We hosted our fifth Mike Quick Celebrity Invitational at @unionleaguegolf and @jfbgolfclub! It was a great day on the course and we cannot thank all of our sponsors enough for their support in our mission to #BuildGameChangers. We raised over $150,000! A huge shoutout to @trugreen_lawn for joining us and presenting us with $80,000 for our future Outdoor Classroom at @jfbgolfclub!
First Tee is indebted to The Union League of Philadelphia, CEO Jeff McFadden, and the entire UL membership for their generous partnership in donating the Torresdale golf course so that First Tee can maximize tournament fundraising for the next five years. UL was instrumental in First Tee’s effort to save the struggling John F. Byrne Golf Club, which was slated to close permanently on 10/31/19. If not for UL, First Tee would have been unable to manage the course. Funds from the tournament over the five year period will exceed $600,000 and will dramatically assist in efforts to rebuild the entire facility so that kids and the local community can maximize the use of this Northeast Philadelphia asset. First Tee will rebuild the facility to make this new ‘Outdoor Classroom’ a venue where over 2,000 kids will be educated annually. The Mike Quick Celebrity Invitational is one of many vital events in helping support First Tee—Greater Philadelphia and all of our impactful programming.
First Tee of Greater Philadelphia manages the John F Byrne Golf Club to provide affordable access to golf and life skills education for the kids in northeast Philadelphia. First Tee saved the course from permanently closing for good so that kids and the community can be best served. Having a facility where students and golfers have access 364 days a year is paramount to enhance learning, skills, and recreational resources for people of all backgrounds.
We are excited to announce our plans for the future including a renovated clubhouse with an indoor classroom and simulator designed by Kimmel Bogrette Architecture + Site, and a First Tee Practice area designed by Ernie Els Design Team. Through generous support from donors, these plans will become a reality. John F. Byrne Golf Club will be a true asset for kids and all public golf.
First Tee Executive Director Bill Hyndman V, Board President Michael Brown, former First Tee National Board Member Michael Sneed, and Oray Boston met @gary.player yesterday. Gary was in the group ahead when Bill had a hole-in-one, witnessed by the Black Knight!! Gary mentioned that he had fond memories of competing with Bill Hyndman III at the Masters and remembered making a long putt on the 18th green while playing with him. Golf is not such a small world!
Stephen Hoffman and his son, Boston, picked up golf at the same time. Stephen had always been a baseball player, but got into golf later in life; Boston was just 2 years old when he first picked up a club. By the age of 6, Boston began taking lessons with Mike Thomas, Justin Thomas’ dad, and competing in national junior golf tournaments. There was just one problem — junior golf clothes were boring.
Boston had a closet full of polos, but none of them fit just right. Plus, the father-son, caddie-player duo loved to match on the course, so when Boston told his dad he wanted to dress like Justin Thomas, they had an idea — Boston Scott Golf.
Stephen Hoffman, an analytical thinker with a computer science background, took a logical approach to shirt design. He and Boston discussed everything that was wrong with polo shirts — some are too slim, others too big, the sleeves are too long, there isn’t enough room in the armpit, the back ends up looking like a tail when untucked, the collar doesn’t stay up, etc. They ripped apart dozens of shirts, created their own patterns, secured a patent for their designs and, thanks to a connection from a former business endeavor, easily found a manufacturer.
They wore them to a few tournaments and received amazing feedback from other families on the junior golf circuit. The unique patterns were refreshing in the junior golf space, and the men’s shirts sold on consignment at country clubs up and down the east coast.
They even started to generate chatter among mini-tour players, but they wanted to think bigger. Their minds wandered to the PGA Tour. Earlier in 2020, Scott Piercy created some controversy over some social media remarks and consequently lost his clothing sponsorship. Boston Scott, a family-friendly brand, did not take the remarks lightly but decided that everyone deserves a second chance. They got to know Piercy, listened to his apology, vetted his reputation through other PGA Tour friends, and developed a relationship with him and his family. They knew pretty quickly that Piercy was their guy.
Right now, Boston Scott sells a wide variety of patterned shirts and a few accessories, like hats and belts. A proprietary fabric construction method tightens size variance to almost zero, so once you know your size, you can order any color or pattern. Soon, the brand will release pants and shorts using a fabric technology that will help it feel cool to the touch even on the hottest of days. They’re also working on a new golf shoe, which you can expect to see on Piercy in the coming months. A line of women’s clothes, too, are on the horizon.
Learn more about this growing brand at bostonscottgolf.com and scroll down to see a few of our favorite items available today.
First Tee of Greater Philadelphia, Executive Director
Dear Friends,I hope that this message finds you, your family and loved ones healthy and safe. As our community works together to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we want to reach out to you, our valued donors and supporters, to provide an update on how the organization has adjusted so that our robust programming schedule continues in the online world we’re now operating in.Following Governor Wolf’s stay at home orders, First Tee of Greater Philadelphia postponed all spring programming, activities and fundraising events. In addition, both Walnut Lane and John F. Byrne Golf Club’s suspended play. Even though we had over 300 participants registered for our Spring programs and thousands more slated to participate in our National School Program initiatives, we had to put everything on hold. We know our students were eager to get started, as were our coaches and volunteers! So, our dedicated staff worked incredibly hard to create engaging and innovative opportunities, with daily ‘virtual’ programming for all participants. Last week we had a total reach of almost 10,000. Over the past few years, the Board of Directors and I have worked hard to build up our Cash Reserve fund as an ‘insurance policy’ for unforeseen circumstances. The current crisis is far worse financially than we could have ever imagined and has dramatically stalled our $1 million annual fundraising efforts. As a result, we have cut all budgeted expenses for the next 90 days by 60%. On the positive side, our cash reserve supplemented with help from the Cares Act legislation will help us continue operations until the environment normalizes. We look forward to keeping you informed about how we are continuing to impact the lives of young people by providing educational programs that build character, instill life-enhancing values, and promote healthy choices, through the game of golf. Your dedication makes it possible for us to positively influence young people within our community. We remain committed to serving our participants and their families throughout this unprecedented time. I sincerely thank you for making everything we do possible and for helping to make the world a better place.
