Author: cmarshall

Introducing: First Tee Mini SAGA Series

As we have made the transition to our new age-based curriculum this year, we have also been looking for more opportunities for our participants to gain more experience on the course. This year, we are hosting our Mini SAGA Series events where we provide opportunities for our participants to play 9-hole rounds in a competitive environment at courses all around the Greater San Antonio area. These events are set up as tournaments but our main goal is to get our kids more practice as well as teaching them course rules and etiquette.

We hosted our first ever First Tee Mini SAGA Series event at Windcrest Golf Club on Saturday, February 25th for our Age 7-13 participants. This tournament style event ended with three winning teams! One for each age division: Age 7-9, Age 10-11, & Age 12-13. We loved being able to get the kids more experience on course and expand their knowledge of the game. We will be hosting more events like this all year!

Gabby Rangel, Program Director “It was definitely one of the most fun junior events I have ever been too! The course was awesome! I saw so many smiles from the kids, volunteers, Windcrest staff, and parents. Excited to work and create more of these fun events with our programming staff!”

In December 2022, First Tee – Greater New Orleans hosted 16 First Tee chapters and 64 First Tee participants at English Turn Golf and Country Club in New Orleans, Louisiana for their National Tournament. We sent four of our participants to represent team First Tee – Greater San Antonio. Armond Walker, Jack Polansky, Julian Karreman, and Riley Yount were all selected to participate in this tournament based on their commitment to mentoring our younger generation of golfers specifically during our summer camps where they helped us implement six weeks of our life and golf skills curriculum to 170 campers.

Vincent Kabaso, PGA – Program Ambassador Riley, Armond, Julian, and Jack have been outstanding role models in our program. I’ve been amazed at their devotion to our chapter. They are leaders in their own rights. Our younger participants continue to learn a lot from them. We have trusted them with leadership roles during summer camps and they have done incredibly well. These boys were deserving representatives of our chapter in New Orleans. I can’t wait to see what they accomplish next!

Armond Walker I had a great time playing with the First Tee at the New Orleans tournament. I’m thankful I was able to play such a great course and thankful that I was able to meet great people from other First Tee chapters.

Jack Polanksy It was a fun experience to go down to New Orleans and play such a beautiful golf course. I loved watching the ball game down there and it was just an all around fun experience. I really hope I get to do it again.

Julian Karreman I really enjoyed playing, it was a great learning experience and I made many friends and memories. I would love to do it all over again.

Riley Yount The New Orleans National Tournament was an awesome experience. We got to play on a beautiful course and see a city with rich culture. I enjoyed every second of it and would gladly be apart of it again.

In the end, Team First Tee – Greater San Antonio did not bring home a trophy but we are so proud of all four of them for representing our chapter well. We are so excited that we can offer our participants the opportunity to travel and compete as a team.

The 2022 Game Changer Shootout presented by Texas Mutual featured four girls and four boys from our top advanced participants. The event kicked off at San Antonio Country Club (SACC) on Friday, December 9th. Players volunteered and attended classes throughout the year to receive an invitation. Teams from First Tee – Greater San Antonio and First Tee – Greater Austin played practice rounds with SACC members to get a good idea for what the weekend was going to present. The course was in great shape, and the weather was calm – perfect conditions for a competitive weekend! Players began the tournament on Saturday, December 10th, playing the fourball format for the front nine and foursomes on the back nine. The day ended all square with anxious energy going into the final round on Sunday. Team San Antonio had won the boot the first two years of the event and were looking for the three-peat! Sunday’s round was down to the final holes with fourball format on the front nine and singles on the back. Team Austin finished strong and took the boot from Team San Antonio. Team San Antonio is keeping their head up and ready to prepare for next year’s Game Changer Cup!

