Category: Uncategorized

Introducing our 2023 Club Champions!

Boys Champion: Colin Price

Girls Champion: Samantha Gibbs

In honor of First Tee and the USGA’s 25-year partnership, the USGA shows it’s continued investment in the First Tee by awarding IDEA grants to chapters across America – including First Tee – Fort Worth! We are honored to be named 1 of only 25 chapters to receive this grant to help break-down barriers and improve Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility to the game of golf and our character building programs! Read the full article at the link below for a deeper dive into this amazing opportunity!

Our next Girls Golf event is coming up on Saturday, Nov. 12th from 10:30AM-12:00PM at our Squaw Creek Program Location!

We’re grateful for our time with friends and family – so let’s celebrate with a little bit of fun! We’ll have a variety of Thanksgiving themed activities to get us in the thankful spirit!

Download the Girls Golf app, find our chapter and register for our next event!

The Junior Advisory Committee is hosting the next First Teens event at the Ben Hogan Learning Center at Squaw Creek Golf Course with a spooky twist!

Join us on Saturday, October 28 from 6PM-8PM for some glow golf, Top Tracer long drive challenge, Halloween costume contest and delicious eats and treats! This event is free to our teens age 13-18 who have been active in First Tee within the last 12 months. Register at the link below!

First Tee staff will be in attendance at all times as chaperones for the event. Any additional chaperones or volunteers must be an approved volunteer with First Tee – Fort Worth. Please contact Samantha Pogue if you are interested in becoming an approved volunteer.

All participants should be mindful of the First Tee Code of Conduct when selecting a costume. Please refrain from any costumes that could be considered offensive or inappropriate.

Location: Ben Hogan Learning Center at Squaw Creek Golf Course (1605 Ranch House Rd, Willow Park, TX 76087)

RSVP here or on the JAC page!

As a youth development organization, our goal is to provide our kids and teens the tools they need to be successful in life. In a full circle moment, our hope is that those same kids and teens will one day bring their children back to the organization that provided them countless opportunities to grow. One family at our Benbrook location has done just that!

First Tee – Fort Worth was founded first as the Lindy Miller Foundation before becoming First Tee – Fort Worth in 2004. From the beginning we have conducted classes with our small staff of coaches and our dedicated volunteers. The Driggers family patriarch, affectionately referred to as Granddaddy Driggers, was one of our pioneering volunteers, and so began what would become a family affair.

“Years ago we quickly realized what a blessing the First Tee program would be for our kids and for many others!  The formula was compelling:  solid and organized golf instruction, helpful short game drills, golf etiquette taught by a winsome staff; and embedded in the curriculum is an emphasis on character!  

And here we are years later, and my children’s children are having fun learning about golf with First Tee!  We have 16 grandchildren under 12 (and 2 more on the way) and 8 of the 16 are in First Tee.  It’s a wholesome intro to golf and life!

Monte and his staff are just outstanding!  It has been a pleasure to see him helping the kids and have a good time doing it!”

Granddaddy Driggers

Leah, Faith, Mark, Adam, and Noah Driggers all participated in the First Tee program as kids and teens in it’s early days. While the program looked a bit different than it does now, at it’s core, our mission has always been the same: providing youth with the life skills needed to be successful in life through the game of golf.

They have all grown up to lead wonderful lives and now have kids of their own! The Driggers, Burke, Carroll and Spina clan actively participate in classes and camps with First Tee – Fort Worth year-round. With their clan consisting of 10 kids involved in the program (and a few more on the way), we’re excited to see the growth of each of these kiddos in this expanding family tree!

Granddaddy Driggers attributes several things to the success of the program including a “guide, not push” teaching method, a learning atmosphere that is fun instead of intense, communication at the kids level, focusing on their successes rather than correcting every miss hit, and encouragement!

First Tee – Fort Worth continues to strive to create more experiences like these and we hope that down the road, we’ll have more stories just like the Driggers!

See the clan in action!

Classes start the week of September 10!

See offerings and register for classes at the button below on August 1.

South Bend, Indiana and Fort Worth, Texas – (June 27, 2022)

Madison Le, Aspen Hopper, Braylon Mahanay, and Colin Price of First Tee – Fort Worth will compete this week in the First Tee
National Championship at the University of Notre Dame’s Warren Golf Course, June 27 – July 1.

The 54-hole event brings together First Tee’s elite golfers for an opportunity to showcase how the program has helped build the strength of character needed to play at the collegiate or next level. The field includes 24 boys and 24 girls, ages 14-18, who were selected based on their golf skills and competitive golf experience. Each of our selected teens have been long time participants
with successful high school golf careers. This will be Colin, Braylon, and Aspen’s first time competing in the First Tee National Championship while Madison will be returning for her second year of competition in the event.

