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First Tee – Silicon Valley would like to express our sincere gratitude to our sponsors for a successful second Battle of the Bays held at TopGolf benefiting our Title 1 School Program (Thank you sponsors!). It was an amazing evening with 14 generous sponsors donating $70,000 to help our kids become better versions of themselves while enriching the nearby communities.

A big sponsor thank you goes out to: Huston Family Foundation, Ron and Ann Hallagan, PwC: Sarah Beelaard, Connall Dempsey, & Justin Denworth, Pangenera, LLC – Jeff Burrill, Jeffrey Fisher, EY: Mark Fernandez and Jared Lauber, Andy & Maria Pecota, Nicholas Moore, Almaden Country Club Members, Anaplan – Steve Guerrero, Andera Brenholz.

An additional thank you goes out to FTSV TopGolf Board Committee for securing our sponsors – Chair Sarah Beelaard, Co-Chair Ron Hallagan, DJ Wheeler, and Andrea Brenholz.

We had 140 guests fill the bays of which 40 were coaches and teen participants underwritten by sponsors. Everyone enjoyed an evening of fun golf games, food and camaraderie! The TopGolf Experience bay raffle winner was EY – Mark Fernandez who gets to bring his guests back for another outing. Congratulations to our raffle winners: 49ers tickets – Nicole Arnold, Original Joe’s – Anne Milligan, and TPC Stonebrae – Justin Denworth. 

How TopGolf Sponsors helped

Your investment in our proven youth development program will help us expand our in-school and after-school program to 8 additional Title 1 schools and maintain our current 20 schools. By seamlessly integrating the game of golf with a life skills curriculum, we create active learning experiences that build inner strength, self-confidence, and resilience that kids can carry to everything they do. We enable kids to build the strength of character that empowers them through a lifetime of new challenges. Together, we are transforming youth throughout Silicon Valley and give so many more kids and teens a brighter future.

This month, First Tee – Silicon Valley continued to expand our impact on students within the Mid-Peninsula. One of our more recent partners, The Primary School in East Palo Alto has been the quickest to warmly welcome us onto campus and forge a strong partnership for their students.

Vida Amanat, the Manager of School Programs & Partnerships at The Primary School, says that “The Primary School has been so grateful to partner with First Tee – Silicon Valley and have our students experience golfing for the first time!” As many of their students have never had the opportunity to golf before, Vida mentions that “it was super special when the First Tee – Silicon Valley came out with their big golf clubs, targets, and Joe dressed up as a running target” in the Snag suit.

When asked about the emotional impact of First Tee – Silicon Valley, Vida added that the team’s “energy and encouragement made our students excited to play a new sport and to push themselves to try something new. We saw our students miss the target a few times, but then felt encouraged to keep trying. Thank you, First Tee – Silicon Valley!” With another large-scale event in the works, a field trip being planned, and The Primary School agreeing to become an active school site for our Community Partner Program, our team will have plenty of opportunities to positively impact their students and strengthen their life skills.

PAL (Police Athletics League)

Another group in the Mid-Peninsula continuing to team up with First Tee – Silicon Valley is long-time partner PAL (Police Athletics League) of Redwood City. This past week PAL hosted First Tee – Silicon Valley in an indoor clinic in order to drum up excitement for our upcoming Spring Season and to get kids registered for new experiences and opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have. Our team worked with 2^nd to 4^th graders and introduced them to fun golf games, all while having the PAL staff play the kids’ favorite music and supervise with safety. With a few of the students in the clinic having been enrolled in First Tee – Silicon Valley classes previously, it created a fun and competitive environment between friends and classmates that resulted in high energy gameplay, and a great opportunity for students to show off all of the good sportsmanship skills they learned in our golf course classes.

Thanks to our partners!

First Tee – Silicon Valley is thankful for our wonderful partners that allow us to have positive impacts on their students and help them build their self-confidence, sportsmanship, and drive to experience something new. With more events on the way, keep an eye out for more school program updates from our team!

If you are interested in having our Community Program at your school/organization please contact Chris Moreno-Hunt and view out page HERE.

Join the Caddy Club as a way to support our Financial Aid Program and meet the needs of providing a nurturing environment for youth in our community.

