Winter at The First Tee of the Sandhills can feel like an eternity, as our formal ‘off season’ from curriculum programs runs November through February. It’s our goal to find fun, unique ways to keep existing participants engaged and connected while encouraging new families to check out our programs and meet our volunteers.
We’ve decided to combine some of our favorite things – golf, bright lights, and food – into one fun night for kids.
On Friday, December 9th we’re hosting our first Glow Ball Night Event at Pinehurst No. 8. The fun and games are open to all youth age 5 to 18. Past participation in The First Tee is not a requirement. While some golf experience is encouraged!
Just imagine Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory converted into a glowing masterpiece and you get Night Golf. Participants will have their chance play a four-hole glow golf putting course, a cosmic chipping challenge on Hole 16 green and a glow ball up and down contest by Hole 18 green.
Hot cocoa and hand warmers will keep everyone warm during the outdoor games while pizza and prizes will provide refuel indoors.
Friendly competition will ensue, by age group, with winners taking home glow-tastic prizes!
There will be a staggered start for participants based on age. Five and six year olds start first at 5:15pm and teenagers, last, at 7:30pm. Cost to participate is $10 per child.
To learn more and get your family registered, visit firstteesandhills.org/glowball or call our office at 910.255.3035.
We’re looking forward to a great winter break, and this is just the start!
This week I came across a new commercial from Pedigree featuring a ‘lost’ dog, a golden retriever, that was ‘found’ by a lady attending a campaign rally, wearing the opposing candidates logo. During the commercial you see people with opposing election views come together, initially hesitant to do so, for the love of pets, to find the owner of the ‘lost’ dog.
Once the video captures the rally goers ‘change of heart’ for the girl with a differing t-shirt and her need for help, the ‘owner’ comes running up to retrieve her dog.
While Pedigree staged the experience, and told those captured on camera afterwards, the attendees were able to put aside their differences for their love of dogs.
The video was heartwarming and got me to thinking about diversity and inclusion at The First Tee.
Diversity is at the core of The First Tee’s identity and an essential component to success. Diversity is not seen as a project or special event, but an expression of our organization and an intentional process to ensure that our mission is fulfilled.
In the Pedigree video, diversity was a variety of similar and different characteristics among the people. Obvious differences included their political view points, gender and race. But, similar in their love for pets and sadness that this golden retriever was lost from its owner.
It’s important at The First Tee to embrace diversity, to encourage growth in low percentage areas, be it with teens, females, varying ethnicities, or children with disabilities. The real impact comes when we create a culture of inclusion that is accepting of differences and open to new ideas that can boost creativity and innovation, while responding to the needs of the community.
One thing that I truly love about The First Tee module is our drop off policy. When children are dropped off to attend programming in the care of a mentor, their opportunity for positive interaction with fellow participants grows.
While they may have obvious differences from one another upon arrival, their love for the program bonds them to open conversation, learn how to work together as a team, and develop a friendship.
Like the Pedigree commercial showed us, we do all have our differences. Even within our group of volunteers, board members and supporters – we are a diverse group of people that have found common ground – our love for the mission of The First Tee and the positive impact it will have in our communities.
If you haven’t done so already, and plan to vote on Tuesday, remember no matter what box, your fellow voters waiting in line, check on their ballot, at its fundamental root you both care about others, care about children, and care about making our communities better – it’s your common ground.
Sometimes we are quick to forget that young people from all backgrounds represent 100% of our future. Therefore, making diversity and inclusion a priority will drive long term positive outcomes.
It all starts with us. It’s a mission we can all be a part of.
During week five of programs this fall our PLAYer participants learned about Sportsmanship; one of the Nine Core Values integrated into our weekly curriculum lesson plans.
The First Tee defines Sportsmanship as observing the rules of play and winning or losing with grace. Players must know and abide by the rules of golf and be able to conduct themselves in a kind and respectful manner towards others, even in a competitive game.
For a participant to know how they act and react, they must be purposely exposed to games and activities that reinforce showing sportsmanship. Participants will play a game, like golf baseball, tic tac toe putting or twenty one, learn behaviors that are reflective of sportsmanship and work towards controlling their emotions throughout the activity.
Over the last few year’s golf’s social media platforms have been a-buzz with sportsmanship hashtags.
A few key moments have stood out to me.
On Sunday of the 2012 British Open Championship, Adam Scott bogeyed the last four holes, allowing Ernie Els to sneak in and win the event. Els finished two groups ahead of Scott, and while he played brilliantly on the back nine, he was emotionally conflicted.
