Join the Caddy Club! 

Join the Caddy Club! Don’t miss out on competing in the Caddy Club Majors US Open Competition June 17-20, followed by the British Open July 15-18 and next year’s Masters and PGA Championship. You can join the Caddy Club any time but why not be part of the fun now and start supporting our financial aid program Young people are growing in new environments that are demanding more from them, and therefore more from First Tee – Silicon Valley and from the golf community. Here’s How You Can Help Together, Building Game Changers! Our kids and teens are facing challenges unseen by previous generations. Many lack access to safe opportunities that foster a culture of acceptance and provide mentorship. They live in a world where social pressures are always on, calm and confidence are hard to access, and perseverance is a required superpower every day. Youth Development through Golf 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 life skills curriculum, we create learning experiences that build inner 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 golf programs that are accessible, welcoming, and as impactful as they are fun. Who You Will Be Helping FTSV on-course participants:
  • 85% racially diverse
  • 80% achieve all A’s and B’s in school
  • 100% certifying youth graduate from HS
  • 100% Ace top level teens go to college
  Why FTSV Needs Your Help
  • Our FTSV chapter lacks the financial support of First Tee National and PGA TOUR tournaments. We are 96% locally-supported.

Thank You Open Sponsors

First Tee – Silicon Valley is excited for our Open Scramble Golf Tournament on Friday, June 11th at Cinnabar Hills Golf Club with a 12pm shotgun.  There is still room for 3 more foursomes – registration closes on June 7th. We would like to extend a very special thank you to our Hosting Sponsors: Hallagan-Huston Family Foundation and IBM, our Contributing Sponsors: DeWinter Group and Emerson Street Ventures, our Beverage Sponsors: Anheuser Busch, Coca Cola and Body Armor and our Hole Sponsors and Foursome Sponsors. Hosting     Contributing             Beverage:                 Hole Above Sponsors and DGDG Duran & Venables Gavilan Golf Course Intero Moreno & Associates, Inc. Maris Consulting Group  Foursome AMS.NET Axcelerate Networks Bordeaux Wealth Advisors CourseCo CZI DeWinter Group E3 Systems Emerson Street Ventures Evotek Ernst & Young Hallagan-Huston Family Foundation HP, Inc. IBM Intero KPMG Maris Consulting Group Moreno & Associates, Inc. SAP Wade Financial Advisors Western Digital Board Members: Co-Chairs Ron Hallagan and Steve Guerrero, Jr. Steve Almassy; Shane Oberg; Merry Ayres; Frank Wilde; Ernie Moreno; Victor Arranaga, Jr.; Baiba Scott; Dick Budelli; Pam Schramm; Alex Wrobel; Adrian McBride and supporter Ty Willingham It will be a fun day with clients, co-workers and friends enjoying a great day of golf and camaraderie for a great cause. There will be a variety of contests and activities on the course including: DGDG Hole In One, Closest to the Hole, Long Drive, Designated Driver, Hole of Fortune plus everyone will have 10 chances to win raffle prizes of golf rounds. A small bucket of balls, boxed lunch, snacks and tee prizes will also be provided to all players. 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 change 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. Open Schedule of Events 10:00 AM     Check In & Raffle and Range Open 11:00 AM     Lunch Opens 11:30 AM     Sponsor Thank You, Participant Speaker, Announcements 12:00 PM      Shotgun Starts – Mountain & Lake – Quicksilver/Oak Tees 4:30 PM        Foursomes Conclude Golf Tournament Results will be emailed Due to Covid, there will be no Cocktail Reception, Dinner or Auction. Tournament guests can only stay on the premises if they made advanced reservations with Cinnabar. Please contact our Development Director, Judy Dixon Deaton 408-508-4881 – [email protected]  to discuss sponsorship or underwriting opportunities for our Classic Tournament on Sept 20, 2021, our Top Golf Fundraiser in Jan 2022 or the 2022 Open.

FTSV High School Graduates!