2022 Game Changers Shootout Team San Antonio

The First Tee – Greater San Antonio team was happy to host this year’s event and shared a bit of their experience:

Carrie Kimbell – Chief Executive Officer It has been amazing to watch the Game Changer Texas Shootout presented by Texas Mutual evolve since starting it in December 2020 during the pandemic.  It has become the local premier event between our friends in Austin.  The relationships amongst the competitors have grown and blossomed, with lifelong friendships made! We are also very grateful to our friends at San Antonio Country Club who hosted these amazing individuals at a first class facility. For many of them – this was their first time playing at a country club. While it did not go our way – we are looking forward to getting “The Boot” back in 2023 when hosted in Austin!

Vincent Kabaso – PGA Program Ambassador Being part of the Game Changer brought back special memories for me. My love for golf was ignited when I represented my country (Zambia) at International events. Seeing golfers who were the stars of the time and playing with some of them provided me a firsthand look at what elite golf looked like. I have fond memories of the friendships I built and the lessons I learnt from that incredible exposure.

Gabby Rangel – Program Director 2022 Game Changer Shootout was my first one to experience and it was so cool to see our San Antonio rock stars battle Austin! It was not the outcome that we wanted, but excited to get our team prepped for 2023!

This Veterans Day, we thank and honor all who have served our country. Thank you for your service! We especially wanted to spotlight one our parents who is a Veteran, Parent and Volunteer at one of our program locations!

We are happy to provide opportunities for families like the Hawkins throughout our 8 program locations. Read more about the Hawkin’s experience with First Tee – Greater San Antonio and how it has impacted their lives below!

“Golf is a terrifically frustrating game – it teaches you so many life lessons and good habits, while enjoying the outdoors.  I didn’t pick up my first golf club until my junior year of high school, but quickly became obsessed.  I continued to play when I could in college, but priorities were about to change for me.  I attended Duke University on a Navy ROTC scholarship, and I distinctly remember my first day in uniform was a Tuesday – September 11, 2001.  Once on active duty, I was fortunate to experience several areas of the Navy, from running experiments for the Naval Aerospace Medical Research Lab, to organizing the training for a fleet of minesweeper crews. 

I now have a 9-year-old daughter who has been showing interest in golf for a couple of years now, and the more I learned about the First Tee, the more I saw an opportunity for not only her, but myself as well.  As a volunteer and parent, I was able to get an up-close look at the energy and growth the kids bring, and hopefully in the process share some my own passion for the game.  It was amazing to see the improvement they made after only seven weeks, and I hope they got as much out of the class as I did.”

Our parents’ support of our programming is why our participants succeed on and off the course.

We are happy to provide opportunities for families like the Walkers throughout our 8 program locations. Read more about the Walker’s experience with First Tee – Greater San Antonio and how it has impacted their lives below!

“We moved to San Antonio from Hampton, Georgia in October 2017 after I took a contract position with the Air Force Civil Engineering Center down at Lackland Air Force Base. Since we were not members of a golf club, all of Armond’s practices needed to be at public facilities. We found the driving range at the RIIM, but one day it was closed, so we found the driving range at Polo Field.

     After several weeks of coming to Polo Field to practice, Jimmy Lee, father of the Lee sisters, told me about the First Tee program. Admittedly, I only signed Armond up so that he could get $1 range balls. It was simply a business decision. However, once Armond started participating in the Saturday morning classes and then playing rounds along the Alamo City Golf Trail, the rest, as they say, is history.

First Tee – Greater San Antonio has made it possible for my son to interact with coaches and PGA professionals like Coach Vinnie. Also, Armond has had the opportunity to play at world class venues such as TPC San Antonio through his participation in the Game Changers Shootout. This is significant for me because Armond’s mother and I do not come from wealthy families. We are working-class civilians who strive to give both of our sons the very best life that we can give them. So, whereas we do not have a membership to a golf course like TPC San Antonio, the First Tee has made it possible for Armond to still get the experience of playing at venues like TPC. Not only that, but Armond had the opportunity to volunteer at the 2022 Valero Texas Open. It was an experience that he will never forget.

I enjoy the fact that Armond has so many people in his corner that want to see him succeed. From Coach Carrie, Coach Mercedes, Coach Steve, and Coach Vinnie to the parents of the other players, I feel as though Armond has built a network of connections that will be in his corner for years to come.” – Philip Walker

The First Tee – Greater San Antonio Board of Directors, Front Nine Committee and team are celebrating the 2nd Annual Texas Mutual Invitational and Concert benefiting First Tee – Greater San Antonio.

