The First Tee

The First Tee is a charitable organization in the United States whose aim is bettering the lives of children through the game of golf and the values that are required to play it.

History

Through research it was determined that the primary reason more children, and especially economically disadvantaged children, did not play golf was because of the lack of places that welcomed them, places they could physically get to, and places that they could afford. The World Golf Foundation created The First Tee in November of 1997 in Nashville, Tennessee as a way to bring golf to youngsters that otherwise would not be exposed to the game and its positive values.

The World Golf Foundation also played an important role in garnering the support of golf's major organizations to grow and promote The First Tee. The program is overseen and has the active support of a committee with members representing the Ladies Professional Golf Association, PGA of America, PGA Tour, United States Golf Association and the Augusta National Golf Club. In addition, former President George Bush serves as Honorary Chairman.

Along with establishing an initial goal of having 100 golf-learning facilities in some form of development by the end of the year 2000, The First Tee realized that there existed a larger opportunity than just teaching the game of golf. The primary objectives began to evolve around providing young people of all backgrounds an opportunity to develop, through golf and character education, life-enhancing values such as honesty, integrity and sportsmanship. This immediately led to the development of The First Tee Life Skills Experience.

Now and the Future

The First Tee Life Skills Experience was formulated with the help of academic, coaching and golf experts. Although there are many sports that teach valuable lessons, The First Tee is unique in that it proactively teaches these lessons for life as part of the basic instruction program. A child cannot participate in The First Tee and opt out of the life skills instruction and learning because these lessons are seamlessly integrated into the physical instruction.

Currently The First Tee has:

* 202 Chapters
* 259 Facilities
* 800 Affiliates
* Locations in 48 states and 5 other countries
* Over 1.5 million Participants

The First Tee's business objectives for its Phase III of development over the next five years (2006-2010) are:

* Introduce golf and The First Tee Nine Core Values to 3.5 million young people
* Deliver a consistent Life Skills Experience at each facility
* Grow The First Tee National School Program to 140 communities across the country
* Establish a Chapter in the 50 states and have operations in 90% of the top 100 markets

Mission Statement

To impact the lives of young people by providing learning facilities and educational programs that promote character development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf.

First Tee in Other Countries

The First Tee is not only in the United States, it has also started in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Ireland and Singapore. It is currently in 14 locations around New Zealand. [cite web|url=http://www.thefirstteenz.org.nz|title=First Tee New Zealand Website|accessdate=2007-06-16]

References

External links

* [http://www.thefirsttee.org Official Website]
* [http://walmartstores.com/GlobalWMStoresWeb/navigate.do?catg=577&contId=6085 Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Involvement]
* [http://www.thefirstteenz.org.nz Official Website New Zealand]