My Nonprofit Reviews

When my daughters were 5 years old, I first took them to The First Tee - Colorado Rocky Mountains (then it was called First Tee of Denver) for golf classes. I didn't want the next Annika Sörenstam, I just wanted to connect the girls to the game I love.

In the first class, the coaches started talking about The Nine Core Values. The value of the day was "Respect". They asked what the kids thought "Respect" means. Then they talked about why it was important to respect the game, your partners, and yourself. The kids were listening. I think it was because they were being taught by teenage coaches. After this, they went off to hit some balls and do some golf drills that were age appropriate. The kids who did not have clubs were given clubs to use and told to keep them for the session.

The Core Values segment was important to me because I have never liked playing with golfers who disrespected the course, the game, or the golf course employees. When I thought about this more, these Core Values were the same values I was trying to instill in my children so that they can be healthy, contributing members of society. I was hooked on First Tee. Not only were they being taught how to hit a drive and sink a putt, but they were also being taught the values that the game instills and the values that bleed over to school, work, and life.

My daughters took classes and progressed with their game for nine years and eventually got their first jobs, as Junior Coaches, for the Frist Tee - Colorado Rocky Mountains when they turned 14. Now they teach the little kids about the value of a good stance, how to hit out of a trap, and how to carry yourself on the course (and off).

For the last five years, I have been a volunteer for this organization and the more I know about it the more I love it. They serve around 10,000 kids each year in the 10 counties they serve. I found out that 50% of paid classes go toward tuition for kids who can't afford to pay. That they do in-school programs to teach golf for free. They have a Read-n-Swing program, which is a one-on-one out-loud reading program that successfully gets struggling students up to grade-level reading. They show the kids a useful application for math by having them measure and cut a golf shaft that they get to keep. They give out multiple college scholarships in the amount of $10,000 every year.

My daughters are about to go off to college. One of the girls hopes to play golf for her college team. They are tributes to the First Tee-CRM. More importantly, I have the perfect way to spend time with my teenage girls that we all enjoy. Thanks, First Tee!