7/9/17 We made it! excited for another great trip! Julian, Tori, Kyndall and Andrew will be representing us in the 9th annual Northeast Regional Challenge for The First Tee! Thanks to The First Tee of Raritan Valley for hosting!!   7/10/17 TFTGP students are enjoying their day exploring the Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island! Thanks The First Tee of Raritan Valley!   I said “serious picture” meaning just smiles! But so proud of these 4 who represented us at the 9th annual Northeast Regional Challenge! They came in 2nd place! AND Andrew Magno got his first Hole-In-One!!! Thanks again The First Tee of Raritan Valley!

The First Tee Philly Offers Unique Experience at Celebrity Invitational

  The First Tee of Greater Philadelphia will be hosting the 2017 Celebrity Invitational Presented by Accenture at Huntington Valley Country Club on July 17th, 2017.  “Accenture has been a longtime supporter of The First Tee and we would not be where we are today without their support” says Bill Hyndman, Executive Director of The First Tee Of Greater Philadelphia. “Our kids appreciate Accenture’s leadership in being our Title Sponsor for the Celebrity Invitational.  Their support makes all that we do possible.” This event is unique because it will allow the kids of The First Tee to caddy for the celebrities and get to know each of them. This is a great experience that will last a lifetime and it is just one of many benefits of being involved with The First Tee of Greater Philadelphia. The goal of the Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament is to raise funds to continue 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. Dinner tickets are still available and can be purchased at www.firstteephiladelphia.org.   Huntingdon Valley Country Club is a premier golf course that is consistently rated on Golf Week’s Top 100 Classic Courses and currently hold the 78th position. The club is also ranked by Golf Digest as the 9th best course in Pennsylvania. The outing will include numerous Philadelphia area celebrities such as Dr. J, Mike Quick, Gary Dornhoffer, Ron Jaworski, Merrill Reese and many others. The First Tee of Greater Philadelphia has experienced tremendous growth over the last few years. The number of female program participants has increased from 41% to 48% which is one of the highest female participation rates of the 155 First Tee chapters in the United States. The number of female coaches has also grown to 30% which include some alumni. On the program side, they have significantly increased their certification program offerings from two days weekly to six days weekly at their two existing Philadelphia facilities (Walnut Lane Golf Club and The Jay Sigel Learning Center).  The Chapter now offers 1,500 students, 18 weekly classes, up from a total of five classes during the two-day weekly sessions.  The First Tee of Greater Philadelphia is in the preliminary stage of introducing certification programs at three new locations. Inside their National Schools Program and DRIVE curriculum, The First Tee is currently in 35 Philadelphia schools, reaching 15,000 students. Currently, 15% of The First Tee of Greater Philadelphia student population is special needs youth.  Within the last year, The First Tee has partnered with ELS for Autism, The Overbrook School for the Blind and the Widener Memorial School.  The First Tee has established an initiative to refine and develop programs for special needs children. As of 2017, Kids on the Hill, a Philadelphia Police Athletic League (PAL) youth golf organization, joined The First Tee of Greater Philadelphia. This summer, an additional 80 young golfers from five PAL centers, are learning The First Tee’s philosophy of golf being more than a game.  They are being introduced to The First Tee Nine Core Values and Nine Healthy Habits while learning how to play golf. First Tee coach and former Kids on the Hill alum, Vinny De Torro,  speaks highly of his time with Kids on the Hill and now with The First Tee of Greater Philadelphia. “I was very fortunate to be involved the program when I was younger because it allowed me to fall in love with the game of golf.  I will always appreciate the opportunities I was given through the Kids on the Hill program and the impact it has had on my life. This is why I have decided to give back to The First Tee and help coach these wonderful kids.” The Celebrity Invitational is one of many vital events in helping support The First Tee of Greater Philadelphia and all of their great programming. You can find out more about the celebrity invitational and The First Tee at www.firstteephiladelphia.org. The First Tee of Greater Philadelphia is an international youth development organization introducing the game of golf and its inherent values to young people. Through after school and in school programs, we help shape the lives of young people from all walks of life by reinforcing values like integrity, respect and perseverance through the game of golf. And it’s making a difference.Good Golfers. Better People. Find out more at www.firstteephiladelphia.org

  6/30/17 Almost home! We had a wonderful trip! After playing cards until 11:30 TFTGP students did an awesome job getting up and to the van by 3:45am!!! Of course there was a lot of sleep to be had on the bus! Thanks again Carolinas Leadership Academy for having us! Hope to see you again next year! Look for some stories from the students in the coming weeks! 6/29/17 This is #TheFirstTee so impressed with all these kids. Complimenting each other, helping each other and being themselves together! Last day here at Carolinas Leadership Academy finishing the round atSandpiper Bay Golf and Country Club and then off to graduation!   6/28/17 The First Tee of Brunswick County alumni Cameryn Smith shared her story with the students Carolinas Leadership Academy! It was super inspirational and I’ll leave you all with her words “you can sit back and let the worst thing in your life define you or you can let it motivate you to become who you’re suppose to be.”   After a tournament at Sandpiper Bay Golf and Country Club the students got some great advice from the Mayor of Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina and now they are enjoying the beach! #learningtheimportanceofsunsreen#reapplyreapply     6/27/17 Participants at Carolinas Leadership Academy are getting ready for the par 3 championship today at 4pm! Stay tuned for the results! #pitchshots#pitch #golf #lifeskills #leadership 6/25/17 #FirstTee #HavingaBlast #MeetingNewFriends 9 TFTGP Students are traveling to the Carolinas leadership academy !

