Year in the Life of The First Tee
by Elsa Bonstein
The First Tee of Brunswick County operates year round, providing lessons in golf and life skills to Brunswick County youth. Several hundred kids are enrolled in programming. An additional sixty-five hundred students are reached through the National Schools Program of The First Tee which is taught in the physical education classes of all Brunswick County elementary schools.
People think that The First Tee teaches the game of golf. It does that, but it does so much more. Let’s take a behind the scenes look at a “Year in the Life of The First Tee” of Brunswick County, one of the 204 chapters in the United States and around the world.
What happens and where? The home of The First Tee is located at Cinghiale Creek, a 20-acre complex near Shallotte. Cinghiale Creek has three greens, multiple tees and a large Learning Center which contains classrooms, locker room, an indoor putting green, a computer center for kids, and a golf simulator.
A Wee Links Course and driving range were added in August. The Wee Links is a six-hole short course with large cups that allows young children to begin a successful golf program. It’s also a great spot for older children to practice their short game.
Most of the golf courses and golf course communities in Brunswick County are affiliated with The First Tee and provide additional sites for programming, tournament play, clinics, course access, special events and fundraising opportunities. The affiliate list includes Brick Landing, Brierwood, Carolina National, Carolina Shores, Magnolia Greens, No More Mulligans Driving Range, Oak Island Club, Ocean Ridge, Olde Fort, Rivers Edge, Sea Trail, South Harbor Golf Links, St. James, The Lakes, and Thistle Golf Club.
“We owe a world of thanks to all our affiliate courses,” said Al Arrigoni, Executive Director of The First of Brunswick County. “We could not run our program without the support of golf course owners, managers and professionals.”
Fall Programs - Each fall and spring, classes are held after school and Saturdays at various sites around the county. Each session lasts for 12 weeks.
There are five levels in The First Tee: PLAYer, Par, Birdie, Eagle and Ace. These groups are age, golf skill and life skill specific. All youth who are new to the program must go through the introductory PLAYer group.
The First Tee coaches are trained and receive security and background checks.
As children progress through the various levels, they learn life skills and core values through the game of golf. They learn to keep an accurate score (honesty), they learn to cheer for others (sportsmanship), they learn how to care for the course by fixing divots and ball marks (respect). They learn to keep trying even when things don’t go well (perseverance).
As the schedule for the fall is posted and new volunteer coaches are trained, clubs are readied by other volunteers. The First Tee provides golf clubs for each child if they do not have them. Many donated clubs are refurbished by volunteers like Steve Westfall who has a club repair shop at his home.
The First Tee Walmart Invitational - On September 22, the second annual Walmart Invitational will be held at Thistle Golf Course. Last year over $50,000 was raised for The First Tee and this year, organizers are hoping to do even better.
“We have a great venue and great raffle prizes and that means a first class event,” said Walt Stachura, tournament chair. “All the proceeds go to The First Tee and despite the high entry fee ($1000 per team), we do very well. Having Walmart as our primary sponsor helps, but the rest of the community is right on board with sending both teams and donations.
(Please see the sidebar on The First Tee Walmart Invitational at the bottom of this webpage for more information about how to sign up your team or to become a sponsor).
Fun and Competition Year Round - During the year, there are regularly scheduled parties and celebrations at Cingiale Creek and other locations. The annual Halloween Party features a pumpkin decorating contest. At the Christmas Party, First Tee members make crafts and enjoy a visit by Santa. An end-of-session Pizza party is held at Brick Landing with Coach John Karkut as chef.
Each summer, the annual Volunteer Party celebrates the dedication of over 240 volunteers, and recognizes the Volunteers of the Year. This year, Dennis and Mary Barclay of St. James were recognized for coaching. Dennis Brawley of Sea Trail won the award for his work with the National Schools Program. Steve Spangler, the golf pro at the Oak Island Club, was the PGA Golf Professional of the year.
Last winter, Ocean Ridge Plantation hosted a Junior-Senior League during the months of January and February. First Tee kids played with Ocean Ridge members in a series of six tournaments.
“It was a lot of fun and the kids enjoyed partnering with our members,” said Eagle Coach Walt Stachura, organizer of the event. “It was a real learning experience and everyone had a good time, although we did play under some cold conditions.”
An additional celebration was held this year for Dalton Gore who qualified for 2008 First Tee Walmart Open at Pebble Beach. Walt Stachura, Dalton’s coach, flew to California to caddie for him. Stachura’s caddie vest was framed and now hangs in the Learning Center.
Dalton is playing at Pebble Beach again this year and Coach Walt will once again be his caddie.
Spring Session - In February, the 12-week spring session begins. More coaches, more clubs, more core values.
During the school year, the National School Program (NSP) of The First Tee is taught in the physical education classes in all Brunswick County elementary schools. Special golf equipment called SNAG (Starting New at Golf) allows golf to be played and practiced indoors. In their NSP classes, kids learn honesty, respect, sportsmanship, courtesy, perseverance, judgment, confidence and integrity as they learn the game of golf.
Summer Programs - As the spring session continues, the summer camp schedule is set for Cinghiale Creek and signups begin once more. Summer camps run weekly for various age and skill groups during most of the summer. Sessions are from 8:30 to 11:00 each morning, Tuesday through Friday.
