(First Tee – Silicon Valley Open House at Rancho del Pueblo: A Day of Fun, Golf, and Community – Published 8/20/2026) This past Saturday, August 15th, 2026, Rancho del Pueblo came alive as First Tee – Silicon Valley opened its doors for a community celebration. Over 300 families, golfers, and community members showed up for a day packed with games, food, music, and golf.
A Day Built for Fun
Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course turned into a playground for connection and fun. Sack races, tug-of-war, cornhole, giant Jenga, Connect Four, and ball tossing kept kids and parents moving side by side. A putting game played with hockey sticks brought out plenty of creative swings, and musical chairs turned into a giggle-filled showdown that had the crowd cheering and laughing.
Great Food, Great Vibes
A day this active called for great food, and the lineup delivered. Streetfire Bistro kept the tacos, salsas, and aguas frescas coming strong. Bun Me Up brought Bao bun tacos, packed with bold flavor combinations that had guests going back for seconds. And when it was time to cool down, Friends & Cubs Shaved Ice served up the sweet relief everyone needed.
DJ ALRX set the soundtrack for the day, keeping spirits high from start to finish. The Golden Turtle Lion Dancers brought a burst of tradition and spectacle that the crowd enjoyed. Lastly, we had Sharkie, the San Jose Sharks’ beloved mascot, come and hang out with the families.
New Swings, New Beginnings
At the heart of it all was the golf. Golfers enjoyed free tee times on the course, and many families picked up a club for the first time and hit free driving range balls with their friends and family. Going to the driving range with your family can be a lasting memory, a time to spend quality time together having fun and learning a game one can play their whole life.
Rancho del Pueblo: A Shared Space for the Whole Community
Days like this are exactly why First Tee – Silicon Valley calls Rancho del Pueblo home. This course isn’t just a place to play golf — it’s a shared space where East San Jose can come together, where long-time golfers welcome first-timers, where families from every corner of the community and from our program can show up, belong, and make friends. Saturday’s Open House was a snapshot of that vision in action: neighbors meeting neighbors, First Tee – Silicon Valley families meeting other FTSV families, kids and teens discovering something new, and an entire community gathering on the same golf course. We have a big service area going as far down as Hollister and as north as highway 92. Anytime we can bring people together to celebrate, the better.
More Than a Game
That sense of togetherness is at the core of what First Tee – Silicon Valley is all about. For over 25 years, First Tee – Silicon Valley has used the game of golf as a vehicle to teach kids and teens life skills – collaborating with others, building a positive identity, overcoming challenges, setting goals – and core values — respect, perseverance, confidence, sportsmanship and integrity — that carry far beyond the course. Every swing, every lesson, and every event is part of a bigger mission: building character through golf, one young golfer at a time.
Saturday’s Open House was just the beginning. Here’s to the next generation of golfers — and the community that’s cheering them on every step of the way.
Special Thanks!
FTSV was very happy to have Councilmember Peter Ortiz join us for the afternoon. Mr. Ortiz remarked on how important Rancho del Pueblo is to the community as a gather space.
Thank you to our Sponsors and Resource Partners!
Hosting Sponsors – Valley Water and Yellow Cab of Silicon Valley
Contributing Sponsors – Councilmember Peter Ortiz, Councilmember Domingo Candelas, Pete Carillo, Ash Pirayou, and San Jose Water, which offered some fun items for attendees like recyclable bags and basil seeds
Resource Partners – Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, and SOMOS Mayfair Community Center
And the Volunteer Face-painters – Iris He, Lauren Conder & Melissa Dutra.
A special thank you to all of our FTSV families and coaches. We really appreciate you being part of our organization and making our program what it is today!
If you are interested in joining our program and community, please visit here.