First Tee – Silicon Valley would like to wish our 2021 class a big congratulations on their high school graduation! We are proud of who they are, and what they have accomplished in and out of the classroom. We believe every kid and teen deserves the chance to build inner strength before the world demands it, to find the joy that comes with feeling confident in their own skin before the world makes it feel impossible, and to access experiences and spaces where personal growth happens. We exist to enable kids to build the strength of character that empowers them through a lifetime of new challenges. Building Game Changers! Our kids and teens are facing challenges unseen by previous generations. Many lack access to safe opportunities that foster a culture of acceptance and provide mentorship. They live in a world where social pressures are always on, calm and confidence are hard to access and perseverance is a required superpower every day. Young people are growing in new environments that are demanding more from them, and therefore more from us. Our Seniors have been involved with FTSV between 4-11 years, excelling as participants, and giving back as volunteer coaches. They have become a better version of themselves by having the space to be who they are, surrounded by passionate mentors who guide them to see what they are capable of. Although we are sad to see them go, we are excited for what lies ahead. Good luck class of 2021. We are proud of you! Amanda Flores – Eagle – 5 years – Will be attending San Jose State University Andrew Choi  – Ace – 7 years Christopher Fox – Ace – 10 years – Will be attending Dickinson College Tony Polanco  – Ace – 6 years – Will be attending Chapman University Borina Sutikto – Ace – 9 years – Will be attending Santa Clara University Rachel Truong – Ace – 4 years Kelly Yu – Ace – 10 years – Will be attending Boston College The participants above progressed through our program and either participated in the Eagle or the Ace levels. The Eagle level is our second highest level in our program (4 of 5). Eagle participants refine their golf playing skills with emphasis course management and ball flight, learn to develop their leadership skills, and utilize cooperative and collaborative communication strategies. They also learn to build healthy mental and physical habits, and explore what it means to appreciate diversity. The Ace level is the top level in the program. Ace participants take a series of (4) 8-week projects that focuses on career development, post high school education preparation/exploration, volunteerism, and advanced mental and physical golf training. Making it through our program takes commitment, perseverance, and consistent demonstration of the First Tee Nine Core Values. We look forward to the participants taking what they learned and using their life skills to make the world a better place. For more information on our mission, curriculum, coaching, and how to get started please visit https://www.firstteesiliconvalley.org/.

Cisco Generous Technology Grant

John Ritchie, Senior Director Finance, Global Supply Chain at Cisco Systems and former Board Director at FTSV sponsored our Cisco Grant for a technology donation of two 55” Webex® Boards and Webex®Services. The Cisco Webex® Boards will provide everything FTSV’s need to offer high level remote training.  We will make full use of wireless presentations, whiteboarding, video and audio calls.  It will allow us to create a great teaching and learning environment across locations where technology doesn’t get in the way. We will gather the team together in our main office space and main golf location space and bring in remote participants for extended collaboration. We will pair the device with our other mobile devices to enable a range of features which will improve the meeting experience and provide richer collaboration.  The Cisco Webex® Boards will allow us to connect safely, share at a higher level and engage coaches and participants for enhanced mentorship. The heart of FTSV’s youth development program is coaching. Our coaches include paid employees and volunteers predominantly during 1.5-hour classes once a week over 8 weeks. Also, FTSV’s developmentally-appropriate character building curriculum with 5 levels requires increasingly advanced training, certification, and experience of paid employees. For example, Level I coaches may only teach the first 2 program levels. As a result, Level III coaches are fewer in number. Webex® Boards will enable us to provide Level III coaching to more of our youth by allowing those coaches to be tele-present. In addition, the Webex® Boards will provide us an opportunity to have business professionals and others speak to a class without having to be present in-person. This will greatly enhance the quality of the curriculum content that we may provide. For example, Cisco engineers would be able to speak to our STEM classes, which use the golf course as a learning lab, about physics and careers that apply class concepts. Cisco and the Cisco Foundation discover the best ideas to solve social problems, and they help make them a reality by providing funding, technology donations, and expertise. Working through nonprofit partners, they help create technology-based solutions for economic empowerment, education, critical human needs, and disaster relief, improving lives around the globe. Cisco is committed to inclusive access to digital skills training and supporting those who use technology to educate. FTSV is very grateful to Cisco for this amazing technology donation which will provide us all-in-one collaboration to super-serve our participants taking our youth development education to the next level.