But Summer Camps are not all that happens in the warm months. In the summer, The First Tee sponsors a Summer Tour for its members. After a qualifying round, eligible kids play Monday tournaments at various courses around the county, culminating in a Summer Tour Championship.
In addition to the Summer Tour, kids can sign up for Par-3 Scramble events at Cinghiale Creek.
“This is a great way for kids to learn to compete in golf,” said Kaitlyn Johnson, Program Director. “Various ages can play together in a scramble (captain’s choice) format. They really love to do this and it’s a great learning experience that prepares them for serious competition later on.”
This past summer, a film crew from Stray Cat Studios in Wilmington came to Cinghiale Creek for several days and filmed an informational video.
Kimberly Paul, the owner of Stray Cat Studios explained, “I brought my crew, Megan Deitz (photographer) and Taylor Gill (cameraman), here to document the real story of The First Tee. I knew this was something we wanted to do. I’m proud of our documentary because it tells the story of The First Tee of Brunswick County. What impressed me was the emphasis on life skills and core values. The program literally changes the lives of kids through golf and I heard spontaneous testimonies from both kids and parents that were very impressive. That’s what we tried to capture in our video.” (The video can be viewed on the website of The First Tee of Brunswick County, www.thefirstteebrunswickcounty.org.)
Each August, The First Tee of Brunswick County hosts a Summer Academy at St. James Plantation for all the other First Tees in North and South Carolina. This year, kids from Brunswick County, Triad (Winston-Salem), Triangle (Raleigh), Cleveland County, Myrtle Beach, Sandhills and Lake Norman chapters assembled for a week of golf, learning and fun.
Each day, they heard guest speakers such as Admiral Leighton Smith, Van Pennell (principal of South Brunswick High School), Linda Stanley (COO of Dosher Hospital), Katie McGee (Superintendent of Schools), and Steven Mona (CEO of the World Golf Foundation).
First Tee youth attended golf clinics and leadership workshops. They played golf at The Reserve Club at St. James, Carolina National, Bald Head Island and The Members Club at St. James. An awards dinner with leadership presentations by the attendees was held on the last night.
As always, families from St. James opened their homes to the kids and gave them a real sampling of Brunswick County hospitality.
Overview - “Our program is a success because we have great community support,” said Bob Jones, President of the Board of Directors of The First Tee of Brunswick County. “Our golf communities host fund-raisers for us, local businesses write checks, golfers donate clubs and golf balls. Despite difficult economic times, people sign up to play in the Walmart Invitational because of who we are and what we do for our kids.”
First Tee volunteers not only teach fledging golfers, but they maintain the facility at Cinghiale Creek. Each day during the growing season, teams of volunteers show up at dawn to cut greens, tees and fairways.
In addition, golf course superintendents donate equipment and golf professionals give clinics to our kids.
The First Tee of Brunswick County even has several out-of-state donors. A gentleman from Florida donated a state-of-the-art golf simulator for the Learning Center. A group from Pinehurst donated flags and flag poles. One New Jersey resident with a heavy equipment business donated a Kubota mower then drove it down himself on the back of his pickup truck.
“We owe everything to strong community support,” said Jones. “The lives of Brunswick County kids are changing every day as they learn life skills and core values. These are important lessons they will keep for the rest of their lives.”
To find out more about The First Tee, visit
www.thefirstteebrunswickcounty.org
Sidebar
You are invited to participate in the Walmart Invitational at Thistle Golf Club for the Benefit of The First Tee of Brunswick County on September 22, 2009
The Schedule of Events:
8:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast
9:00 a.m. Golf Clinic with Nick Bradley, author of The Seven Laws of the Golf Swing and personal coach to PGA Tour Players.
10:00 a.m. Shotgun Start
3:00 p.m. Post Round Meal, Raffle, Auction and Award Presentation. Raffle items include two pairs of tickets to a practice round at the 2010 Master Golf Tournament, a year’s supply of Callaway Golf Balls, a year’s supply of Titleist Golf Balls, two one week stays at a condo in St. Martin, golf flags signed by Phil Mikelson, various other items of golf memorabilia, cases of wine, gift certificates from area merchants including jewelry stores, and rounds of golf at Brunswick County Courses.
Sponsorships Available
Golf Cart Sponsor $2750.00 (2 available) (Includes one 4-person team, and your logo on all participating Golf carts)
Mulligan Sponsor $1750.00 (2 available) (Includes one 4-person team, and your logo on each mulligan ticket given to each player, maximum field of 180)
Driving Range Sponsor $1500.00 (3 available) (Includes one 4-person team)
Team & Golf Hole Sponsor $1200.00 (Includes one 4-person team and your logo on a tee box)
Team Sponsor $1000.00 (One 4-person team)
Golf Hole Sponsor $250.00 (Your logo on a golf hole)
Please visit the website of The First Tee of Brunswick County www.thefirstteebrunswickcounty.org to register on line, then mail in your check. Call Walt Stachura, Tournament Chair, at 910-575-5477 for more information.
Click the following link for information on Stray Cat Studios, LLC.Stray Cat Studios, LLC
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