Category: Newsletter

CordeValle Youth Golf Foundation Grant Award

The First Tee of Silicon Valley was the recipient of a generous $7,000 grant from CordeValle Youth Golf Foundation to underwrite the cost of golf hats for all new participants in 2020. All participants are provided The First Tee of Silicon Valley logoed hats at no charge to wear as part of their class uniform. This is a terrific way to reinforce the importance of proper etiquette, to build community, and to publicize our program. The non-profit CordeValle Youth Golf Foundation was founded in 2004. The foundation’s mission is to expand access to the sport of golf for children of all income levels by directly supporting successful youth golf programs throughout the Santa Clara County. The goal is to provide youth with the opportunity to learn the sport, receive lessons and equipment, practice, compete, and build positive life skills. The Foundation annually awards approximately $100,000 in grants to deserving programs. The foundation is funded through a $50,000 annual contribution from CordeValle Golf Club and raises an additional $50,000 per year through CordeValle’s public charity tournaments. The CordeValle Youth Golf Foundation and The First Tee of Silicon Valley are equally committed to expanding opportunities for youth of all income levels to have access to the sport of golf. Through the discipline and challenge of golf, youth in the Santa Clara County are provided a community with a safe environment and positive life alternatives that build confidence and character, ultimately helping them succeed in our community and in life. CordeValle has been the location for the annual TFTSV Invitational since 2005.

Become a TFTSV Coach

TFTSV is looking for dedicated coaches interested in helping mentor youth in our programs. Coaches must have a positive approach and a drive to make a difference in the lives of program participants. This is a great opportunity to meet and work together with like-minded coaches, positively impact youth through golf, and give back to your community. Training is provided. Volunteer and paid-instructor positions available. Please visit: https://www.firstteesiliconvalley.org/ways-to-give/volunteer/

TFTSV 2020 Spring Registration

Registration for our 2020 Spring classes opened Wednesday, January 8th for all new participants 2nd grade and up, and will open on February 12th for returning participants. Classes are held once a week (same day each week) over a 9-week period (no class 4/7 – 4/11). Each class participants are learning a golf fundamental and a core life lesson through engaging games and activities. Come join our program and experience a fun, safe, and friendly learning environment. For more information please visit: https://www.firstteesiliconvalley.org/programs/classes/

TFTSV Partners with Latinx Golf!

2019 marked the beginning of a partnership between TFTSV and Latinx Golf. On Saturday, October 12th, TFTSV provided a golf clinic to over 50 Latinx participants at Notre Dame High School in San Jose. Latinx Golf Founder and Executive Director, Alexia Gutierrez, leads a year-long tutoring program of over 120 students. Every Saturday their students come from various schools in San Jose to participate in STEM and homework tutoring with the help of over 52 high school and college tutors. TFTSV set up a golf station in the high school field and where two groups of 20 children, age 7 to 13, participated in our golf games and practiced courtesy with each other. At the conclusion of the games, TFTSV, with the help of the Latinx Golf staff met with parents and signed up students for our Winter Season at Rancho Del Pueblo Golf Course. Of the participants who signed up, 100% qualified for our full financial assistance. Our partnership with Latinx Golf represents an aligned goal of exposing participants to the game of golf and its intrinsic core values. TFTSV Program Director, Chris Moreno-Hunt, said “we are excited and grateful to be partners with Latinx Golf and help serve their group of participants whom they have supported and developed over the years. TFTSV is committed to collaborate with driven community partners like Latinx Golf with the intention of building a sustainable pathway for students to access golf and golf facilities.”

Participant Spotlight

Meet Nancy Rivera, a standout sophomore at University Preparatory Academy in San Jose. Nancy began our program in 2017 and now is taking Ace level classes (our top level) on Saturdays at Rancho Del Pueblo Golf Course. Nancy has been a very active participant in our program. In addition to enrolling in our certifying classes, she has taken STEM classes, participated in our Girls Golf Program, and played in our offseason tournaments. Most recently she assisted at the PGA Tour Superstore in East Palo Alto by volunteering her time to wrap holiday gifts with our TFTSV staff. She played in our first annual TFTSV vs TFTSF golf match at Baylands Golf Course, where we will hold our TFTSV Classic (golf tournament) on Monday, April 6th. Throughout her participation in our program, Nancy has demonstrated hard work, perseverance, and a dedication to improve. She is respectful to her peers and to her coaches and always takes the time to meet and greet those around her. We are proud to have her in our program and look forward to her bright future.