Coach Manny Is FTSV’s South County Cornerstone

Manny is the cornerstone of FTSV’s programs based out of Gavilan College Golf Course in Gilroy. FTSV is blessed to have him on staff and as the leader/coordinator of all our South County programs. Manny manages all Gavilan classes, class equipment, coaching supplies, Girls Golf, and our quarterly participant tournaments. Manny is a huge asset to FTSV staff and participants. He is reliable, consistent, creative, level-headed, and supportive. Our team can always depend on Manny to get the job done as well as assist others as they need help. FTSV participants love Coach Manny, who is a constant, caring presence in their lives. Manny joined our FTSV staff in 2012 as a Volunteer, 2013 as a part-time Instructor, and 2016 as a full-time Coordinator. He is now one of our most-trained coaches. Prior to joining FTSV and along the way, he was the Girls Golf Coach at Christopher High School from 2008 to 2018. This experience makes Manny a great fit for coordinating FTSV’s Girls Golf program. “First Tee has really earned a special place in my heart,” says Manny. “Having the opportunity to spend my days out in the sunshine teaching kids how to be better, kinder people is something I’m truly grateful for. I’m proud to say that I belong to an organization like this one.” Some less known facts about Manny include rooting for the New England Patriots and Phoenix Suns and enjoying all things Disney. The more you get to know him, the more you appreciate his whimsical spirit, mellow style, warmth, and thoughtfulness. Mix all this in with his grounding and it is obvious that he is a great fit for FTSV and as a coach. According to Program Director Chris Moreno-Hunt, “Manny is a pillar of our program. He has helped the program grow over the years both in terms of numbers and in impact. He is versatile and excels in his many roles, whether that includes developing new engaging games, delivering outreach classes, managing our golf club program, coordinating our tournaments, and making people feel welcome. We are grateful for his work and lucky to have him in our First Tee team. Thank you, Manny!

Wacky Golf Girls Golf Play Day

On May 22nd, FTSV hosted the Wacky Golf Girls Golf Play Day. Our 15 Girls Golf members played nine holes at Rancho del Pueblo with a fun twist. They played Wacky Golf consisting of golf, of course, archery, tennis, soccer, and tennis ball launching. All these sports gave our girls a chance to try new sports and gain skills such as agility, balance, and coordination as well as enhance their First Tee life skills – confidence, perseverance, and goal-setting. Most of the girls enjoyed archery as they practiced their aim and strength. One of the girls shared, “This is my favorite! Can we do this again on the next hole?” Being out on the golf course and playing with each other was the highlight of their weekend as they were able to be active under the sun. FTSV Girls Golf had the chance to enjoy a day on the golf course with their friends. Girls Golf Play Days are beneficial events where our female participants enjoy an all-female environment.  Our participants experience a day of empowerment, healthy habits, and an outlet to build positive self-esteem. The next quarterly Girls Golf Play is scheduled for August 21st.

2021 Chapter Championship Tournament

First Tee – Silicon Valley hosted our annual Chapter Championship tournament at Rancho Del Pueblo Golf Course on May 22nd. Twenty-seven participants competed in an individual stroke format playing against their respective skill level. The Chapter tournament is a valuable event for our students.  Our younger-level participants are able to experience tournament play, golf rules, and pace of play while our older participants experience competition from other highly skilled players. Our low-pressure tournaments are a great stepping stone for students to learn to use good judgment, set expectations, and how to manage emotions.  We hope our tournaments help our participants to build more confidence in understanding tournament play and how you can create new bonds with players They’ve never met before. “I had a great time at the tournament especially with my group being more experienced tournament-wise. It was great seeing how they played the game and also just socializing in general. The simplistic way my partners played helped me relax and enjoy the time more.” – Joshua J.  Ace level participant. The event concluded with a raffle and the announcement of our tournament winners.  Congrats to the following winners of each level! Ace: Norah Yang Eagle: Joey Jang Birdie: BenjaminTorrelio-Bachofer Par: Andrew Leong Congratulations to all of our participants for competing in our individual format with courtesy, integrity, and great judgment!

Our New Address – Thank You Swenson!

FTSV moved at the end of April thanks to a very generous donation from Swenson for our Operations office. We are now in a larger space with more storage. Our good friends at Moreno & Associates cleaned the space and even moved us as a gift to FTSV. Also, the location is centrally-located along Hwy 280 between Hwy 87 and 880. We love it! Case Swenson and Ernesto Moreno have been long-time supporters of FTSV. They both go back to FTSV’s and Rancho del Pueblo’s roots in about 1999 when FTSV began as the Eagles at Rancho Junior Golf Program. Our operations/shipping address is: 1401 Parkmoor Avenue – Suite 125 San Jose, CA 95126 Tue-Fri from 10am-5pm    Our billing/mailing address is: 2797 Park Avenue – Suite 207 Santa Clara, CA 95050 No visitors please You may have also noticed recently that FTSV switched to a Verizon OneTalk telephone system. Our main telephone number is now 408-508-4880, from which callers may select options to be connected directly to a member of our core staff. You may also dial our direct telephone numbers. View all of our FTSV locations (including golf courses for classes) on our web site.          