The First Tee is proud to be partnered with the Police Athletic League to run the Kids on the Hill program which was started by James D. Sykes to promote youth golf. We kicked off the summer program at Horsham Family Golf under the direction of Officer Ernie Rehr and First Tee Intern (and Kids on the Hill Alumni) Vinnny De Torro. “I was very fortunate to be involved the program when I was younger because it allowed me to fall in love with the game of golf” Vinny says. “I will always appreciate the opportunities I was given through the Kids on the Hill program and the impact it has had on my life. This is why I have decided to give back to The First Tee and help coach these wonderful kids.” These PAL kids will experience 7 weeks of golf instruction and learn some of The First Tee’s Nine Core Values and Life Skills to help in their life’s journey. Thanks for starting this great program Mr. Sykes!  

  Walnut Lane Golf Club invites you to compete in an epic 3 Club Challenge on July 13th. You can only use 3 clubs the entire round! This is a great test of skill and strategy but it will also be a 2 man scramble so think wisely about how you choose as your partner! There will be Dalesandro’s cheesesteaks available after the round to help celebrate…..or ease your suffering. Sign up now as spots are limited!    Event Highlights * 2-Man Scramble format * 3-clubs. You only get three. Choose wisely (4,500 yards from the tips) * Dalessandro’s Cheesesteaks after the event. *Sponsored by Budweiser family of beers $75 per player

Sign up HERE *REGISTRATION IS LIMITED

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — William Hyndman’s first meeting with the superintendent of Walnut Lane Golf Course was an eye-opener. As executive director of the youth development non-profit The First Teeof Greater Philadelphia, Hyndman had become the de facto general manager of the course somewhat reluctantly. The Parks and Rec Department had been unable to find a management company willing to take on the course, which had been neglected by prior contractors. Overgrown trees crowded the fairways, storm damage created an eye sore around the perimeter, golfers were going elsewhere. Though not its primary mission, the First Tee agreed to try to turn it around. “The board decided– we wanted to invest in the community and it was too important to the kids in our program– to step up and run the golf course,” says Hyndman. So he went to meet the superintendent and found him covering his desk, inside the maintenance building, with a tarp. “Why?” Hyndman asked. “He said, ‘it’s supposed to rain tonight.’” Hyndman looked up and saw eight holes in the roof. Things got worse before they got better. Impatient neighbors complained. KYW Newsradio did a story about the dead trees, downed limbs and gnarled fencing along Henry Avenue. But Hyndman says the story helped the non-profit get the help it needed to make improvements. Asplundh sent eight crews out to work for three days on the trees. Volunteers from the superintendents’ association helped aerate, top dress and reseed the entire course. Buckley construction has agreed to replace missing fences and gates “We’re starting to get some really good comments from the community and the golfers and our kids that are involved in our programs,” he says, “which is really gratifying because we have put in a lot of work.” Neighbor Feudi Pandola agrees, the improvements are apparent, even from outside the course. “I’m happy to say they’ve made progress,” says Pandola, who last year complained conditions were hazardous. Parks and Recreation Commissioner Kathryn Ott Lovell is also impressed. “Golf courses just require an incredible amount of maintenance,” she says, “and because we want to keep them affordable and accessible, they don’t generate as much revenue as a private golf club could and with all of our other needs, it’s just not something that we’ve been able to invest in to the level that it needs so we really rely on the concessionaires to be as innovative and creative as they can and the First Tee is a good example of that.” Hyndman says there’s more to do but he hopes to begin luring golfers back. He thinks they’ll be pleased with the turf and the greens. The pruned trees let more sunshine in and won’t interfere with their shots anymore. “Some people that may have had a bad experience when conditions were poor, if we can bring them back just once and they can see that things have improved immensely then we’ll get them to come back repeatedly.” In the meantime, though, the First Tee is busy most afternoons, grooming the future of golf with the youth development programs that are its main mission. Fourth-grader Caitlyn Plover was part of a group practicing their focus on the ball by walking with it on a tee across the Walnut Lane putting green. “My mother just asked me one day, ‘Caitlyn, do you want to play golf?’ and I said, ‘sure’ and here I am, four years later,” she says. “I like meeting new people. I like going out on the course.” While Caitlyn is proud of the techniques she’s learned in putting and driving, Hyndman says the real goal is bigger lessons. “We teach kids life skills: self management, resiliency, goal-setting and interpersonal skills,” he says, “they learn how to introduce themselves, they look you in the eyes, it’s very impressive. We want to teach kids core values so they can be successful in life. Our vehicle is the game of golf but our goal isn’t to teach kids to be phenomenal golfers.” Maybe not but Caitlyn thinks she’s pretty good. And she expects to get better. “I can see myself in retirement playing golf.”