Category: Coach’s Corner

TFT PGA JR. LEAGUE

By Coach Anthony

     
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!

TFT Championship Recap

By Coach Anthony
It was a beautiful day to host our 2019 Championship at Walnut Lane Golf Club. With 45 participants coming to play, it was a great way to end our Major Tournament Series.
 
18 Hole Championship
Our Boys Division came down to a single stroke with Julian Cuirlino (76), inching out Lenny Gipson (77). Joseph Holahan and Jeremiah Brown both Tied for 3rd with rounds of 80.
Our Girls Division was won by Dakota Baker with a score of 85 followed by her sister Phoenix Baker who finished in 2nd place.
9 Hole Championship
Our 9 hole division was a tight-knit contest with scores in the low 40’s. Max Menna with 5 pars on his day fired the tournament-best, with a score of 38, and won the competition by 5 strokes.
Coming in second with a score of 43 was Gabby Magno who played a steady round!
Dennis Losset came in 3rd with a round of 45.
Everyone that came out to play demonstrated their 9 core values to the fullest. Concluding the round, participants anxiously awaited to see who became this years TFTGP Champion. Thank you to all that came out to participate, especially the parents for dedicating a beautiful Sunday afternoon to be at Walnut Lane Golf Club. Congratulations once again to Julian Cuirlino and Max Menna for bringing home the 2019 TFT Greater Philadelphia Championship Title.
 

My Intern Experience By Ashley Murphy

  My name is Ashley Murphy and I had the pleasure of interning for The First Tee of Greater Philadelphia during the summer of 2019. During my time here, I got a taste of all aspects of the organization including fundraising, event planning, business operations, and coaching. Before starting this position, I knew about The First Tee and their mission, but I did not realize how significant its impact was on the participating children and the surrounding community.  One of my duties here was coaching for Kids on the Hill, in which we teach the game of golf to the kids of the Police Athletic League of Philadelphia. It is special to get kids involved with the game of golf, especially when they do not have many other opportunities to play.  In addition to teaching the children golf skills, I experienced what it takes to fundraise and put on events for this organization. I sent thank you letters to donors and emailed local businessmen and women about possibly participating in upcoming events in support of The First Tee. In addition to this, I saw the business operations side of the organization from many different viewpoints. I attended my first ever board meeting, where the Board of Directors discussed both the past and future of the organization. Plus, I sat in on an advisory board meeting, where partnering businessmen and women working at local companies suggested ideas and helped to plan for upcoming events. Throughout college, I have learned the importance of networking and building relationships, and this meeting definitely emphasized this. Connecting to the corporate world is essential for the stability and growth of a non-profit, and it is fascinating to see these connections take place. In addition to the board and advisory meetings, I saw how the organization operates from the viewpoint of staff members. Attending the staff meeting provided me with insight on things that were going well and potential improvements to be made within the organization. The First Tee of Greater Philadelphia has a small number of full-time employees, which allowed me to have a closer look into the different responsibilities necessary to successfully run the non-profit every day.  During my last week as an intern here, I attended the special event called Tee Time: Girls Golf and Fashion Show. This intrigued me because the game of golf is typically considered to be a male-dominated sport. It is essential for young women to experience the game of golf, as well as the life skills and opportunities involved. Not only did many of The First Tee female students play 9 holes, but they modeled Lilly Pulitzer outfits in a fashion show. This was a great way for the girls to build confidence, which is one of the core values this organization focuses on.  Overall, I am very thankful for all the opportunities I have received, as well as the connections made here at The First Tee. I vividly noticed the positive impact this organization has on the children and the community. I encourage more kids, parents, companies, and individuals to get involved. Thank you to the team members and students of The First Tee for a great experience!

John F. Byrne Classic

By Coach Anthony
Thank you all for participating in our TFT Tournament series at John F. Byrne for the 2019 JFB Classic. It was a great afternoon for golf, and our students demonstrated out 9 core values to the fullest!
There were some great scores for a challenging course that most students have never played. We appreciate you all thanking the John F. Byrne Staff for having us there as well!
 
Congratulations to our tournament winners.
9 Hole Division: 
Devin Carpenter – 40
13 hole Girls Division *
Charli Jones – +16
18 Hole Division – Boys
Ben Patterson – 86

TFT Philly JR League Team Update

By Coach Anthony  
Our Walnut Lane Team finished with a 2-2-1 record.  Our FDR Team finished with a 2-3 Record. Made a lot of progress with this team throughout the season as they progressed very well.
  • Our 13u League combines with “All Star’s” for the postseason Play. Depending on what place we finish in, that will determine how many we get to choose.
  • The section qualifier will be held August 13th at Penn Oaks Golf Club
Our 17u Team has been playing there Play Day’s at various locations. They are really enjoying the atmosphere and the courses they get to play!
  • 17u Championship is August 5th @ West Chester Golf and Country Club