He felt sad for his good friend, Adam. He awaited Adam’s arrival in the scoring area and told him, “I’m sorry how things turned out, I’ve been there many times and you’ve just got to bounce back quickly. Don’t let this thing linger.”
Ernie’s compassion and sportsmanship didn’t stop there. During his media interviews, he was very balanced with his words and emotions, happy to win but not overboard.
#Sportsmanship
Annually, during the Tour Championship, the PGA TOUR’s Payne Stewart Award is presented. Handed off to a player who best exemplifies Stewart’s steadfast values of character, charity and sportsmanship. This year, Jim Furyk was the recipient.
Furyk said that while Payne was a friend, peer and accomplished player on the Tour, he looked up to him. He wanted to emulate him.
During the award ceremony, Jim said, “it’s easy to look at a career and think of all the successes you’ve had. All the times you remember to say and do the right thing. To thank the right people.”
“But, if you play golf long enough, the game will beat you up. Times where you finish second more than first, or miss more cuts than cash paychecks. That’s when it’s easy to not act the proper way.”
He went on to say, “what Payne Stewart taught me was that in the toughest of times, you have to have character, keep your chin up and be someone that others will want to look up to. In bad times you will be tested the most.”
#Sportsmanship
A final example that may be most relevant to our mission here at The First Tee of the Sandhills is the story of a 7 year old boy from Spain. In May, he won a golf tournament thanks to a score of 50. But, after receiving the trophy and arriving back home, he realized he had actually shot 51.
Instead of staying mum about his error, the boy wrote a letter to his golf association, the Royal Andalusia Golfing Federation. Explaining that his dad taught him that accidentally signing a lower score is grounds for disqualification and that he wanted to return the trophy so that it could be given to the player who deserved it.
The response from their golf association? “A wonderful gesture of a player who, a mere seven years of age, has proven to be a true gentleman. He has already learned the most important thing golf can teach us: Honesty and a respect of the rules and of your peers.”
#Sportsmanship
Parents, Grandparents, Caregivers and teachers – Whether while at home, school or playing sports – I would encourage you to write down when you see your child show sportsmanship. How they displayed sportsmanship and the parameters of the situation. Later, you will be able to reference their positive actions, in turn encouraging future positive outcomes.
Elizabeth Nguyen spoke to group of 800 during Thursday’s Full Network Meeting
Pinehurst, NC (March 15, 2015) – Elizabeth Nguyen from The First Tee of the Sandhills was selected from candidates across the 175 chapters of The First Tee Network to attend The First Tee Outstanding Participant & Leadership Summit, March 11-15 in Dallas. The summit was an interactive and educational event in which participants were given the opportunity to develop and hone skills to become leaders in their chapters, schools and communities.
Among the dignitaries scheduled to address the 28 teenagers at the summit were President George Bush and World Golf Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam.
Educational workshops during the summit covered a variety of topics including college, the importance of community service and volunteerism, financial literacy, social media and more presented by experts in these fields. During the workshops, Lizzy will develop plans for leading a meaningful service project in our community as a way to apply the skills and concepts learned at the four-day summit. Lizzy’s service project goal is to successful engage teen girls into the game of golf for a lifetime while also growing the overall female base in The First Tee of the Sandhills.
Lizzy, a sophomore at Pinecrest High school was one of twenty eight participants selected to attend the weeklong summit where she was also asked to speak during the lunch session on Thursday. For five minutes Lizzy controlled a room of 800 Directors, Board Members, Coaches and advocates speaking on ‘The impact The First Tee has had on her life and how the lessons learned from The First Tee have transferred to her life off the golf course’. She did a fabulous job delivering her story and speaking from the heart. It was a powerful message, indeed.
Nguyen was one of 28 participants selected to attend the summit based on academic achievement, community service, chapter involvement, leadership, essay responses and letters of recommendation. The First Tee Outstanding Participant & Leadership Summit took place in conjunction with The First Tee Network Meeting, a biennial educational event for chapter leaders from around the country and select international locations.
A mere 22 days ago my house was recovering from a fun filled evening of trick or treating and candy eating, a Halloween celebration that spread across two weekends with school carnivals, church wide trunk or treats and door knocking. Yet, in just 33 days we will celebrate Christmas. A holiday that also has spread across a multi week time period as we look to celebrate with classmates, co-workers and family members near and far.