TFTSV Receives Olympic Club Foundation Grant

The First Tee of Silicon Valley received a generous $11,500 grant to purchase 75 sets of golf clubs for our under-served participants in our financial aid program. OCF supports and encourages Bay Area youth to participate in amateur athletics. Their mission is to financially support programs, which share their belief that participation in organized athletics enriches young lives and develops future community leaders. 34% of our participants receive significant financial assistance, meaning they paid $20-$40 for 8 weeks of life-skills and golf classes. The First Tee of Silicon Valley wants to make sure that the low-income youth we serve feel welcome to the game of golf and never feel like outsiders, ill-equipped to participate in our programs or play at any golf course. Participants are encouraged to get a Youth on Course membership, which we subsidize, making access to courses affordable. The missing link for low-income participants is having high quality equipment that they are proud to use on course and that gives them a sense of belonging to the game. The OCF grant will allow us to provide necessary clubs and bags to motivated and deserving participants over the next year. Thank you OCF for helping us provide affordable access to all youth!

Cisco’s Team Orion Supports TFTSV

On November 21st, The First Tee of Silicon Valley through the efforts of Board Director, John Ritchie, was invited to be the philanthropy partner for Cisco’s Supply Chain Team Orion off-site event at the Santa Clara Marriott. Through their wonderful giving-matching program, Cisco approved The First Tee of Silicon Valley as a beneficiary and their employees generously donated to help further our mission of transforming the lives of under-served youth in our community. During the event, 100 employees heard from two of the young adults who have participated in and benefitted from the First Tee Program here in Silicon Valley.  Andres Herrera has been a participant since 2013. He is currently a Junior Volunteer Coach and a Senior at Santa Teresa HS. Gabby Ruiz has been a participant since 2009. She is currently a Mentor/Instructor and a Junior at Mission College.  The employees were able to witness through their speeches the extraordinary impact the program has had on the character, education and career trajectories. Then the fun began when employees divided into teams to compete in the horse race putting challenge. First Tee staff transformed the room into a putting range of 10 stalls where employees tested their ability to roll a golf ball into one of the point zones to advance their “horse” to the finish line. The winning teams were Illegal Advantage and Silver Streak. In addition to matching donations, TFTSV held a raffle at the event. Lynette Dawson was the winner of a foursome of golf at the amazing Rosewood CordeValle in San Martin, CA. It was a great afternoon with Team Orion who embraced our non-profit and generously contributed to under-writing our financial aid program. A special thanks John Ritchie, Lori Osterback, Kristin Weber, and Christina Garcia.

Meet TFTSV New Board Members

The First Tee of Silicon Valley recently added two new Directors to our Board. Board Directors vote, provide planning, performance, legal and financial oversight and raise sufficient funds to ensure TFTSV’s success. Merry Ayres is a Director, HR Business Partner at Vevo where she has worked since 2017. Merry has recruiting experience in the Tech and Media sectors since 2006. View Merry’s LinkedIn Profile for more background info https://www.linkedin.com/in/merry-ayres-289a562/  She lives in Almaden and is a member at San Jose Country Club. Merry loves the fact the TFTSV is giving the opportunity of golf to those that can’t afford it. She believes we need to break down the old school stereotypes and barriers that still exist. She shared that she played tennis growing up because it was free and she wants kids to have the opportunity to play golf that she didn’t have. Doug Moffat has been the Executive VP, Regional President at Pinnacle Bank since 2018 charged with leading their expansion.  He was the Sr VP with Pinnacle in Morgan Hill since 2008. View Doug’s LinkedIn Profile for more background info https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-moffat-757718/  Doug lives in Willow Glen and is a member at Boulder Ridge Golf Club. Doug believes in community involvement. He really relates from his personal experience how the rules of golf teach life skills. In addition to three new Directors, The First Tee of Silicon Valley added two new Ambassadors. Board Ambassadors give advice, assist with projects, represent the organization in the community at events, help raise funds, and expand TFTSV’s network throughout Silicon Valley and beyond. Dick Budelli has extensive experience in the Electrical Industry. He recently retired from Buckles-Smith Electric where he was an Account Manager since 2014 and previously from 1992-2006. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dick-budelli-89345832/  View Dick’s LinkedIn Profile for more background info. He lives in Los Altos and is a member at La Rinconada Country Club.  Dick has participated in TFTSV’s Open Golf Tournament and was impressed by the participants who shared the impact the program had on them to become better students, golfers and citizens. Nick Desatnick has been a Google Associate in Global Strategy and Operations since 2018. He earned a BA degree from Dartmouth College in 2015. View Nick’s LinkedIn Profile for more background info https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickdesatnick/  Nick has been a TFTSV Volunteer Coach for a year and he likes how we teach participants to be good people. He believes in integrating into the community and giving back. Nick grew up playing golf with family and is a member of the Google Golf Club. Click here to meet all our Board Members. Contact Judy Dixon if you have interest in learning more about a volunteer Board Director or Ambassador opportunities.

