Tag: Parents

3rd Annual Participants vs Parents Tournament

(3rd Annual Participants vs Parents Tournament Published 11/26/25) The 3rd annual Participants vs Parents Tournament delivered everything we hoped for and more—a fun, spirited competition packed with energy, laughter, and just enough friendly rivalry to keep everyone on their toes. Despite stormy forecasts earlier in the week, the golf gods were clearly on our side, holding back the rain for a beautiful, competition-ready day at Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course.

The morning kicked off with warmups on the driving range and putting green, where both kids and parents shared smiles and encouragement before stepping into competitive mode. With the Participants holding a 2–0 record over the Parents from the last two tournaments, there was anticipation, determination, and a whole lot of playful pressure.

A New Format for 2025

This year featured a new twist: Stableford scoring, with different point systems for Participants and Parents:

PARTICIPANTSPARENTS
Eagle = 4Eagle = 3
Birdie = 3Birdie = 2
Par = 2Par = 1
Bogey = 1Bogey = 0
Double Bogey = 0Double Bogey = -1

The format added strategy, suspense, and a fresh dynamic to every hole. The fun kicked in right from the start: closest to the pin on hole #2 & longest drive on hole #4. The excitement didn’t stop there—special challenge holes made sure everyone stayed on their game: hole #6: parents spun a wheel to determine a random club for their tee shot. Hole #8: kids could swap their tee shot with one parent’s or guardian’s—strategy at its finest.

This year’s competition brought out some outstanding individual performances from the winners:

Closest to the Pin

  • Parents: Matt
  • Participants: AJ

Longest Drive

  • Parents: Brent
  • Participants: Johnny

Though the Participants came in as two-time defending champs, the Parents arrived ready to rewrite the story. And rewrite it they did! With impressive teamwork, clutch shots, and maybe a little motivation from that -1 double-bogey penalty, the Parents secured a thrilling 11–8 upset victory—their first win in the tournament’s three-year history. The day wrapped up with an awards ceremony, slices of well-earned pizza, and plenty of smiles across all ages. As always, the real win was the community spirit on display. A huge thank-you goes out to all Participants, Parents, and families who make this annual event something truly special.

SAVE THE DATE

We’re already excited for next year’s showdown.
Mark your calendars: November 14th, 2026!

Family Clinic at Rancho Del Pueblo

(Family Clinic at Rancho Del Pueblo) In 2024, First Tee – Silicon Valley was awarded a $16,000 NCGA Reach Grant to help grow participation within our community. Many of FTSV’s participants have very limited access to golf and receive financial assistance from FTSV, so we work hard to provide affordable opportunities for everyone to enjoy the game and grow through our programs.

With this grant, FTSV launched a subsidized private lesson program in Summer 2024 led by FTSV Coach Felix, helping break down the barrier to entry that low-income families face when introducing their children to the game of golf. Only participants who are active FTSV participants that receive financial aid, have participated in at least 2 seasons over the last 2 years, and are in the 3rd grade or higher are eligible for this program. This spring will be our 4th season offering these lessons.

In celebration, FTSV offered a Family Clinic at Rancho Del Pueblo

So far, we’ve had over 30 participants, well on the way to our goal of 65 for the calendar year. To celebrate the success of the program, and welcome participants’ families to the course to build community, we hosted a Family Clinic on Saturday, February 22nd, at Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course. Participants and members of their family came out for an afternoon in the sunshine, receiving golf instruction and playing games on the driving range and practice green. Participants jumped for joy watching their parents and loved ones do what they’ve been doing in their golf lessons over the past several months.

Family Clinic at Rancho Del Pueblo 1

More than just a day around the practice area, the Family Clinic offered parents and their children a chance to build bonds together and hopefully become inspired to play golf as a family. At the end of the clinic, we passed out a “how-to” guide on playing golf, helping educate our community on how to play the game and access golf on their own. This guide included everything from making tee times, to a list of courses, available discounts, and the basics of course etiquette. Families who know about and understand the game of golf, and who participate with their kids, can better support them during their development through programs at FTSV. With this kind of encouragement, and the improvements found through private lessons, participants will develop the confidence and ability to improve as golfers, compete on school teams and in tournaments, and pursue opportunities on and off the course. By supporting our community in this way, we believe golf can be a game that families can share together for many years to come.

Thank you to the over 40 participants and family members who joined us at the Family Clinic and continue to be long-standing and engaged members of our organization!

To learn more about FTSV’s Private Lessons, please contact Felix Jasso – felix@ftsv.org or 650-887-7141.

Published: 03-07-2025