“Congratulations to each of the participants in the field,” said Greg McLaughlin, First Tee CEO. “We look forward to hosting them at Notre Dame’s Warren Golf Course, a tremendous venue that provides our participants the opportunity to explore what their future may look like as they consider college and potential plans to pursue competitive golf beyond high school. A special thanks to our long-time Trustee Fred Tattersall for his commitment to our mission and for providing meaningful national opportunities like the First Tee National Championship.”

The winners of each girls’ and boys’ divisions will be awarded with the Tattersall Cup and will earn an exemption, if eligible, into the PGA TOUR Champions’ PURE Insurance Championship Impacting First Tee held at Pebble Beach Golf Links September 20-25, 2022. Our four participants will compete against top players from across the country. Four players in the field are ranked on the American Junior Golf Association and Junior Golf Scoreboard Top 250 (players listed below).

During the week, participants will have the opportunity to hear from PGA Head Golf Professional Steve Scott on what it means to be a game-changer and how his values intersected with his experience of finishing runner-up to Tiger Woods in the 1996 U.S. Amateur Championship.

First Tee National Championship is held annually at various college campuses around the nation, providing First Tee participants the opportunity to network with others from across the country and take in the college experience. The Championship is one of more than 10 national opportunities provided by First Tee headquarters to empower and motivate teens as they progress through the program and toward higher education opportunities. For more information on the tournament and First Tee, visit www.firsttee.org.

Top-ranked junior golfers in the field:
Hunter Swanson, First Tee — Green Valley Ranch:
o Finished tied for 2nd in the AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior at Walnut Creek Golf Preserve, Westminster, CO., Jun 6-9, 2022
o Competed in the 2021 U.S. Junior Amateur at The Country Club of North Carolina, July 19-24, 2021
o Ranked 90th on AJGA / 93rd on JGS
o Letter of intent: University of Colorado

Sophie Thai, First Tee — Silicon Valley:
o Won the AJGA Se Ri Pak Desert Junior in Rancho at Mission Hills Country Club, Mirage, Calif, June 14-17
o Ranked 196 on AJGA / 135 on JGS
o Letter of intent: Dartmouth College

Hannah Lydic, First Tee — Delaware:
o Ranked 210 on AJGA / 181 on JGS
o Verbal intent: University of Richmond

Symran Shah, First Tee — Greater Dallas:
o Inaugural Winner of 2021 First Tee National Championship Girls Division held at Clemson University
o Ranked 246 on AJGA / 178 on JGS
o Letter of intent: Virginia Tech

In addition, Matthew French from First Tee — North Florida recently qualified for the 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur at Brandon Dunes Golf Resort, Brandon, Ore. July 25-30.

Good luck to Madison, Braylon, Colin and Aspen in this week’s competition!

Girls Championship: July 11-14

Boys Championship: July 18-21

*Please note that some divisions will play only 2-days and players must qualify based on play to compete all 4-days*

Each year, the Fort Worth Junior Golf Association conducts a FREE golf tournament for young golfers who reside in the service areas of First Tee – Fort Worth: all of Tarrant, Johnson, Hood, and Parker counties, and the portion of the City of Fort Worth that lies within Denton County.

This has been a tradition dating back more than 75 years that is made possible through the generous donation of courses from the City of Fort Worth and local golf clubs such as Mira Vista Country Club, Ridglea Country Club, Squaw Creek Golf Course, and Colonial Country Club! All participants in the tournament are guaranteed to play at least two-days (weather permitting) and our Division I participants will receive the opportunity to play up to four days at some of the most prestigious courses in the area, including a final round at Colonial Country Club for those who qualify!

This tournament is open to all players age 7-18.

Please read through all division descriptions and sign up at the NEW WEBSITE: fwjga.us

Fort Worth, TX – Kevin Long, First Tee – Fort Worth’s first and only Executive Director, is stepping down from that position but will remain with the organization through 2023. Long came to First Tee – Fort Worth in 2006 from Fort Worth Country Day School where he had served as Athletic Director for the previous four years. Prior to that position Long spent 25 years as a teacher, coach, and administrator in private secondary schools.

First Tee – Fort Worth has grown exponentially under Long’s leadership from a few hundred participants to 48,000 annually through its various delivery channels. The chapter’s first programming site was a field at the east end of Rockwood Park. Today First Tee operates at eight programming sites in the area and has built two Ben Hogan Learning Centers, one at Rockwood GC that is First Tee’s primary location and another at Squaw Creek GC in Parker County. First Tee’s location at Briscoe Elementary School in southeast Fort Worth was the only site nationally on a school-owned property when it opened.

“While we are sorry to lose Kevin as our Executive Director, we are delighted that he will remain a part of our chapter as a consultant,” said Graham Marshall, Chair of First Tee – Fort Worth’s board of directors. “Kevin has built our chapter into one of the premier chapters in the First Tee Network, and we are forever indebted to him for his dedication, hard work, and passion for our mission, participants, and families,” stated Marshall.

