Five First Tee – Silicon Valley (FTSV) active Ace high school participants will get the opportunity to take part in the second annual First Tee Leadership Series in partnership with PGA TOUR Superstore. The Leadership Series is an engaging and empowering five-week series designed to provide teens the opportunity to (1) build relationships with local PGATSS leadership, (2) uncover their leadership values and strengths, (3) identify potential careers based on those findings, and (4) develop goals on how to attain their desired career path.
Facilitated by PGA TOUR Superstore General Managers, the Leadership Series will create a pathway for participating teens by providing additional mentors for them to consult with regarding future school and career options. First Tee teens who complete the five-week leadership series will be eligible to apply for the First Tee Leadership Summit at West Creek Ranch in Montana in the summer.
This year, 31 First Tee chapters will be participating in the First Tee Leadership Series. Last year 2 of our participants were selected for their work at the Leadership Series to attend the Leadership Summit in Montana. Click here for the video recap.
East Palo Alto PGA TOUR Superstore General Manager, Justin Secrest, will be leading the series of classes for both the Silicon Valley and San Francisco First Tee chapters.
To be eligible for national opportunities like the Leadership Summit one must be an active Ace participant, which is the top level of our program. For more information on our national, regional, and local participant opportunities. Please visit our youth opportunity page.
What does it look like to be a leader with others and in your community? Over the course of taking our 5 class levels, participants build the pillars for effective leadership. From developing confidence, embodying integrity, to learning active listening and collaborative communication skills, to using conflict resolution skills, and engaging in decision making techniques, our participants experience the different skills necessary to be an effective leader. Additionally, they are participating in group play, games, and discussions where they can hone these skills.
We want our participants to be of good character and understand that leadership is not about telling people what to do, but working together to make good decisions and empowering each other.
We are excited to present another season this Spring where our participants learn leadership skills while having fun and playing games.
Registration for the Spring season opens Wednesday, February 9th. The actual season will start March 15th and will end May 7th.The classes will take place at Baylands Golf Links in Palo Alto, Rancho Del Pueblo Golf Course in San Jose, and Gavilan Golf Course in Gilroy. We encourage youth 2nd grade and above to join our program and help spread the word. For more information on our programs please visit https://www.firstteesiliconvalley.org/. and click here for the Spring schedule. To register please click here
Meet Coach Tracy. She joined First Tee – Silicon Valley as a volunteer in 2019 and has made a positive impact on her participants and on our organization.
Tracy played golf at ASU and has a passion for giving back. “First Tee – Silicon Valley means that I can share my lifelong passion for golf with the upcoming generation of golfers,” says Tracy. “And while it’s great to see their golf skills improve over the season, it’s even more rewarding to help them learn and apply the life skills in their daily lives.”
Tracy has coached every season since she started, but her contributions go beyond her commitment. She, along with fellow volunteer Mark Diamond, worked with our staff to create an additional resource in the volunteer training process. In her most recent season, she came up with a new activity that helped her participants internalize and engage with the core lessons for the season.
“Tracy is meticulous about mastering her volunteer responsibilities and requirements, and also goes above and beyond by identifying creative ideas that enhance our lesson plans and the experience of her participants,” says Program Director, Chris Moreno-Hunt. “She is an outstanding volunteer who is knowledgeable, collaborates well with her team of coaches, and cares about the development of her participants. We are grateful to have her coaching and our organization is better off with her on the team.”
We are looking for additional coaches like Tracy. If you are interested in making a positive difference, being part of a supportive community, and building your coaching and leadership skills, please apply to join our team.
Click here for our volunteer tri-fold for more information
We are accepting volunteers year-round, but to be able to coach in the next season you will need to complete the on-boarding steps by 2/15 for Spring, and 5/15 for Summer, 8/15 for Fall, and 11/15 for Winter
Alexandra Varo is a Birdie participant at First Tee – Silicon Valley. She joined our program as a volunteer coach and as a participant, new to the game and to our program. However, from the very beginning she studied our curriculum, coaching strategies, and routinely met with our staff after class to better learn her expectations, and understand what she needed in order to advance in our program.
“Alexandra works incredibly hard and shows a deep interest in not just the game of golf, but the life skills and mentoring opportunities at First Tee – Silicon Valley,” says her Coach and Program Coordinator, Robby Keith. “She consistently stays after class to ask questions about the game of golf and strategies for how to improve as a Junior Coach as well. I look forward to seeing how she continues to develop in the program, and how she can give back to her community.”
Asking for help and asking open-ended questions are life core lessons in First Tee and are examples of a strong leader. They are skills that are difficult for many teenagers to fully embrace, but not Alexandra.