• All Caddy Club members receive invitations to our free Donor Appreciation events which includes our Caddy Club Majors Competition.  It kicks off with the Masters on April 6^th and also includes PGA Championship May 18-21, US Open June 15-18, and Open Championship July 20-23. 

• Every $240 donation allows FTSV to offer financial aid to a low-income youth participant to attend an 8-week golf skills and life skills on-course session.

• Become a Caddy Club member by making a minimum $20 monthly donation for at least 12 months or a one-time donation of a minimum of $240.Click Here to Join!

Youth Development through Golf

Our unique approach to youth development transforms lives and gives kids and teens a brighter future. We teach life skills and golf skills on-course, in-school, and after-school. Our programs are accessible to youth of different backgrounds and perspectives and affordable to families experiencing financial hardship. Golf provides a powerful vehicle to help kids build the strength of character and life skills that they can use both on and off the golf course. Ultimately, strong character leads to success in life.

Our Kids Face Many Challenges

Our kids and teens are facing challenges above and beyond life’s expected growing pains unlike previous generations. They experience pressures within their communities, online, and because of recent dramatic events in the world. Many lack access to safe opportunities that foster a culture of acceptance and provide mentorship. Our youth feel uncertainty, isolation, confusion, and witness conflict more than ever before.

How We Help Kids Overcome Challenges

We help all youth build good character to cope with challenges and empower them. We believe that ALL kids deserve the chance to grow in a supportive environment with mentors guiding them. We are dedicated to providing life and golf skills programs that are accessible, welcoming, and as impactful as they are fun.  

Our Impact

Our youth development program has now positively transformed the lives of 89,876 youth through proven programs on-course, in-school, and after-school since 2005.

• 100% of long-term course participants graduate high school
• 100% of long-term course participants attend college
• 90% of all course participants reported receiving all A’s and B’s in school
• 98% said Coaches were fun and cared
• 94% Like golf and improved golf skills
• 93% Felt included as part of the group
• 88% Learned new life skills to improve their character
• 88% Want to continue with FTSV sessions

Beginning on March 14^th FTSV will be launching our refreshed curriculum for our core 8-week program. The switch from a levels-based program to a grade-based program is based on a multi-year research study performed by an independent agency. The study included experts in youth development and sports psychology, as well as feedback from coaches, parents, and kids from around the country.

According to the findings:

• Participants strongly prefer being with their own age group, the chance to be in classes with their friends, and the opportunity to make friends within their own age group.
• Participants will learn more from programs designed to be developmentally appropriate.
• Participants are more likely to stay with First Tee longer and engage in the opportunities provided to older students (e.g., leadership opportunities and scholarships).

FTSV took the refreshed curriculum from First Tee HQ, and over the last year, worked extensively to tailor and customize the curriculum to our chapter. We took the opportunity to make our program stronger, enhance our coaching and participant resources, and structure the curriculum so it offers more rigor and options. Additionally, we set up an achievement challenge structure for participants that is centered around skill development and goals, as opposed to the anxiety of written assessments.

What we’re saying about the new approach

“Our core staff is truly excited to launch our refreshed curriculum this spring.” said George Maxe, FTSV President & CEO. “We have invested hundreds of hours making it one of the largest FTSV projects since 2005 to significantly improve the learning experience for our kids and teens.”

This spring we look forward to having another fun season of games and activities that help participants experience and engage with the refreshed curriculum. One of the new Life Skills added to our updated curriculum is Building a Positive Identity. Throughout the program, participants will have opportunities to develop their confidence, learn what it means to be the best versions of themselves, embrace their strengths, and use their strengths to make a difference.

For more information on our updated curriculum, please click here and see the “overview “ and “what we coach” sections

We look forward to bringing our program changes to participants and families. A special thank you to our team for their hard work in preparing and executing our program updates.

See you at the course!

Thank you to the forty First Tee – Silicon Valley participants who took part in our annual Tag Team tournament on February 25^th at Rancho del Pueblo.  FTSV players of different age-groups competed in a sunny day of golf.  Many of our participants paired up with a close friend from the program to participate in an alternate shot format.  With an alternate shot format, participants were challenged to communicate and build strategies based on where their playing partner last hit.

The tag team tournament also provided opportunities for teamwork when deciding what shot approach to take, transitioning to the next hole, or while waiting for the group ahead to move out of driving distance. 