Sandwiched between October 31 and December 25 is Thanksgiving, falling on the fourth Thursday in November since 1940. As our children begin to get older, the history of this holiday – the true meaning, has become of interest to me.
Today, it feels to me that the media and day to day demands have recycled Thanksgiving as a time to encourage individuals to express general gratitude through the celebration of food and spending money while kicking off the Holiday gift giving. Instead of standing alone as a significant day that deserves its own place on the calendar without the commotion of other activities in the works.
Through research I found that the ‘reason’ for the Thanksgiving celebration, which for a few hundred years did not take place on the same day, varied.
The 1623 celebration marked the end of a long drought and a celebration of successful crop growing. During the American Revolution, Continental Congress designated multiple days of Thanksgiving a year. In 1789, George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation by the national government of the United States, calling Americans to express gratitude for the happy conclusion to the country’s war of independence.
Then, at the height of the Civil War, in 1863, Abraham Lincoln made a proclamation entreating all Americans to ask God to ‘commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife’ and to ‘heal the wounds of the nation.’
Lincoln was the first to schedule Thanksgiving for a set date, selecting the final Thursday in November.
During the Great Depression, Franklin Roosevelt moved the holiday up one week in an attempt to spur retail sales. A decision that was met with passionate opposition, but has stuck since 1940.
Reflecting on my findings has allowed me to embrace the true reason, in my eyes, for Thanksgiving even more this year.
It is uplifting to see that over time Thanksgiving was celebrated with diversity. A diverse group of individuals coming together to share in celebration and enjoy the available crop. A diverse number of reasons to celebrate each year and to reflect on previous celebrations.
Stirring up history makes my heart swell for all I have to be thankful for this year, both personally and professionally.
Our staff and board at The First Tee of the Sandhills has strived to ensure we are showing thanks ‘every step of the way’ as we have treaded through a year of change and success both on and off the course.
We are bursting with thanks for the opportunity to have retained relationships with volunteers, participants, community leaders and businesses while also making inroads in the execution of new plans, new faces in our volunteer line up, new participants in our curriculum programs and new partnerships with businesses and individual supporters.
We are thankful that so many share in our passion for the mission and vision of The First Tee of the Sandhills. To ensure that a diverse group of young people across the Sandhills are being provided the opportunity to develop and grow through mentorship and character education, giving them the exposure needed to become better citizens tomorrow and helping to make a lasting impact in our communities – all while enjoying the game of golf!
Thursday gives us an opportunity to reflect on a year of gratitude, but in actuality, we are thankful each and every day.
THANK YOU for being one of our ROCK STARS in 2015!
Your support allows us to operate programs, offer scholarships to youngsters, provide continued education to coaches and staff, ensure program quality is unmatched and so much more. You’re helping cement, grow and expand our programs while putting new, innovative plans in place during the year ahead. THANK YOU to each and every individual, business and foundation that contributed to our efforts in 2015!
From the Board of Directors and staff, our sincere thanks for your support in 2015 and continued support in 2016 and beyond!
Looking for a Quick Fall Getaway? Or a Weekend Guys Trip?
Enter to Win a Trip to Wild Dunes – Charleston’s Island Resort!
*Trip redeemable from September 11 to December 31, 2016*
On the tip of Isle of Palms, a barrier island off South Carolina, Wild Dunes Resort is a 1,600 acre, award winning, oceanfront oasis, 30 minutes from the charm and grace of historic Charleston.
At the heart of the resort, the Four Diamond Boardwalk Inn sits a mere 150 yards from the ocean, features a designated quiet pool and easy access to the popular The Grand Pavilion and Boardwalk. Also on property is the highly acclaimed Coastal Provisions, an upscale coastal restaurant in a casual atmosphere serving creative and fresh seafood creations
Designed by Tom Fazio and perennially ranked among the world’s best, the Links Course at Wild Dunes, offers rolling fairways framed by moss-bearded live oaks and rustling palms. Noteworthy for massive humpbacked sand dunes and finishing holes along the Atlantic Ocean, the Links recalls golf’s ancient Scottish heritage.
Also a Fazio design, the Harbor Course is a challenging test of shot making skills and strategic thinking. Water comes into play on nearly every hole as fairways skirt saltwater marshes, lagoons and the Intracoastal Waterway.
Our raffle winner will enjoy a two (2) night stay in a run of house Guestroom at the Boardwalk Inn Hotel, a round of golf for four (4) on the Harbor Golf Course, and a round of golf for four (4) on the Links Golf Course at Wild Dunes Resort.