“I enjoy volunteering as well as participating in First Tee because it provides an environment where I am able to learn more about myself, learn important life lessons through golf, and gain confidence in myself,” says Alexandra. “Throughout the golf seasons, I have learned how to become a better leader and I enjoy assisting in classes to contribute to a positive and fun environment for participants. I look forward to continuing in First Tee as a participant and a volunteer.”
In addition to excelling in our program she enjoys playing soccer and is currently on her basketball team at school. She is also part of her school’s Latinx club and participates in cultural events supporting her community.
We are proud of her initiative and drive to be successful as well as her willingness to challenge herself outside her comfort zone. She is a natural leader and an outstanding example for First Tee participants.
To join our program as a participant please visit our Youth Classes page. To register for our upcoming spring session please click here as registration opens 2/9 at 10am.
To join Alexandra as a volunteer coach please see the information below.
Click here for our volunteer tri-fold for more information
We are accepting volunteers year-round, but to be able to coach in the next season you will need to complete the on-boarding steps by 2/15 for Spring, and 5/15 for Summer, 8/15 for Fall, and 11/15 for Winter
First Tee – Silicon Valley is excited to announce the 10th Annual Open Scramble Golf Tournament on Friday, June 10th at Cinnabar Hills Golf Club. Registration for foursomes, twosomes and sponsors is available now. The Open is our largest fundraiser tournament so we are pleased to resume a full-scale shotgun tournament with a dinner awards program including raffles and an auction.
Gather your clients, co-workers and friends for a great day of golf and camaraderie for a great cause. Proceeds will help us impact the lives of youth by providing educational programs that build character and instill life-enhancing values through the game of golf. We believe that all kids deserve the chance to grow in a supportive environment with mentors guiding them. We are dedicated to building programs that are accessible, welcoming and as impactful as they are fun.
$20,000 Presenting Sponsor (Registration/Dinner) – co-branded logo on website, social posts, newsletters, flyers, signage; full page ad in program plus 3 foursomes
$10,000 Hosting Sponsor (choice of Lunch, Snacks, Beverage) signage on 3 holes, logo on website, newsletter and program plus 2 foursomes
$5,000 Contributing Sponsor – signage on 2 premium contest holes, program logo plus 1 foursome
$2000 Foursome or $1000 Twosome Sponsor – 18-holes golf, shared cart, boxed lunch, tee prizes, on-course beverages and snacks, dinner and awards program per player
$1500 Hole Sponsor – signage on 1 hole, program listing, and 2 dinner invites
10:00 Registration and Range Open 11:00 Lunch Opens 11:30 Welcome and Announcements 12:00 Shotgun Start 4:30 Reception 5:00 Dinner, Awards, Program 6:30 Closing Remarks
*subject to change based on total number of players and public health restrictions.
First Tee – Silicon Valley’s main golf course class location at Rancho del Pueblo with the capacity to serve over 1,000 youth annually may be impacted by a new lease agreement. The City of San Jose plans to combine Rancho del Pueblo, Los Lagos and San Jose Muni into one 3-course lease beginning January 1st next year (2023). We believe that the City may finish writing the lease agreement as soon as Tuesday, March 22nd when the golf courses are on the City Council agenda.
Rancho has been home to First Tee – Silicon Valley since 2000 first as the Eagles at Rancho Junior Golf Program when the course opened. Originally 18-hole Thunderbird Golf Course, Rancho was built when the Zolezzi family donated the land to the City so that East San Jose residents would always have their own golf course.
FTSV has enjoyed a 21-year collaboration with the Department of Parks & Rec and CourseCo, Rancho’s operator since its opening.
However, while FTSV has been seeking greater access for our programs, we have never been granted enough access to meet the high demand.
FTSV is seeking a new, long-term use agreement and access requirements to be included in the new lease agreement that grant us the access to reach at least 1,500 youth per year on course, building upon our historical impact of serving over 86,000 youth.
We want to help Rancho transform into a “Community Golf Center” to maximize our benefit to the surrounding community. As such, Rancho would become a more welcoming place for East San Jose residents, beginning golfers, and youth.
Stay tuned to our Newsletter and web site Stories for further updates as the process unfolds.
Contact your San Jose City Council Member or the Mayor ASAP if you would like to share your FTSV experience at Rancho or your support for FTSV’s expanded access at Rancho.
Contact George Maxe at [email protected] or 408-288-2937 if you have any questions.
First Tee – Silicon Valley (FTSV) had its highest performing revenue year in 2021, while working hard to rebuild our Class and Community Outreach participants served due to the lasting effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Our non-profit bounced back and we are proud to share we are stronger than ever in respect to fundraising, demand for classes, and volunteerism.
