Category: Blog

Raise your hand if you’re a Mom, Dad, Mimi, Grammy, Papa, Great Uncle, Best Aunt, Super Cool Big Brother, or Cousin twice removed of a kiddo that ranges between walking and graduating from college? Great. You are in for a treat! On Monday, August 20, The First Tee of the Sandhills and Pinehurst Resort are hosting Kick Back at The Cradle. Whether you have an hour or all afternoon – this event is designed with each of our kid-at-heart in mind, to be fun no matter which is higher – age or handicap! Fun and games will run from 3:00pm until dark. For a $25 donation, your options for fun will be endless. You’ll get a tee time on The Cradle, Closest to the Pin Contest, an age appropriate putt-putt competition on Thistle Dhu, shots at the Golfzilla, a Super Cool t-shirt, and a voucher for a grab a go dinner. So organize the family, head over to firstteesandhills.org/thecradle, reserve your tickets, and we will see you on Monday, August 20 – for a ton of summer memories! PS: Make sure to purchase your ticket in advance, walk up purchasers are not guaranteed a tee time on The Cradle!

Growing up as a golfer in the 1990’s and early 2000’s, team and golf were two words that didn’t get intermixed, frequently. At least not at the junior amateur level. While we had the opportunity to play on our high school team, and later college team, the format was always the same – individual stroke play tallied up for a team score with the lowest team score winning the event. Every other year, I would, and still do, boil over in excitement when the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup are contested. Wearing Red, White and Blue all week, tracking matches online and watching as much television coverage as possible. Those matches aren’t about individual scores for eighteen holes. They are about teamwork, comradery, hole to hole competition in a match play format, and representing your country! Now, back to amateur golf. Originating in 1957, the Virginias – Carolinas Women’s Team Matches have been contested for 62 years while alternating venues annually between Virginia/West Virginia and NC/SC. Each team is comprised of 24 players – 14 Amateurs and 10 Senior Amateurs – all of which have either received automatic exemptions, earned ranking points or were selected through a captain’s pick. In mid-June my cell phone rang. It was a call I had been anticipating, but with a bit of uncertainty. It was good news. I had been extended a Captain’s invitation to compete on the Carolinas Team in the upcoming matches. I was elated! And, overwhelmed with the responsibility to come. As a captain’s pick, I wanted to be an asset for my teammates and captains while representing the Carolinas Golf Association to the best of my ability. This year’s matches were contested at Sea Pines Country Club on Hilton Head Island. A private strip of heaven on earth. Truly one of the best golf courses I have played in a really long time. It was fair, but tough. Lots of nagging hazards and overhanging limbs, Par 5s that were three shot holes, and uniquely shaped green complexes. The format for the matches included Four-Ball Match Play, Pinehurst Modified Alternate Shot Match Play and Singles Match Play. Each format provided opportunity to earn up to three points – 1 for front, 1 for back, and 1 overall. Keeping every match ‘in play’, all day. It was our captain’s responsibility to pair up personalities for the first two days of matches. Hoping to garner as many points as possible early on as the Day 3 singles would be worth 50% of the overall points for the week. Day 1 my partner was Courtney McKim. A 28 year old lefty who played at Alabama. After the front nine, I decided to focus on safely driving the golf cart and making pars because Courtney was on fire. She rolled in 8 birdies over the course of the round and I wasn’t going to get in her way! At the end of Day 1, the Carolinas were up 23.5 to 12.5. Day 2 my partner was Kayla Thompson. A 22 year old, freshly minted Alum from University of North Carolina at Wilmington. My home for the first two years of college – go Seahawks! It took us a few holes to get comfortable with the alternate shot format as it plays very differently on Par 3s, 4s, and 5s. To get a visual, you both tee off, then hit from your partners tee shot, then decide which ball you want to play and alternate from that point in. Once we got in the groove, we had a blast. On most holes we ended up using my tee shot, Kayla’s approach and my putt. Together we compiled 6 birdies and were able to secure all three points for the Carolinas. At the end of Day 2, the Carolinas were up 51 to 21 with 72 points still on the table for Day 3. Day 3 was Singles. In a random draw, I was paired against Katie Turk, who Courtney McKim and I played again during Four Ball on Day 1. Katie is another lefty and a rising senior at JMU. Our match started on the back nine. We both hit some good shots the first few holes and our putters were just a bit cold. But, as we got in the groove my putter found a few hot holes and I was able to get up early in the match. After working to control my nervous energy and capitalize on confidence built throughout the week, I secured our team three full points in Singles play. At the end of Day 3, the Carolinas had secured the cup, winning the matches with a final score of 89 to 55. What a great feeling to have participated in my first team event for the Carolinas Golf Association. I was humbled to have been selected and look forward to working hard to earn a spot on the team in 2019. Go Carolinas!            