At the conclusion of the tournament, our participants gathered around, ate pizza, and discussed with others how the day on the golf course went. This type of environment reinforces our values of respect and sportsmanship. Our goal is that every participant incorporates respect and sportsmanship into their self-identity.

Congratulations to our winners and everyone who participated!

RESULTS:

3rd – 4th Grade Division

1^st place: Kazimir Zabinski & Wyatt Doiguchi

2^nd place: Jordon Wong & Mateo Torres

5th – 6th Grade Division

1^st place: Benjamin Hughes & Jesse Jang

2^nd place: Andrew Leong & Evan Qiu

7th – 8th Grade Division

1^st place: Brian Jackson & Vincent Vo

2^nd place: Sean Morrow & Aariv Bathija

9th – 10th Grade Division

1^st place: Leonardo Villegas Luiz & Salma Rivera

2^nd place: Diyaan Mehta & Evan Santoso

Closest-to-the-Pin

Allen Xiang Hao & Evan Qiu

Sportsmanship Award

John Walsh and Victor Kotlyar

Concluding our tournament

We announced that we had a few secret agents scouting the field.  Coach Robby and Coach Stefan were tasked with finding a participant displaying the best golf etiquette, sportsmanship, and integrity during tournament play.  While winning is a great goal, we must never lose ourselves and who we want to be  in the heat of competition.  Two participants stood out the most and were awarded the sportsmanship award.  Congratulations to John Walsh and Victor Kotlyar for their display of our First Tee values and life skills that we instill in every participant that joins our family!

Our next tournament will be the Chapter Championship on May 13^th. For more information on our tournaments please visit our opportunities page or email Manny Gallardo at [email protected]

First Tee – Silicon Valley hosted the Girls Golf Winter Play Day on February 25^th at Rancho del Pueblo.  Eighteen of FTSV’s participants enjoyed a fun and collaborative day where they played games on the driving range, putting green, and warm-up area.

Team Building

The girls were first challenged with a team building activity where they needed to work together in order to cross “the ice pond.”  Communication and teamwork was the theme so that no one was left behind as they tried to accomplish their goal.  Games that require collaboration, and promote confidence are a staple of Girls Golf. We want our participants to feel safe to be who they are and know that their opinions matter. In other words, we want them to feel positive about their self-identity.

On the range, our golfers continued with our games, socialized, and worked together with their coaches on their golf skills.  

Fun and Games

Lastly, our group of golfers took part in a few winter-themed games on the green.  Meylna especially enjoyed our winter games. “I liked the marshmallow game, but the game we’re playing now is fun!  They look like mini snowmen!”  The event concluded with gift bags, a small raffle, and a photo booth behind the frozen tundra!

Why we have Girls Golf

Girls Golf events are important as our youth experience a day of empowerment, healthy habits, and an outlet to build positive self-esteem. Thank you to our Girls Golf Coaches for creating an environment that is conducive to developing and maintaining a positive self-identity and self-worth. Congratulations to all that participated. Our next Girls Golf event will take place May 13^th. Click here to view our local pre-season opportunities, including Girls Golf, or email Manny at [email protected] for questions.

March is National Women’s History Month

Babe Didrikson Zaharias (June 26, 1911 – September 27, 1956) was an American athlete who excelled in golf, basketball, baseball and track and field. She won two gold medals in track and field at the 1932 Summer Olympics, before turning to professional golf and winning 10 LPGA major championships.

In 1935, Didrikson began to play golf, a latecomer to the sport in which she became best known. Shortly thereafter, she was denied amateur status, and so, in January 1938, she competed in the Los Angeles Open, a PGA (Professional Golfers’ Association) tournament. No other woman competed against men in this tournament until Annika Sörenstam, Suzy Whaley, Michelle Wie and Brittany Lincicome almost six decades later.

READ MORE about Babe Didrikson Zaharias.

Registration closes MARCH 13th at 12PM!

Form your team for a competitive or just for fun evening at TopGolf on Monday, March 20th from 6pm – 9pm for the Battle of the Bays benefiting First Tee – Silicon Valley. 

This event is perfect for team building – invite employees, clients, customers, family or friends.  Each team can be 6 to 12 players per Bay. You can all play by rotating turns with 6 players at a time or some can just cheer your team on!

Register your team for the Competitive or Fun Play Division. The Competitive Division will include 240 shots of Top Contender “target” golf officially scored on the TopGolf Leaderboard. The team with highest 2-round total has bragging right as the Battle of the Bays Champion!