Harry Donahue Jr. is a longtime KYW News-radio anchor and is a First Tee partner and advocate. He hosts Inside Golf and is the voice of Temple University Football/Basketball.The New Polio: What Would Mom and Dad Have Done? By Harry Donahue Jr. I wish my parents were alive right now. So that I could hear all about the decisions they had to make, the fears they experienced and the trust they had in medical professionals when I was diagnosed with Poliomyelitis in 1950. At the time there was no vaccine. The number of cases in Philadelphia that year was the highest in history. There was no explanation as to why I got it but my older brother did not. I still have memories of lying in a bed in Philadelphia’s Municipal Hospital. My parents were allowed brief visitations over the course of the month I was there. They and my brother were under a semi-quarantine in our home as I lay in that hospital room with as many as four other children who had been diagnosed with the virus. I vividly recall when they would bring with them toys and stuffed animals. I even remember them waving goodbye to me when their visits would end. And sometimes one or two of the older children in the room would try to get my attention by calling me a “dumbbell”. Chalk it up as my first experience with bullying.I never got the chance to hear in my parent’s own words what it was like for them. Looking back on it, I‘m amazed at their ability to live that experience and carry on. They did have a lot in their favor. They had supportive family members and friends. They trusted their doctors. And above all, they were people of great faith. Thank goodness they did not have the distractions of “doom day” predictions or prognosis from social media and “talking heads”. Somehow, though, even if they did, Betty and Harry Donahue, would have discreetly dismissed such opinions and stayed the course.When I left the hospital and returned home, I was visited weekly by a physical therapist who put me through a rigorous exercise program while I wore a leg brace that weighed one quarter as much as I did. With the brace removed I did leg pumps on our dining room table trying to restore some muscle mass in my atrophied right calf. With the brace on, the therapist would guide me along a seam in our living room rug trying to maintain balance while walking a straight line. In between visits, my mother would do the same while never displaying a “woe is me” attitude. There wasn’t time for self-pity.Almost two years later, the brace came off. I could almost walk a straight line. My parents knew I’d never be an Olympic sprinter, but that never discouraged them, and in the process, it did not discourage me. On the contrary, I never heard either of them say “ You can’t do that” or “Why don’t you try something else” whenever I wanted to play stickball, touch football or basketball with neighborhood friends. They normalized every bit of my life. They refused to overprotect me. They were survivors in every way. Children of the depression whose own parents had taken on the loss of jobs and businesses and came out those tunnels ready for the next challenge. They had scars and they had feared. But they overcame each and everyone in a silent demonstration of hope, trust, and love. That is the legacy of Betty and Harry Donahue and the legacy of thousands like them. We can only pray that their response 70 years ago can inspire today’s generation of parents.So thanks Mom and Dad for what you did. For guiding me through my Poliovirus experience. Yes, I wish you were here now to share your wisdom and strength. But though you are certainly missed, I have to believe somewhere there are parents just like you. Similar in their own way at being that guiding light to their children, family, and friends.Your loving son,Harry Jr.
Due to the current CoronaVirus (COVID-19) outbreak and in the best interest of public safety, the Walnut Lane and John F. Byrne Golf Clubs will be completely closed until further notice. In addition, all First Tee student programming is suspended until further notice. Because the situation is developing hour by hour, we will be closely monitoring in order to make the best decisions possible going forward.
First Tee of Greater Philadelphia appreciates your support and understanding as we proceed through this challenging time. We can not do the work that we do without your support, as we invest in Good Students, Good Citizens and eventually Good Employees.
The Leaders and Achievers Gala was an amazing night. Thank you all who attended and supported the event.
Hearing the transformational impact The First Tee had on the lives of our students was extraordinary. Thank you, Philadelphia Eagles Coach Pederson, for inspiring each of us to always be the best versions of ourselves and continue to persevere. Many thanks to our host, John Clark who made us laugh while engaging us with The First Tee mission. Finally, Chet Walsh’s heartfelt celebration of his father’s legacy had everyone inspired to continue to give back and to make the world a better place.
Together we are building Good Golfers but even Better People!
We had 4 teams compete over a 3 month period. We had practiced for the first few weeks and matches followed. Thank you to Sean for allowing us to block off the front 7 holes on a few afternoons, we got lucky to play in a few misty days where it wasn’t an issue of public play.
Each team had a captain, who was an older TFT student. They were held responsible for communicating to their team members, organizing who will attend practices and reporting that information with me. The captains did a great job in being on time, and always leading their team whether it was a match or a practice. They also had the responsibility of putting together their team’s “lineups.” Each match they paired there teams of 8 players into twosomes.
The kids/parents really enjoyed having the responsibility of running their own team. Every week, they enjoyed competing against each other and they all improved their scoring throughout the season.
Team Platinum took the crown for this year’s Team Champion for the 2019 Fall League. Great job and we look forward to 2020!
Support Our Participants at the 2025 Truist Championship!
Our students have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to serve as standard bearers at the 2025 Truist Championship, walking alongside professional golfers! You can help make this experience possible by sponsoring a participant.
📢 Click HERE to learn more and sponsor a student today!