TFT Philly Invitational

TFTGP hosted 8 TFT Chapter teams from the Northeast and South Carolina Sunday to Tuesday. The TFT Philly Invitational started with a life skills assessment (used in final day scoring), an alternate shot and scramble practice round, fun in the dunk tank, a skills challenge, a water balloon toss, and a cook-out! With TFTGP having 3 teams representing them, on Monday the 41 students played a Stableford format at Cobbs Creek Golf Club Olde Course, and the fun continued with a night at Dave and Busters! Tuesday, the crew got a tour of our FDR facility and the Nova Care Center, The Philadelphia Eagles practice facility. Shout out to Mike Quick, Dave Spadaro, and special guest practicing on the field, Malcolm Jenkins!
During the tour, Dave Spadaro spoke about ownership and how important it is to wake up excited about what the day will bring, how to be your best, and how to create a winning team for yourself. All the teams represented what The First Tee is incredibly well, and we were extremely excited to present the trophy to TFT Aiken. They had 1 perfect life skills assessment score and their golf shined through. Shout out to TFT Philly Team 1 for coming in second by 2 points!

TFT Tournament at St. Martins Recap

  By Coach Anthony Thanks to all who participated in today’s TFT Tournament at St. Martin’s. It was a great day on the course, and there were some great scores as well. St. Martin’s is a beautiful place and I am glad our participants got the chance to play there!
 
Thank you all for doing a great job representing TFT of Greater Philadelphia!
 
There is also a picture album I created in Google Drive. Feel free to add to them or use the pictures!
Congratulations to the following winners: 
 
Boys Division: Devin Carpenter
Girls Division: Alaina Carson
Closest To the Pin: 
Boys – Joshua Brown
Girls – Alaina Carson
Longest Drive:
Boys – Charlie Baraldie
Girls –  Andi Jones
Congrats and thank you to everyone who came out today! Our next Tournament is July 28th at John F. Byrne. 

St. Martin’s Tournament Results

Thank you all for participating in today’s TFT Tournament at St. Martin’s. It was a great day on the course, and there were some great scores.
Congratulations to the following winners: 
Ages : 16-18 Winner – Lenny Gipson (35)
Ages: 14-15 Winner – Anthony Carson (40)
Girls – Winner – Phoenix Baker (46)
Closest To the Pin: 
Boys – Anthony Carson (5 Feet)
Girls – Phoenix Baker (10 Feet)
Longest Drive:
Boys – Jeremiah Brown
Girls – Dakota Baker
Congrats and thank you to everyone who came out today! Our next Tournament is July 28th at John F. Byrne.

South Philly Open

By Coach Anthony Hoffman Battling the radar, 35 TFT Participants came out to FDR golf course to test their skills in our 2nd TFT Tournament of the year. The South Philly Open. Tee Times for the day started at 2:50 pm with our 15-18-year-old students setting the pace. After a minor storm delay, everyone was on the course by 4:30 pm.
Our 18 hole Divisions played a stroke play event. Our 9 hole Divisions played a Stableford event which the player with the most “points” after 9 holes wins.
The Divisions of play and Champions were as followed : 
Stroke Play
18 Hole Boys – Julian Ciurlino (79)
18 Hole Girls – Dakota Baker (82)
Stableford
9 Hole Futures – Devin Carpenter (25 points)
9 Hole Discoveries – Spencer Einck (21 Points)
Runner-Ups 
18 Hole Boys – Sam Smith
18 Hole Girls – Phoenix Baker
9 Hole Futures – Max Menna (24Points)
9 Hole Discoveries – Nathan Anderson (18 Points)
The weather held off just enough to get the tournament in. The 9 Hole Discovery Division was scored off of 8 holes, due to the fact that weather did not allow a few groups to finish with strong Thunderstorms rolling through the area.
We want to thank all of the parents and participants for coming out and enjoying a day of golf, learning some new things, and being competitive. Each and every
one of the students did an excellent job following the 9 core values throughout the day!
Our next Tournament will be June 25h at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, St. Martins Course.

Coach’s Corner: Simulator League Update

By: Anthony Hoffman

This Past Saturday concluded our Winter Simulator Series with a championship at the Junior Level (10-13yrs old) and the ‘Amateur Level’ (14-18yrs old). After 6 weeks of Regular season play, 4 students of each level qualified for the championship event. Lenny Gipson held the low round of the series with a 3 under par score in week 5 to help solidify his spot amongst the finalist. The 4 selections for each division’s championship contenders were based upon season-long scoring averages.

 
The Qualifiers were:
Amateur level: 
Samuel Smith
Luke Beggy
Lenny Gipson
Richard Beggy
 
Junior Level:
Devin Carpentar
Johnny “Banana Boy” Strollo
Gianna Cerne
Joey Mancini
;
The Junior Championship Round went off at 9:00 am with the Amateur Championship followed at 11:30 am.
Junior Champion: Devin Carpentar
 
Amateur Champion: Luke Beggy
It was a great season, and we can’t wait to get outside to see how the game translates!