The Fun Play Division is offered for the less competitive teams. They can choose to play any of the 5 games offered for beginners just for fun but still enjoy all the other perks.

Become a sponsor!

Show your philanthropic spirit by stepping up as a $5,000 Sponsor and/or consider sponsoring a FTSV Teen Participant Team for $2,500.

Sponsor Benefits include:

• One TopGolf Bay with 6 to 12 guests for 3 hours
• All-inclusive taco bar buffet and beverages for 12 + 2 cocktails per person
• Raffle Tickets and Tee Prizes (1 of each per team member)
• Sponsor Name featured in event marketing

Proceeds will benefit FTSV’s Title 1 School Program

FTSV exists to enable kids to build the strength of character that empowers them through a lifetime of new challenges. By seamlessly integrating the game of golf with FTSV’s life skills curriculum, we create learning experiences that build inner the strength, self-confidence, and resilience that kids carry in everything they do. With the belief that ALL kids deserve the chance to grow in a supportive environment with mentors guiding them, we are dedicated to building life-changing programs that are as inclusive, accessible, and impactful as they are fun.

Register your team HERE

Or contact our Development Director, Judy Dixon Deaton [email protected] or 408-508-4881.

FTSV and NCGA Youth on Course (YOC) have been partners for nearly 20 years. Last year over 135 FTSV participants registered for the NCGA YOC membership, which offers discounts on golf rounds, as low as $5 per golf round at over 400 golf courses in Northern California. Impressively, the 135 participants logged over 1,787 rounds of golf in 2022. 

As a licensed YOC partner, FTSV offers participants in our program the opportunity to register for a YOC membership. Registration for it is open in our registration portal for all participants in our program.

In addition to the YOC membership, many of our participants also take part in the NCGA’s Caddie Academy over the summer, wherein they may sign up to caddie at private country clubs and earn money for college. Also, our high school seniors have applied for their College Scholarship program. Last year we had a participant awarded a scholarship of $15,000 towards her college education. “First Tee – Silicon Valley enjoys a handful of strategic, complementary partnerships, including ours with Youth On Course,” said George Maxe, FTSV President & CEO. “While FTSV provides life skill education through golf, YOC makes playing golf and attending college more affordable. We are grateful to YOC for collaborating with us and helping our kids.”

The First Tee Leadership Series in partnership with PGA TOUR Superstore 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.
4. Develop goals on how to attain their desired career path.

Facilitated by local PGA TOUR Superstore leadership, the five-week leadership series will be the first opportunity in a unique leadership pathway designed specifically for First Tee teens in store markets. This year we have 11 First Tee – Silicon Valley participants that are in the classes led by PGA Tour Superstore – Cupertino General Manager, Brad Henson, and Assistant General Manager, Kate Nielsen. The first class took place on February 8^th and the series will conclude with a town hall meeting on March 15^th.

After the 5-week series of classes, 4 participants will be selected to apply for this summer’s Leadership Summit in Emigrant, Montana, and the Leadership Academy in Atlanta, Georgia.

What we’re saying about the PGA Tour Superstore Partnership

“PGA TOUR Superstore is a premiere partner of FTSV,” say George Maxe, FTSV President & CEO. “The store is owned by Arthur Blank, whose family foundation has given very generously to FTSV for many years. We’re in our 11^th year of partnering with PGA TOUR Superstore, which first came to East Palo Alto in 2013 and now Cupertino in 2023. Over the years, we have held in-store clinics, gift wrapping, info session, quarterly used clubs drives, and more. FTSV is extremely grateful for this partnership.”

For more information on our local, regional, and national opportunities please click here.

Register on February 15th

Registration for our spring season opens here on Wednesday, February 15^th at 11am. The 8-week spring season begins the week of March 14^th and ends May 6^th. Register on the 15^th and take part in engaging and fun life and golf skill classes at either Rancho Del Pueblo Golf Course in San Jose, Baylands Golf Links in Palo Alto, or Gavilan College Golf Course in Gilroy. Click here to view our program video and learn more from the participants, parents, and coaches in our program!

The First Tee – Silicon Valley Philosophy

Author Jim Stovall once said “you need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits. When we all help one another, everybody wins.”

