This year, First Tee – Greater Philadelphia proudly hosted our inaugural Girls Drive, Chip, and Putt event. Fifty young participants, ages 7–16 and divided into four age groups, rotated through each of the skill stations. The day was a vibrant celebration of our region’s growing Girls Golf community, bringing together First Tee participants from Chester County, PA, all the way to Burlington County, NJ. We were also thrilled to have eleven female coaches join forces to support and mentor the girls throughout the event.
A special thank-you goes to Skramble House of Golf for generously hosting us. Their facility with simulators, a putting green, chipping and pitching areas, a real sand bunker, and even mini golf, allowed us to run the entire event indoors, a major advantage for a November program!
We recognized the top three finishers in each age division: 7–9, 10–11, 12–13, and 14–16.
Drive, Chip and Putt (DCP) is a free, nationwide junior golf development competition designed to grow the game by focusing on three essential skills. We launched this Girls event to give participants a fun and meaningful practice opportunity—especially for those preparing to compete in the national DCP qualifiers. Finalists in the national competition earn the honor of competing at Augusta National during Masters week. More information on the national program can be found at https://www.drivechipandputt.com/about.
There were countless highlights from the day.
From Kristen Konieczki, Girls Golf Program Manager:
“Seeing a truly ladies-only event—including all the adult coaches and volunteers—was incredibly powerful. Our girls’ golf community was so well represented. During each awards presentation, I reminded the girls to look around and see the support surrounding them, including from one another. It can be hard to be a woman in golf, and they got to witness firsthand how many people are cheering them on.”
From Claudia Gangemi, Chester County Program Manager:
“After the event ended and I went back inside to tidy up, I noticed a father with his daughter and another girl playing in the simulator. He told me the two girls had just met that day and had already become fast friends. That moment truly captured the spirit of what we do: giving students the chance to connect, grow, and build new friendships through the game of golf.”