RAFFLE TICKETS ARE $25 per TICKET
ONLY 100 TICKETS WILL BE SOLD!
WINNER TO BE DRAWN FRIDAY, AUGUST 12
Want to increase your chances of winning? Simply increase the quantity of raffle tickets from your check out cart in PayPal!
Good Luck & THANK YOU for Supporting The First Tee of the Sandhills!
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR SPONSOR A CLASS PROGRAMI’m Ready to Accept the Challenge! What’s next?
Step 1: Contact Executive Director, Courtney Stiles (910.255.3035 or [email protected])
Step 2: Formally Accept the Sponsor a Class Challenge
Step 3: Determine who you want to challenge next
Step 4: Set a time to tape your video + challenge the next group!
THANK YOU to our Sponsor a Class partners! Midland CC & Knollwood VillageDonovan & Laura BachtellJennifer Nguyen, Realtor – Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, Pinehurst Realty Group Pinehurst South Realty – Joy DonatFirst Bank Back
The First Tee of the Sandhills is having a grown-up Caddyshack party at Pinehurst Country Club Pool Complex and you’re invited! Join us on Friday, September 16 at 6pm for a night of live music and dancing with the McKenzie Brothers Band while delighting in dinner stations and cocktails provided by Pinehurst CC, Southern Pines Brewery and Jones von Drehle.
Even though it’s a 21 and older party, we’re still focused on the mission, growing good kids through golf. Benefits from the event will support programs, scholarships, outreach and development for our youth right here in the Sandhills.
In addition to great food, music, drinks and company, you’ll have the chance to test your golf skills on the Birdie Ball pinwheel. But don’t let the pool water make you nervous, as prizes will be on the line!
When the sunsets, grab a lounge chair and go back to the summer of 1980 while watching Caddyshack under the stars on the inflatable TV screen.
Don’t forget, it’s a theme party like no other, so wear your best Caddyshack inspired attire and get ready to make memories at our themed photo wall!
Ticket options include individual non reserved seating ($75) plus four and six pack reserved seating tables ($400 – $600). All tickets include full menu of food, beer and wine. Non reserved seating tickets will be available at the door. Learn more about this year’s event and grab your tickets today by visiting firstteesandhills.org/caddyshack.
Thank you for supporting The First Tee of the Sandhills!
The First Tee of the Sandhills Teen Selected For National Opportunity at Coca-Cola Headquarters in AtlantaCollege scholarship will be awardedCongratulations are in order for Elizabeth Nguyen, a rising Senior at Pinecrest High School. Lizzy has been selected to attend Coca-Cola America’s Future. An annual event provided by The First Tee home office that selects a mere five teens from across the country for participation. Only rising seniors are eligible to apply and selected participants are reviewed based on their school grades, involvement in their local chapter and community, as well as an essay on how they live their lives positively. Recently, I had the opportunity to play with Lizzy in the Moore County Women’s Amateur. We were paired together during the first round with a competitor that was our senior in age, but not in spirit! Prior to teeing off for our second round, she pulled me aside to express how much she enjoyed our round one pairing. She went on to say that while the golf was great, the one thing that most impressed her was Lizzy’s character. A true nod to the coaches that implement our programs and curriculum for being a positive component in Lizzy’s life. When Lizzy travels to Atlanta, she will join the other selected participants, representing Greater Sacramento, Delaware, Greater Charlotte and Atlanta, for four days where they will visit the Coca-Cola Company headquarters, attend area attractions in the heart of downtown Atlanta as well as the PGA TOUR’s TOUR Championship. In addition to their adventures, throughout the week these five participants will meet with business executives and take part in interviews to determine the winner of a $5,000 college scholarship. The four semifinalists will also be awarded a $1,000 scholarship.We are thrilled for Lizzy’s selection to Coca Cola America’s Future and look forward to cheering her on in September as she aims to bring home the $5,000 college scholarship. Here’s to a wonderful group of young people in the Sandhills!