First Tee – Silicon Valley’s coaching philosophy aims to put those words into practice. Our team of coaches work together to set an inclusive and supportive environment. Our games foster teamwork and collaboration, and our participants are encouraged to build positive relationships with peers. Golf on its own is an individual sport, but through our group classes, coaches, and lesson plans we help participants feel part of a team and learn effective communication skills. In our most recent survey, 92% of participants said they felt part of a team and 87% said they have friends in the class.

Making friends and feeling part of the group relies on the ability to collaborate. To that point, Collaborating with Others is one of the Life Skills in our Life Skill curriculum. Depending on their Grade Group, participants apply this skill through sportsmanship, active listening, appreciating diversity, and open-ended questions.

This spring we look forward to having another fun season of games and activities that help participants build character and bolster their teamwork skills. When we work together, we can accomplish so much and get much more enjoyment out of the process.

Want to join?

We encourage youth 2^nd grade and above to join our program and ask that you help spread the word. For more information and the schedule, click here

See you at the course!

First Tee — Silicon Valley is looking for high quality, caring people that are interested in showing up and guiding others, so they become even better people and leaders of tomorrow. Our volunteer coaches work together to teach our Life and Golf Skill curriculum by finding and using coachable moments and by making the sessions fun and engaging. One of the 6 life skills that our coaches are responsible for teaching is Collaborating with Others. Coaches use our games to deliver impactful tools and tips needed to collaborate and communicate with each other.

Please meet our new Program Coordinator and Coach, Phoenix Jarrell-Desch

We are excited to welcome Phoenix to our team of Coordinators. He comes to us having served as a Project Guide and Fellows Coordinator for the Everett Fellowship program. He also served on the Americorps Disaster Specialty team and assisted at the Boys and Girls Club in East Palo Alto with their free meal program. Phoenix grew up in Palo Alto playing golf at Palo Alto Muni (now Baylands).

“Coaching with FTSV has giving me something I can feel proud of and excited about,” says Phoenix.  “I love the game of golf and want to expose more people to it. Working with kids and teaching life skills just makes it more rewarding.”

“In the short time Phoenix has been with us, he has already made our program better,” says Program Director, Chris Moreno-Hunt.  “He is driven, affable, and caring — all qualities that make our team stronger and translate to a great coach. We are fortunate to have him on staff and we look forward to having you meet him.”

Interested in Getting Started like Phoenix?

• Visit our volunteer page and click on the volunteer form.
• Or contact Julie Donnellan at 408-508-4882 or [email protected]
• Click here for our volunteer tri-fold for more information.
• Click here to view our video and hear from our coaches and participants

What if I am not an expert coach or golfer?

Our coaches come from all walks of life with different life and golf experiences. We provide life and golf skill training as well training on coach strategies, techniques, and on our coach philosophy. Our goal is to make sure every coach feels supported. Additionally, we have created lesson plans to help everyone work together and support one another in the content and delivery. There will always be a paid, lead coach for each class coordinating the group of coaches.

What is the time requirement?

• Volunteer coaches can choose from several class options by location, day of the week, and time.
• Time commitment is 2.5 hours a day, once a week for an 8-week season. The 2.5 hours include a 30-minute pre-class meeting, 1.5-hour class, and a 30-minute post-class debrief.

Join our team, learn/develop coaching skills, make a difference in the youth, and give back to the community! Please help us spread the word. The more positive and dedicated coaches, the better the program, and the more impactful it is for our youth.  

First Tee – Silicon Valley was the recipient of a generous $15,000 grant from CordeValle Youth Golf Foundation (CYGF). This will underwrite our 2023 Volunteer and Instructor Uniforms (hats & shirts) and a portion of our paid lead Instructor salaries. We are a growing chapter that relies heavily on golf enthusiasts and youth development foundations like CYGF to support our mission.

About CordeValle Youth Golf Foundation

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. Additionally, have access to practice space, and compete, and build positive life skills.

The Foundation annually awards approximately $100,000 in grants to deserving programs. This foundation is funded through a $50,000 annual contribution from CordeValle Golf Club. Also, they raise an additional $50,000 per year through CordeValle’s public charity tournaments.

CordeValle Youth Golf Foundation and First Tee – Silicon Valley are equally committed to expanding opportunities for youth of all income levels to access to the game 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 our annual FTSV Invitational since 2005.