Emotional Wellness – Connecting Mind and Body

Have you ever felt in control or in the zone? In sports, music, work, or school we all experience a time where our mind and muscles are in sync. Many athletes tell stories of when they felt in complete control and performing becomes effortless. The stories include feeling a mixture of calmness, positivity, and confidence. The question is, do we get calmer and more confident when we perform well, or do we perform well because we have confidence? This varies for everyone, but the great athletes are able to manufacture confidence. The late Kobe Bryant (professional basketball player) used to say, “If I missed 13 in a row, then there is no way I was going to miss 14. I am due.” When he was performing well would say, “If I made 10 in a row then I was for sure going to make the 11th.” Either way, his confidence remained constant as that gave his muscles the best chance to succeed. In golf, manufacturing confidence and peace of mind is tricky because we have so much time to think between shots. Golf is a demanding sport that requires precision and, as Dr. Bob Rotella puts it, the ability to “get out of your own way.” He believes we all have the ability to be good putters, but we get in our own way through negative thoughts, or by overthinking. He says, “If we can toss a tennis ball to someone, then we can be a good putter.” We just need to trust ourselves and have confidence in our process. Afterall, one of his books is titled “Golf is a Game of Confidence.” The obvious step towards developing confidence is to practice, to build muscle memory that can be relied upon when it matters most and when our brain interprets pressure and feelings and our thoughts become more active. When one performs an action the proprioceptors in your muscles and tendons send information to your brain. The brain uses this information to send input back to your muscles. This process repeats establishing muscle memory and adapting to the challenge at hand. Our brain is our greatest strength, but it can also be our weakness. If our brain is not in the right frame of mind – calm, confident, and quiet – then the signals between mind and muscle get interrupted. Emotional wellness is every bit as important to a golfer as a practice swing and it requires practice just like our swing. At FTSV, we practice emotional wellness techniques in our first level (PLAYer) when we introduce the core values Perseverance and Confidence, then in our second level we build on mental exercises with our 3 Tips for Having Fun (Patience, Positive, Ask for Help) and the 4 R’s (Replay, Relax, Ready, Redo). Lastly, our Eagle players (4th level) explore the connection between mind, emotional state, and body through the lesson, Healthy Body, Mind, and Heart. Our participants are learning that they might not be able to have complete control where their golf ball goes, but they can work to manage their mind and emotions. In the big picture of life, that is winning. To join our program and learn emotional wellness techniques please visit our Youth Classes page. Registration for Summer opened Wednesday, May 12th, and registration for the Fall opens Wednesday, August 11th at 10am.

PGATSS Awards FTSV $25K Teen Innovation and Retention Grant

First Tee – Silicon was one of 10 chapters selected for an exciting new grant. The Teen Innovation and Retention Grant will help First Tee chapters in PGA TOUR Superstore markets focus on the retention during the critical teenage years. First Tee is thankful for the support of PGA TOUR Superstore and together we will build experiences that build character to empower kids through a lifetime of challenges. PGA TOUR Superstore and The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation have supported First Tee for more than a decade, helping First Tee grow from reaching 260,000 kids in PGA TOUR Superstore markets in 2011 to more than 1.5 million young people in 2019. The $25,000 grant will support our existing initiatives and allow us to expand upon them, including:
  • Participant Advisory Committee – form a teen leadership committee which provides input for our staff and Board to create more engagement, interaction and commitment
  • Birdie/Eagle STEM – purchase STEM demonstration related gadgets/products for our developmentally appropriate STEM class curriculum which uses golf activities as a way for our teen participants to explore how science, technology, engineering, and math connect to and impact our Nine Golf Fundamentals. STEM classes are set to a problem-solving framework which fosters critical thinking and a deeper understanding of golf while inspiring STEM careers.
  • New Technologies – Purchase carts and other equipment to begin using two Telepresence (TP) Units donated by Cisco.These technologies will first be used in teens classes, including STEM. The TP Units are a combo of “Zoom and iPad” for advanced coaching.
  • Golf Treks – provide unique opportunities for teen participants to play golf with donors and Board members, including quarterly Board Outings to create more engagement and interaction. Our goal will be to match up teen participants with adults working in fields they are interested in to provide career development and mentoring exchanges.
  • Coaching – increase instruction ratio in all existing teen classes and fund the expansion of an additional teen class to ensure that we attract/retain teen participants by offering a higher level of mentoring to prepare them to become candidates for First Tee opportunities, including PGATSS Leadership Series.
FTSV’s teen program is a safe haven that provides structure, direction and intentional mentorship addressing the epidemic of high school dropout rates, aggressive antisocial behaviors and childhood obesity. We fill the opportunity gap and provide inclusion for all teens experiencing challenges associated with poverty and ethnicity in a region with the nation’s second most diverse area. Learn more about getting your teen involved in our program.