Long will remain as Executive Director until a replacement is named. Long has accepted a position as Head Men’s Golf Coach at Texas Wesleyan University, returning to his first love of coaching and working with young people on a team.

“It has been a privilege to lead First Tee – Fort Worth over the past 16 years making a positive impact on young people with our character education and life skills development program through the game of golf. Thanks to everyone involved with our chapter for their dedication and commitment. I look forward to being a part of continued growth and impact and to supporting the new leadership,” said Long. “The opportunity to head up the storied Men’s Golf Program at Texas Wesleyan is another unique and exciting professional opportunity, and I look forward to continuing the culture of success with the young men in our program, both on and off the golf course.”

The week of the Charles Schwab Challenge is one of the biggest weeks for First Tee – Fort Worth! With one of the closest relationships on the PGA Tour, our chapter’s access provides our participants a rare opportunity to get inside the ropes with PGA Tour pros!

Our Caddie Day experiences on the Monday and Wednesday Pro-Ams give participants in our chapter the opportunity to “caddie” for a pro on hole #4 or #13. Participants meet their pro on the tee box and get the chance to ask questions and accompany their pro as they play the hole. This year we saw some amazing interactions including pros letting their First Tee caddies hit shots from the tee, sink some putts, and even carry the bag!

One highlight in particular, found one participant, Naomi Phan, showing off her skills on Hole #4. A female amateur in the group gave Naomi, 12, her driver to hit off of #4 tee box, a par 3. With an unfamiliar club, Naomi knocked her shot on the green, pin high! Naomi’s group was so impressed that they invited her not only to finish out the hole with them, but also walk with them on the next hole. To top if off, her group actually offered to fit her with a driver of her own! Wow! Needless to say, Naomi made a big impression and her group will be interested in following her golf career as she grows! Congrats, Naomi!!

New to this year, Colonial added a new flare to the Wednesday Pro-Am on Hole #13 with free-style rapper, Kelly James! While the rapper had fans and players alike laughing and smiling, one participant got the opportunity to free-style herself! Fernanda, a Diamond Hill High School student who started with First Tee this past year, was given the chance to show off her free-style skills and perform during PGA Tour professional Doc Redman’s visit to Hole #13! Check out her performance here!

We’re happy to be back in full swing, including bringing back our on-course reporters! This year we have Victoria Farkas and Connor Myrick on course getting unique stories from the tournament! See Victoria’s unique experience as a caddie for one of Charles Schwab’s VPs in her article here!

Stay tuned for more exciting news as the Charles Schwab Challenge continues through the weekend!

Experiences are our greatest teachers. They shape how we treat others, how we see the world around us, and how we view ourselves. How we view ourselves is also known as our self identity and is defined as the qualities and potential you possess. It can influence the choices you make, the attitude you have day-to-day, and ultimately, it becomes your inner voice. For youth especially, a positive self identity can have a massive impact on who they become as adults. There are many ways parents can help their kids develop a positive self identity, and at First Tee we pride ourselves in nurturing a positive self identity for youth. Here are three ways you can help your kids develop a positive self identity inspired by our core values. 

Live Your Values

Kids watch and learn from the adults in their lives every day. Studying their actions and responses, they develop their identity based on their guardians and the other mentors in their life. If you live according to the values you want your kids to have, then they are more likely to absorb that into their own independent lives. That being said, having a mentor is a great way to ensure this happens. At First Tee,youth learn from their coaches by:

• Treating others with respect and honesty 
• Experiencing the value of teamwork, not just by being told to act as a team but by witnessing their coach lead with teamwork. 
• Watching their coaches exercise positive self talk and kindness to others around them brings out the best in themselves and their self identity.  

Create a Culture of Acceptance

When there is no room for failure there is no room for growth. Fostering an environment that is not only safe for kids to fail but encourages them to try again, helps kids develop a strong sense of self. Acceptance also transcends just failure; it also means that every person, regardless of their background, is welcome. We work together to actively create a space of belonging for every kid— no matter what walk of life. Through example we encourage youth to accept their team members for who they are, treat each other with kindness, and create that culture of acceptance everywhere, so that when they reflect on themselves and their own identity they treat themselves with the same level of respect and positivity that they give others.

Empowerment Through Experiences

For kids, experiences shape their inner voice that gives them confidence and character. Not all experiences in life are easy, and when we empower youth to persevere and stay true to themselves, we bring out the best that’s inside of them. First Tee exists to enable kids to build the strength of character that empowers them through a lifetime of new challenges. As time goes on, that empowerment creates a strong sense of self, and encourages a positive self identity even in difficult situations. 

Though a positive self identity may seem like something only some people are born with, it is really something that can be cultivated through leading by example, an open culture of acceptance, and consistent empowerment through all experiences. What do you want your child’s inner voice to sound like when they grow up? Nurturing their self identity can make all the difference in that. We guide kids and teens to strengthen what’s inside and put it into action. If you are interested in getting your child involved with First Tee, you can learn more and sign up today!