We served 822 unique Class Participants which is 80% of capacity due to access restrictions that only allowed us to return to full golf course access in the Fall and Winter seasons. We were not able to resume our Community Outreach with the schools until the late Fall. FTSV relaunched our program with 6 schools reaching 3,900 youth compared to our last year-round (2019) program at 18 schools reaching over 13,000 youth.
Our youth development program has now positively transformed the lives of 86,056 youth through proven on course and at-school programs since 2005.
FTSV Program Snapshot
Class Participation – 822* unique participants took an average of 2 classes at our golf locations for a total of 1,562 class registrations *reduced by 20% due to Covid
62% at Rancho del Pueblo GC; 25% at Baylands Golf Links; 19% at Gavilan Golf Course
Served 62% Male and 38% Female
Served 26.6% Teens (age 13+) including 20 Ace students at the top level focusing on career exploration, volunteering, and post high school education
Served 45% Asian, 21% Latino, 17% White, 11% Multi-Racial, Black 2% and Other 4%
Provided Financial Aid to 28.36% underserved participant registrants in need by reducing class fee paid from $210 to a sliding scale of $20-$180 — $72,000 total awarded (*34% in 2019…Pre-Covid)
Provided a 4:1 Coach to Participant Ratio due to increased volunteerism
Outreach Participation – 3,900* youth experienced our community outreach program
6 in-school PE programs or after-school locations in San Jose (4), Sunnyvale (1), and Santa Clara (1) *reduced by 10,000 youth served due to Covid
Primarily served Title I Schools with low to moderate (LMI) students
Offered at no cost to schools through underwriting support
Served 45% Female and 55% Male
Served 65% Latino, 11% Asian, 10% White, 5% Multi, 4% Black, and 5% Other
Youth Opportunities – FTSV Teens were selected for various leadership and golf opportunities where many received special recognition through scholarships.
Nancy Rivera represented FTSV at the First Tee Innovators Forum and received a $10,000 College Scholarship
Rachel Truong, Calvin Kong, Sophie Thai, and Borina Sutikto represented FTSV at the 2021 PURE Insurance Championship Impacting the First Tee
Shivani Patel received the FTSV Joyce Taylor Eagle Award and $4,000 College Scholarship
Dimarco Casillas received FTSV Dennis Kettman Memorial $4,000 College Scholarship
Isabella Herrera was chosen for the Youth on Course + TaylorMade DRIVE Club.
Athina Chen, Rachana Ajjarapu, and Kelly Yu were selected to attend the First Tee Game Changers Academy Honoring Joe Louis Barrow
Jonathan Tessmann and Nancy Rivera were selected to attend the First Tee Leadership Summit
Borina Sutikto was selected to the First Tee College Scholarship Program
Borina Sutikto and Sophie Thai competed in the First Tee National Championship
FTSV Youth Impact Metrics
100% of FTSV certifying class participants graduate high school
100% of ACE top-level certifying participants attend college
80% of our participants reported receiving all A’s and B’s
Class Participant Surveys reported the following:
97% Had fun
96% Said Coaches were fun and cared
94% Like golf and improved golf skills
90% Felt included as part of the group
88% Want to continue with FTSV classes
84% Learned new life skills to improve their character
FTSV Volunteerism
100 Total Volunteers
70 Teen Junior Coaches from our program
13 Board Directors and 13 Ambassadors
5,574 total hours donated
Equivalent to $111,480 in-kind labor
Financial Snapshot
FTSV raised $1.6M exceeding the operating budget of $1.2M. The operating budget distribution was approximately 70% for Programs, 6% for Operating (e.g., golf course access), 20% for Fundraising, and 4% for Administration.
First Tee –Silicon Valley recently elected Steve Petersen to our Board of Directors. Steve is passionate about family, golf and helping underprivileged children learn to play golf. He is a California native & was raised in East San Jose and currently resides in Morgan Hill. Steve learned to play golf as a kid in a community without access to a wonderful organization like the First Tee.
Steve has spent his 30+ professional sales career consulting & serving Technology, Software, Healthcare and Financial Services. He graduated from San Jose State and brings valuable experience from Xerox, Gartner, PWC & EY. Steve currently works for Microsoft on the National Health Services Team. Steve is also an entrepreneur and operates his family-owned Micro-Boutique Winery, EmmaLily, Inc. For more info: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-petersen-6190802/
Steve comes to us with high-energy dynamic leadership skills and an incredible “make It happen” attitude! Steve shared, “I am excited to join this incredible organization and dynamic Board of Directors! I am committed to the First Tee SV’s charter of exposing the game of golf by providing positive life lessons to youth in underserved communities.”
FTSV Board Directors vote, provide planning, performance, legal and financial oversight and raise sufficient funds to ensure FTSV’s success. Board Ambassadors give advice, assist with projects, represent the organization in the community at events, help raise funds, and expand FTSV’s network throughout Silicon Valley and beyond. Click here to meet all our Board Members. Contact Judy Dixon if you have interest in learning more about a volunteer Board opportunity.
