dennis Kettmann Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Francis Agcaoili, a recent graduate of The First Tee of Silicon Valley.  Each year participants in the Dennis Kettmann Memorial Tournament raise funds to remember Dennis. Their generosity underwrites a special $5,000 scholarship for a TFTSV chosen participant.

Dennis’s son and co-organizer of the Memorial Tournament, Matt Kettmann, learned the game from Dennis and knows that he must be smiling wherever he is knowing that his memory is now helping young people with TFTSV pursue their collegiate dreams.

Francis has been a participant of TFTSV for 4 years. He joined as a sophomore in high school and quickly progressed to the Eagle certified level. Francis also was a Volunteer Coach for 2 years. Francis’ leadership and interpersonal skills makes him a great recipient of the award. The scholarship will help provide the financial means for him to attend college at UCSD and study electrical engineering.

Learn more about Francis by listening to his conversational interview with Program Director Chris Moreno-Hunt.

 

Coach Spotlight: Meet Robby Keith

Robby Keith joined our chapter in 2005, back when we were called The First Tee of San Jose. He excelled through our program and certified in our Ace level (highest level). Robby graduated from Notre Dame de Namur and majored in Kinesiology. He is currently studying at The Ohio State University and working on his Doctorate in Physical Therapy. Robby has been an instructor for us since 2016 and has coached over 800 students. He also assisted us with our DRIVE outreach program which includes visiting local schools and delivering our curriculum in their after-school classes. In addition to traveling to the schools, Robby helped deliver school field trips classes at Rancho Del Pueblo Golf Course. Robby’s contributions to the program extend past coaching. For example, he has delivered speeches and assisted us at our local fundraisers. We are grateful he could take time from his busy schedule to continue to give back to the program he started so long ago. Robby’s journey from student to instructor is an example we hope others follow. For those that choose the path of participant to coach, they have an outstanding role model to look up to in Robby. According to Coach Robby, “Having been a participant since I was 7, The First Tee of Silicon Valley has become a family to me, both accepting me as who I am and encouraging me to develop further. They made me the man I am today, and by coaching I hope I bring current and future participants into our family and give them the tools to succeed.” We are fortunate to have Robby involved in our team and appreciate his enthusiasm and drive to make our program a better place for everyone. Thank you, Robby, and keep up the great work! If you are interested in joining coaches like Robby, please visit https://www.thefirstteesiliconvalley.org/ways-to-give/volunteer/. The deadline to sign up for the Fall season is August 15th.

Participant Spotlight: Meet Jasmine Rumble

Meet Jasmine Rumble, a freshman at Independence High School. She began our program in the Fall of 2013 and has been an active participant ever since, progressing to our Eagle level which is our second highest level. Jasmine is a natural leader, who in addition to her role as a Volunteer Coach, assists in our Girls Golf program, in our Golf Introduction classes, and at our Open Tournament fundraisers. Outside of The First Tee of Silicon Valley, she is part of her school’s leadership program where she works with a team to put together school events and is in charge of mentoring newcomers getting ready and adjusting to their new school. Jasmine always offers to help where needed, initiates conversations with her peers and coaches, and has a welcoming and positive approach to everyone she meets. According to Jasmine, “TFTSV made me much smarter in thinking about my decisions.  It reminds me how I want to treat people the way I want to be treated. That’s why I like courtesy because everybody needs that in life. You want the same energy that you would give to other people.” We are grateful to have her in our chapter as her presence makes our program a better place. Thank you, Jasmine, and keep up the great work! If you are interested in becoming a participant, please visit our Youth Classes Page, Registration for Fall opens August 12th at 10am for the Fall Season is 9/8 to 10/31.

Curriculum Core Lesson Clip: Building A Go-To Team

During the County shelter-in-place order our staff created short core lesson videos for participants and families and instructional training videos for our coaches. The core lesson videos are intended to be a guide for families to reinforce our core life lessons in your everyday lives.

This month we are featuring an Eagle level video titled “Building A Go-To Team”. Coach Manny shares the importance of building and using a support network. Our goal is to teach without lecturing, and help students learn by doing and reflecting.