Winter STEM Mentor/Junior Tournament

On November 16th, The First Tee of Silicon Valley hosted its annual Mentor/Junior Seasonal Tournament at Rancho Del Pueblo.  In this special event, our young players received a chance to play with one of our very own mentors or board members or a member of the Stanford Men’s Golf Team.  Each group had a chance to speak with the Stanford team and pick their brain about golf techniques. There were three STEM stations throughout the tournament where the students were able to learn more about how science, technology, engineering, and math are used to develop and improve golf techniques.  Hosted by Coach Chris Moreno-Hunt, Pranav Vadali, and Jeffy Chang, the participants and mentors were given an introduction to the topics of Newton’s second law, conservation of energy, and topography. Twenty participants were paired with a mentor in a 9-hole alternate shot format.  Congratulations to all of our participants for competing with honesty, integrity, and sportsmanship. The Mentor/Junior Tournament is a valuable event for our students to have a chance to bond with our mentors as well as interact with the Stanford Men’s Golf Team.  It’s a special moment where our participants are allowed to share a meal, engage in conversation, and golf with mentors outside of our normal class setting. Special thanks to our STEM crew, mentors, and the Stanford Men’s Golf Team.  Thank you for taking time out of your holiday schedule to create special memories with our participants! These seasonal tournaments are held in week 2 of the pre-season. The dates for 2020 are:February 29th, May 30th, August 22nd, and November 14th.  Registration opens up 3 weeks prior.

Winter Training Focuses on the “Why”

On Saturday November 23rd, 10 TFTSV Instructors and 19 Mentors attended the Winter Season Training at Rancho Del Pueblo Golf Course. TFTSV instructors & mentors meet once before every season to engage in our coaching philosophy, policies, and best practices. For our most recent training our Instructors and mentors explored the “why” of our organization – why The First Tee of Silicon Valley exists and why we coach what we do. From there, our instructors and mentors explored the “how” which included building relationships, creating a community of inclusion and teamwork, and setting an engaging learning environment for our participants. 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. Consider volunteering for the Spring Season from March 10th  to May 9th, 2020. Click here to learn more.

Pre-Winter Golf Introduction Class

On Saturday, November 9th, The First Tee of Silicon Valley hosted a free golf introduction class at Rancho Del Pueblo Golf Course for students interested in trying out golf and learning about TFTSV classes. Students experienced Integrity through two of our golf games and worked on their Golf Fundamentals. According to our Program Director, Chris Moreno-Hunt, “The golf introduction classes are usually the participant’s first exposure to the game of golf so it is important to provide a fun, safe, and engaging experience. We hope these classes spark an interest in the game and encourage them to enroll in our 8-week program and progress through our 5 class levels which consist of 27 life skill lessons.” TFTSV hosts four golf introduction classes, one before each 8-week season.  Our next golf introduction class will take place on Saturday, February 22nd at Rancho Del Pueblo from 10am to 12pm. For more information on our golf introduction classes call 408-508-4884.

2019 Girls Golf “Mixed-Up” Sports Competition

On November 16th, The First Tee of Silicon Valley hosted The Girls Golf “Mixed Up” Sports Competition.  With 12 Girls Golf members registered, the participants played nine holes of golf with a twist.  Each hole was designed to use equipment from other sports to play out the hole within the rules of golf.  The girls were introduced to foot golf, archery golf, frisbee golf, tennis golf, and lacrosse golf.  Within the group, archery golf was by far the most popular. “Archery golf gave me my first birdie!!!” – Jennifer, a Girls Golf member. Each group member was tasked with keeping track of another player’s score.  It was great to see the girls helping each other out with aim and alignment despite being in a competition with each other. The day concluded with prizes, trivia, and brunch provided by Rancho Del Pueblo Golf Course. Girls Golf Play Days are beneficial events where our female participants enjoy an all-female day with friends and a supportive group of coaches and volunteers.  For many, the Mixed-Up Sports Competition was their first exposure to a tournament setting in golf.  With the help of sports equipment from other sports, the girls were able to learn tournament play in a pressure free setting. Congratulations to our girls for playing with integrity and perseverance! Girl’s Golf dates are set for 2020: February 29th, May 30th, August 22nd, and November 14th.  Registration opens up 3 weeks prior.