More than ever, local and world news reminds me why it’s so important to invest in the next generation. Teaching young people the value of respect, how to manage emotions and embrace diversity. By being a positive influence on these individuals we are making deposits in the future of our communities. Earlier this month, on June 18, 96 golfers, 16 volunteers, 12 local youth, 18 sponsors and local businesses joined forces to celebrate and elevate. It was a coming together of community to embrace the mission of The First Tee and make deposits in its future in the Sandhills.  Volunteers, Youth Participants, Board Members and Donors wore various hats as we successfully pulled off another CADDIEMASTER Open. This year held at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club. Participants enjoyed a friendly Shamble competition, where a Low Net and Low Gross Champion was crowned, followed by a reception and awarding of prizes for closest to pin, long drive, battle of the sexes – and more! While the field was strong, participants were given a little assistance from youth of The First Tee, staged on Par 3s to play as the 5th Man (or woman) by hitting extra tee shots and stroking extra putts as well as one hole where a high school participant played the entire hole with the group. Chatter around the scoring table told the story of their help! Another twist on their round was two-fold, as participants approached the hardest Par 3 on the course, they would be given the opportunity to be guaranteed a Hole in One for their team, before hitting a shot, simply by signing up to Sponsor a Child, ensuring a scholarship for a future curriculum program participant with The First Tee of the Sandhills. The generosity of our supporters paid off as 37 Hole in One’s were recorded and 37 new youth scholarships opened up. While the overall winner of the day was The First Tee of the Sandhills, the hardware was ready for distribution. Our 2017 Winners at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club included Low Net Team, sponsored by Pepsi Bottling Ventures, of Shannon Pankey, Tom Lee and Doug Dickens as well as Low Gross Team of Pat McGowan, Ralph Ronalter, Mike Fields, and Attie Giles. As we look back on another successful Caddiemaster Open, thank you to each and every individual that contributed to the success of the day. Your enthusiasm and commitment to The First Tee of the Sandhills is ensuring that together we are going good kids through golf! Be on the lookout for an announcement coming soon in regard to our 2019 event date and details – held at the prestigious Country Club of North Carolina.

We’ve just wrapped up spring Volunteer orientation and training. Many of our new and returning volunteers joined us to get re-acclimated and excited for 2018. A big thank you to all in attendance! During training, one volunteer noted it always seems as if the boys in class are trying to ‘swing out of their shoes’ and fall all over the place wanting to hit it far while the girls seem so ‘in control’ of their shots. While this analogy doesn’t hold true for all the boys and girls in programs – my daughter being a perfect example – it does bring up a great point about the importance of Balance and how it’s addressed during programs at The First Tee. All participants, age 7 and up, begin in the PLAYer program at The First Tee. After a quick review of the curriculum for this nine week program, you will see balance mentioned across multiple platforms – warmups, body awareness activities, golf fundamentals and life skills curriculum. Terms such as body balance, body awareness, a balanced start, a balanced finish and being balanced during your swing are just a few of the balance components implemented during the PLAYer curriculum. Clearly, The First Tee is indicating that balance is important in our everyday life – both off and on the course! One really fun balance activity I enjoy doing with participants, no matter their golfing ability, involves using a pool noodle. It’s an activity you can practice in your back yard or at the driving range – no matter how young or old you are! This activity will test your current balance while helping you find better balance. First, pick a target. Set something up, a bucket or hula hoop will work, about 30 yards away from where you’re going to hit. Next, your pool noodle. I’ve seen two types of noodles at the dollar store, thin and thick. Adults, use the thicker, kiddos the thinner. Many of us use a golf club or alignment stick when practicing, today, instead of using a straight object for alignment, you’re going to line up the noodle and stand on it. For round one, set up as if you’re going to hit a golf ball, but instead of swinging a club, simply toss the ball towards your target. Don’t forget to make your normal swing motion! For round two, grab your club and practice brushing the grass a few times. Then, round three, it’s time to pitch balls into your target while still standing on the noodle. Too easy? Try doing all three with your eyes closed! Once you’ve completed this activity, remove the noodle and begin hitting pitch shots like normal. How does it feel? Are you grounded? Stable? In balance? As our very observant volunteer noted this week, an unbalanced swing is not likely to set the stage for a positive outcome on the course. Our goal will be to help participants find their balance on the course and later transition that application to being balanced in their weekly activities, and mindsets, at home, school and with friends. So, once you’ve headed out and tried this noodle drill, shoot me a note and let me know your findings!