Please watch the video below for a sample of the many curriculum videos available to participants and their families that are active in our program. Learn more about our Youth Classes and exposing your family to our positive youth development curriculum.

https://vimeo.com/647477689

Our High School Graduates Are ALL College Bound

All 20 of our 12th grade participants graduated High School with a 3.0 GPA or better. What is even more impressive is that ALL are college bound with 14 attending CA UC’s. We are proud of who they are, and what they have accomplished on and off the course. They have been involved with TFTSV between 4-11 years, excelling as participants with 6 progressing to the Eagle level and 14 achieving our top Ace level. TFTSV’s mentors have walked alongside our participants assisting in their character and life skills development which helped shape their journey and future aspirations. 100% of graduate survey respondents credited TFTSV for improving their character, inspiring them to be life-long golfers (1 playing Division I and 7 on Club teams) and developing their social strengths and respect for inclusion to be better citizens and build a better community.
Amanda Nguyen – Eagle – 5 years Juan Pablo Roa – Ace – 9 years
Andres Herrera – Ace – 7 years Justin Lam – Ace – 8 years
Archis Dhar – Ace Certified – 8 years Krisha Sharma – Eagle – 8 years
Arthi Chandra – Ace – 11 years Linette Jun – Ace – 6 years
Avery Chen – Eagle – 8 years Mitchell Fong – Ace – 4 years
Calton Kong – Ace – 10 years Pranav Vadali – Ace – 6 years
Darren Chan – Eagle – 9 years Ralph Kho – Ace – 7 years
Erica Lam – Ace Certified – 9 years Rishi Ajjarapu – Ace – 8 years
Francis Agcaoili – Eagle Certified – 4 years Sara Finch – Ace Certified – 10 years
Gracie Lacy – Ace – 10 years Twisha Sharma – Eagle – 9 years
  The following is a sampling of responses when we asked our graduating Seniors how TFTSV impacted them: TFTSV has shown me that golf is more than just a game and that we don’t have to be star players to make our mark on the world using the game of golf. – Rishi TFTSV taught me to be more of a leader, to take responsibility for my actions, and set and achieve my goals. – JP TFTSV has taught me how to set process and performance goals, both on and off the golf course, while challenging me to overcome adversity and develop resiliency. By learning self-confidence, positive leadership, and compassion for others, TFTSV has ultimately shaped me into the person that I am today. – Mitchell TFTSV has helped me become a leader and step out of my comfort zone. Especially when I was asked to speak in front of a big crowd at the Open Golf Tournament as a TFTSV college scholarship recipient. Talking in front of people has always been nerve wracking for me so it was the best feeling in the world when I accomplished it. – Andres As both a participant as well as a volunteer coach I grew from a very shy and quiet kid to someone who loves meeting and interacting with people. TFTSV has also allowed me to practice building upon my social skills, especially as a volunteer coach where I got to interact with both participants and fellow coaches. – Darren If I hadn’t decided to go to my first class when I was 8, I would not be playing college golf in the fall! Secondly, I’ve honestly learned a lot of life lessons from TFT. Whether I’m playing golf, or just going about my everyday life, the core values that were taught have been deeply imprinted in me. Whenever I hear or think about the word perseverance, I think The First Tee. – Avery Our High School Seniors also shared how they have incorporated the First Tee Nine Core Values in their lives: I incorporated meeting and greeting skills along with having a group of people I can go to for support, also known as my go-to team. – Francis I integrate confidence, perseverance, responsibility, and most importantly respect regularly in my daily life. Learning to deal with life’s challenges requires me to keep myself grounded in the core values that I hold near to me in order to face struggles. – Hewitt Courtesy has been an important one. I’ve truly learned how impactful treating other people kindly is. Whether it’s a friend, a stranger, or even someone you might butt heads with, kindness truly goes a long way. Treating people the way you want to be treated becomes extremely important. – Avery Definitely confidence because since breaking out of my shell, I have found it a lot easier to talk to people as well as meeting new people. It has also gotten to the point where I enjoy meeting new people. – Darren Goal ladders have been one of the primary lessons that I’ve incorporated into my life, and STAR is a close 2nd. STAR has helped me after hard tests or projects which I didn’t perform how I would have liked too and has helped me move forward to ensure I succeed. – Rishi Patience (from The Three Tips for Having Fun lesson) played a really big role in my senior year. I had a lot of tough decisions to make like where to go to school. And even though everyone goes to a 4-year college, I knew it was not the plan for me. I had to have patience with the people around me who didn’t really understand why I was talking the road I was taking and it was a very tricky time in my life. – Gracie We look forward to our participants taking what they learned and using the core life lessons to make the world a better place. For more information on our mission, curriculum, coaching, and how to get started please visit https://www.firstteesiliconvalley.org/.  