Last week Kennedi Whitener-Mason, 15, and Alaina Malcolm, 17, joined 90 juniors from The First Tee chapters across the country in Blaine, Minnesota for the National Life Skills and Leadership Academy. Not only were they provided opportunities to develop and hone their golf skills, they were given tools to become leaders on and off the course. Upon returning home, we asked Kennedi and Alaina to provide us a behind the scenes look into their trip.Kennedi, a rising sophomore at Pine Forest High School, noted she was quickly put to the test, learning the ropes of airport travel on Day 1, spending her morning navigating flight delays and airport directional, alone for the first time. Upon arrival to Minnesota, Kennedi and Alaina were assigned roommates at the National Sports Center and color groups, as they would work in teams for the rest of the week. For a portion of each day, groups worked with The First Tee golf coaches to assess their skills, implement fun activities to aid in improvement and then enjoyed on course team challenges at the White Bear Yacht Club, a top five facility in Minnesota. Alaina, a rising senior at Robeson Early College High School, said she’s really excited to share the newly learned skills drills with fellow participants back here in the Sandhills! Eluding that they are already helping her improve. For Kennedi, the trip to the University of Minnesota was a memorable one – her color group made a wrong turn during their on campus scavenger hunt, sending them over a bridge, by foot – twice! While on campus they also had the opportunity to meet with Price Waterhouse Cooper and learn about the importance of budgeting, how to properly budget and implementation. All ninety teens also had the opportunity to expand their knowledge of the golf business. This included engaging in specialized on course tutorials with Toro Company where they learned about golf course irrigation, how to cut fairways and greens, and the different types of machinery necessary to maintain a golf course facility. Local turf grass specialist put participants to the test, teaching them how to tell the difference between various strands of grass and then asking them to identify grass types from a container garden. No word yet on how many they guessed right! Their last golf tutorial stop was with the marketing division of PGA TOUR Superstore where they learned the ins and outs of marketing in golf retail. Nightly, all participants, The First Tee instructors and staff were able to come together for fun activities including Ice Skating, pick up soccer, board games and other team building activities. Aiding in the foundation of forming new relationships around the country. Overall, Alaina felt the experience to Minnesota, representing The First Tee of the Sandhills, was both humbling and a special honor. It broadened her horizons, motivated her to become a better golfer, and excited her to share what she learned with her hometown in hopes of motivating other young kids to get involved. Our teens soaked in as much knowledge as possible, made tons of new friends from across the network, and positively represented our chapter and their communities on the national stage. We are looking forward to providing these young ladies the stage to share their experiences with fellow participants, encouraging others to apply for national opportunities in the future and inspiring new faces to get involved for the first time. Cheers to a successful 2016 National Life Skills and Leadership Academy!
On Monday, 120 golfers, 30 volunteers, 20 local youth, 18 hole sponsors, eight local businesses, three staff members and one title sponsor joined forces to celebrate and elevate.CLICK HERE TO VIEW A PHOTO RECAP FROM THE DAY
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.
On Monday, 120 golfers, 30 volunteers, 20 local youth, 18 hole sponsors, 8 local businesses, 3 staff members and 1 title sponsor 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 Forest Creek Golf Club.
Participants enjoyed a friendly Shamble competition on both the North & South Course, where a Low Net and Low Gross Champion was crowned, followed by a closest to the pin contest behind the clubhouse on Forest Creek’s Hog Hole to determine the Overall Champion.
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. 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 their respective courses they would face 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 41 Hole in One’s were recorded and 41 new youth scholarships opened up.
But, taking a closer look at the scorecards, there was a 42nd Hole in One, scored by Kathy Beddow, on the 16th Hole of the North Course. Beddow hit a high 9 wood from the ladies tee to the elevated green where the pin was tucked on the left hand side behind a bunker.
With her ball landing over the bunker and safely on the green, it rolled down toward the pin and dropped in for her natural one! A sweet celebration to cap off an amazing day!
While the overall winner of the day was The First Tee of the Sandhills, the hardware was ready for distribution and our 2016 winners included: North Course Low Net Team, sponsored by Farm Bureau Insurance, of Jason Burgin, James Sawyer, Jeremy Kuhn and Gene Roberts. North Course Low Gross Team of Pat McGowan, Gary Strickfaden, Ron Giles and Buck Kernan. South Course Low Net Team, sponsored by BB&T, of Gary VonCannon, Kirk Soxman, Bob Spicer and Jared Fryer. South Course Low Gross Team, sponsored by FirstBank, of Phil Fulghum, Marcus Larose, George Brown and Phillip Bradley.
The Hog Hole playoff crowned the BB&T team as overall Net Champion and Pat McGowan’s team as overall Gross Champion.
As we look back on another successful Caddiemaster Open, thank you to each and every individual that contributed to the success of the day.
Mark your calendar now for our next event, held at Pinehurst No. 2 on Monday, June 5, 2017.