First Tee – Silicon Valley recently elected Dave Kinser to our Board of Directors. Dave has been playing golf for 58 years and fondly remembers playing as a youth and knows how much golf can provide meaningful experiences. Dave has been a member at Almaden Golf & Country Club since 1990 and served on their board for 6 years. He believes passionately that all kids should have the opportunity to play the game of golf and experience the joy and discipline the game offers.
Dave grew up in Humboldt County and graduated from Humboldt State University before finding his way to Santa Clara County. He brings a multitude of experiences from his executive roles in finance at National Semiconductor and Apple Computer and his roles as VP of Operations for Claris Corp and Intuit. He currently advises private, venture backed companies. For more info: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkinser/
Dave is excited to be able to be part of an organization that is dedicated and passionate in making a positive impact on our local youth through golf. He shared, “The First Tee of Silicon Valley provides a wonderful and compelling opportunity. Providing a meaningful and positive experience for all our youth, through golf, with passion. I am excited to be a part of this incredible organization.”
FTSV Board Directors vote, provide planning, performance, legal and financial oversight and raise sufficient funds to ensure FTSV’s success. Board Ambassadors give advice, assist with projects, represent the organization in the community at events, help raise funds, and expand FTSV’s network throughout Silicon Valley and beyond. Click here to meet all our Board Members. Contact Judy Dixon if you have interest in learning more about a volunteer Board opportunity.
Meet Coach Howie Roth. He joined First Tee – Silicon Valley coaching staff in 2008 and has been one of the staples of the FTSV coaching team.
“It’s been a great privilege for me to have been coaching at the First Tee,” says Coach Howie. “I’ve always enjoyed seeing how much our participants enrich their lives by growing their life skills through our golf activities. And a special highlight for me has been working with coaches that I originally met as students, and observing how effectively they display these skills learned at the First Tee!”
Coach Howie has been a dedicated, impactful, and skilled coach. He has successfully delivered life lessons and mentored hundreds of participants over the years. Additionally, his mentoring of our volunteers has been just as significant. “When I think of First Tee I think of Howie,” says Program Director, Chris Moreno-Hunt. “He embodies our Core Values, shows care to those around him, and makes learning fun. He always strives for better, and that mentality has positively impacted our program and benefited his students. We are grateful to have Coach Howie on our team!”
“Coach Howie has been a regular, reliable instructor for us for over a decade,” says CEO and President, George Maxe. “I’ve always loved that he decided to give back to the community in this way after retirement. I deeply appreciate his dedication to FTSV and our kids.”
Interested in making a positive difference like Coach Howie, developing coaching skills, and working together with other like-minded individuals? Please apply to join our team.
Click here for our volunteer tri-fold for more information
We are accepting volunteers year-round, but to be able to coach in the next season you will need to complete the on-boarding steps by 2/15 for Spring, and 5/15 for Summer, 8/15 for Fall, and 11/15 for Winter
Our history dates back to 2000 when the San Jose Sports Authority created the Eagles at Rancho del Pueblo (Eagles) junior golf program for East San José youth. In 2005, the Eagles became The First Tee of San José, a new chapter within The First Tee network. With 21 years of operation, FTSV now has a group of alumni that participated in our program at any level that are attending college, are young professional and are getting involved in the local community.
FTSV would like to invite our Alumni to join us as a volunteer Board Ambassador! Board Ambassadors give advice, assist with projects, represent the organization in the community at events, help raise funds, and expand FTSV’s network throughout Silicon Valley and beyond. We would love for our Alumni to become Ambassadors. Who would be a better Ambassador than those who have directly experienced our character building classes? Our Alumni know first-hand the impact of the life and golf lessons we teach and how they help build strong character. The Alumni Ambassador group will provide a meaningful network opportunity while allowing you to be part of a group with a similar passion to positively transform youth in throughout Silicon Valley.
Please contact George Maxe at [email protected] or 408-288-2937 if you are interested.
Please save the dates for First Tee – Silicon Valley fundraising events which are designed for our supporters, both individual and corporate. Attending our events are a great way for all individuals to learn more about us while having fun. They also provide a wonderful opportunity for corporations to sponsor our youth programs while entertaining customers. The money raised from these events and our private Invitational in July represent 55% of our fundraising budget which sustains our youth development program.
at Several Silicon Valley golf courses in early December2022
an inclusive and friendly challenge between golf clubs
Registration opens August 1st
Please contact our Development Director, Judy Dixon Deaton at [email protected] or 408-508-4881, for more information about participating in our events or Sponsorships.