Summer “In-Person” Classes – Started This Week

TFTSV began our first of five weeks of in-person classes on July 7th at Rancho Del Pueblo Golf Course and on July 11th at Gavilan Golf Course. Our summer in-person classes were reduced to comply with the local safety guidelines allowing us to provide 11 smaller classes while serving over 110 participants. Although we would have liked to have our full schedule of potentially 500 participants, we are excited classes have resumed and look forward to providing an engaging set of golf and life skills lessons. Our team is committed to following county, city, and golf course safety guidelines and keeping our participants and coaches safe this season. Part of the preparation for the summer in-person classes included bringing our team of volunteers and instructors up to speed on the new safety policies. On July 1st we held our first ever volunteer and instructor Zoom training covering safety practices and developing our coaching tools. We have a great team of coaches ready to create a safe, fun, and supportive environment for all. To join our team and get involved as a volunteer coach, please visit our Volunteer page. To learn more about our programs and future seasons please visit our Youth Classes page.

TFTSV Offers Community and Exercise – Fall Class Registration Opens Aug 12th

What’s become a challenge and creating lots of uneasiness during this social isolation and social distancing is the imbalance between spending time inside and outside our homes. Having schools switch to online classes, and programs being shut down has shifted daily routines causing anxiety among youth and families trying to fill the void of exercise and community. TFTSV’s classes offer a solution for youth to be in small groups learning life and golf skills through fun and engaging golf games and physical activities. Making new friends and being around positive and supportive coaches is one of the top reasons our participants love our program. Golf has seen a huge resurgence as the ultimate outdoor social distancing, safe activity making our program a great space to be active while building community.   Our next season begins September 7th and ends October 31st.  Mark your calendar now for registration which opens August 12th and closes September 1st. TFTSV will schedule classes in compliance with local safety guidelines. Please stay tuned for future announcements regarding the Fall Season. We look forwarded to serving new and returning participants and families. All youth 2nd grade and above are welcome and invited! Tell a friend, and learn more about our programs and future seasons by visiting our Youth Classes page.

Coaches Needed – Due to Covid-19 Cohort Protocol

TFTSV is looking for additional coaches to join our team for the Fall Season (9/8 to 10/31) and beyond. If you are interested in giving back to your community, instilling life-enhancing values, and mentoring youth through golf, this is the position for you. We offer golf and life skill training so you do not need to be an expert golfer. TFTSV’s goal is to ensure a fun, safe and engaging learning environment with caring coaches – both employee and volunteer mentors – who are trained on our coaching strategies – activity-based, mastery-driven, empower youth, and continuous learning. We coach all youth 2nd – 12th grade regardless of background or experience.   Per our county’s current safety guidelines, our coaches are allowed to coach only one class in order to avoid not mixing with multiple cohorts or groups. This new safety rule limits our ability to deliver our normal number of classes for up to 500 participants. We believe in the lasting impact of our program and want to make our program available to as many families as possible, but to do so, we need additional caring and committed coaches. Consider joining our team as a volunteer coach, please click here to get started or contact our Program Director, Chris Moreno-Hunt.

Curriculum Core Lesson Clip

During the County shelter-in-place order our staff created short core lesson videos for participants and families and instructional training videos for our coaches. The core lesson videos are intended to be a guide for families to reinforce our core life lessons in your everyday lives.

Last month we highlighted a Par and PLAYer video and this month we are featuring a Birdie video. Coach Chris shares the importance of building and using a Goal Ladders to achieve large goals in everyday life and in the game of golf. Our goal is to teach without lecturing, and help students learn by doing and reflecting.

Please watch the videos below for a sample of the many curriculum videos available to participants and their families that are active in our program. Learn more about our Youth Classes and exposing your family to our positive youth development curriculum.