Borina & Sophie of First Tee – Silicon Valley to compete in the Inaugural First Tee National Championship

Borina & Sophie will showcase golf skills among 48 other teens from across the First Tee network at The Walker Course at Clemson University on June 20-25. Borina Sutikto and Sophie Thai of First Tee – Silicon Valley will compete in the upcoming First Tee National Championship at Clemson University on June 20-25, 2021.  Borinia attends Connecting Waters Charter School and has Rancho Del Pueblo as her home course where she practices, takes lessons and works. Sophie attends Los Altos High School and plays out of numerous public courses including Baylands Golf Links. The first-ever event with a total of 48 players will bring 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 tournament was postponed in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Borina will be attending Santa Clara University in the Fall and has an offer/scholarship to play on their golf team. She has earned national recognition as a golfer. In 2019, she was named the JGANC Female Player of the Year and Scoring Champion. She has been in our program for over 9 years and has contributed over 170 hours as a volunteer coach for FTSV all while receiving 4 Associate Degrees from San Jose City College. Sophie finished her junior year at Los Altos High where she achieved first team all-league golf honors. She is a highly ranked golfer, is a 2-time Girls Championship flight winner and has logged 3 top 3 finishes in AJGA tournaments which is the top junior golf tour in the nation. She has been in our program for 9 years and has made it to our Ace level. She is an active advocate of our chapter having presented in our fundraisers and in our board meetings. In school she is the Vice President of the National Honor Society. While COVID protocols will be in effect, the 54-hole event will take place and the winners of each girls’ and boys’ divisions will be awarded with the Tattersall Cup and also will earn an exemption into the PGA TOUR Champions’ PURE Insurance Championship Impacting the First Tee held at Pebble Beach Golf Links September 21-26, 2021. “We are proud to see Borina and Sophie from our area compete in this inaugural event, which will provide them with a college level experience on and off the course” said George Maxe, President & CEO of FTSV.  “Borina and Sophie has been part of our chapter for 9 years. They lead by example and we are delighted to see their growth over the years in character development as well as in level of play.” First Tee National Championship will be 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. Clemson University’s The Walker Course is set to host the inaugural Championship. During the week, Borinia and Sophie will have the opportunity to hear from PGA Head Golf Professional Steve Scott on how his values intersected with his experience of finishing Runner-Up to Tiger Woods in the 1996 U.S. Amateur Championship. The field includes 24 boys and 24 girls, ages 14-19, who were selected based on their golf skill, competitive golf experience and handicap. Players will come from 32 First Tee chapters across the country. First Tee – Silicon Valley is a youth development organization dedicated to helping young people learn life skills and build character through the game of golf. First Tee National 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 First Tee – Silicon Valley, visit www.firstteesiliconvalley.org.  For more information on the tournament and First Tee, visit http://www.firsttee.org/.

Summer Class Registration Opened 5/12 – A Place for Social Interaction

FTSV opened registration May 12th for the Summer Season. Over 300 participants have already registered for the Summer which is already the highest number we have been able to have since COVID 19. The PLAYer level (first level) classes at Rancho Del Pueblo and Baylands Golf Courses are full, but there are still PLAYer level spaces available at Gavilan Golf Course in Gilroy and space for our Par, Birdie, Eagle, and Ace levels at all three golf courses. Register now before they fill up. The summer season will begin June 8th and end August 7th. Our team is looking forward to the summer. We are committed towards delivering a program that delivers core life lessons and golf fundamentals, but also creates a space for participants to develop social skills and build tools for social and emotional wellness. Even though golf is mostly an individual sport, it provides opportunities to build relationships, network, and socialize. When playing on the golf course, we get paired with other golfers and get to spend hours on the golf course together. What better way to develop interpersonal skills than on the golf course playing a game with other people? In our class participants practice sportsmanship, compete, and bond over our games and activities on the practice areas and on the golf course. Even though we cannot shake hands like we used to, we still encourage asking open-ended questions to one another. In a time where social interaction has been hindered, we all could use a friendly group setting where we can have fun together and make new friends. To learn more about our group classes and register please visit our youth classes page or call 408-508-4880.