Thursday, October 6th marked the kick with a concert with 300 guests featuring Texas Country Music performer Wynn Williams with the stage sponsored by Valero Energy Corporation! Each guest received a complimentary concert T-Shirt sponsored by Rudy’s BBQ. There was a live and silent auction sponsored by Security Service Federal Credit Union and a raffle to win a 6-seater EZ-GO golf cart, won by Amy Thomas! Guests took home live auction items such as a 30-person private dinner party hosted by Don Strange of Texas, an Argentinian Dove Hunt, and a family deer hunt at 1851 Ranch! Our silent auction featured items such as Hotel Emma one-night stay, Alamo City Golf Trail Die Hard Membership, golf rounds, gift baskets and YETI coolers and more. Guests dined on cuisine provided by Don Strange of Texas and top-shelf beverages provided by Dripping Springs Vodka & Republic Whiskey! The night was full of excitement and energy!

Our board chairman, Steve Schott, spoke with regional vice president of Texas Mutual, Jim Zilkowski about the importance of being the title sponsor and how First Tee aligns with their corporate values of generational learning. Our program ambassador, Vincent Kabaso, spoke with First Tee Lead Coach, Ernesto Macias, math specialist at Leon Valley Elementary, about introducing golf to his students and the benefits beyond the game.  

The Texas Mutual Invitational golf tournament was held on Monday, October 10th at the prestigious Oak Hills Country Club. Over 110 golfers received a premier tee gift, a Titleist travel golf bag.  Golfers practiced on the driving range and putting green thanks to our sponsor, BCS Prosoft. All golfers had a opportunity to win one of two hole-in-one cars sponsored by Cavender Auto Group. Golfers were able to utilize some shots of First Tee’s best participants on holes throughout the course and even attempted to beat the pro against Julia Vollmer, Marlo Zamora, and Michelle Lee on hole #2. Live auctioneer of the concert, Pat McMahan’s team won the tournament with a low score of 57!

First Tee – Greater San Antonio is very fortunate to have a title partner like Texas Mutual help cultivate the next generation of Texas workers, and help  provide a great experience to our event guests that will directly benefit First Tee  programs and scholarships. First Tee – Greater San Antonio is ready to grow and serve even more of San Antonio’s youth to continue building game changers!

Special thanks to all our sponsors for making this night possible!

Texas Mutual Insurance – Title Sponsor

Valero Energy Corporation – Stage Sponsor

Rudy’s Barbeque – T-shirt Sponsor

Cavender Auto Group – Hole-in-One Car Sponsor

Security Service Federal Credit Union –  Live & Silent Auction Sponsor

VIP Staffing – Cup Sponsor

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My name is Alina Gil. I am a 7th grader at St. Luke Catholic School.  I am currently 12 years old. I joined the First Tee when I was 8, which makes it 4 years ago.  When I have free time I enjoy drawing, painting and playing with my dog.

What do you enjoy most about golf?
The things I most enjoy about golf is playing with my friends, and meeting new people. Something funny is, I like to snack in between holes in the golf cart.

What have you learned most since playing in tournaments?
What I have learned, from past tournaments, is that everyone has their own way of playing golf. Golf is a mental (mind challenging) game, and I have seen players handle their challenges differently. I have learned not to compare myself to anybody. Take this quote for example, “Be Yourself; Everyone Else Is Already Taken” – Oscar Wilde . Everyone has their own game, I set my goals to improve my previous score.

What is your favorite accomplishment with golf so far?
So far my favorite accomplishment with golf is when I got 1st place in the San Antonio Beltway Junior Championship tournament in my division. I also got a trophy for being player of the year!

How has First Tee helped prepare you for these events?
The First Tee has helped me by giving me friendships, courage, golf lessons and more. The First Tee has helped me get my 1st set of clubs. I was so happy and proud to get them! They prepared me in joining my school’s golf team. The effort and practices got me 1st and 2nd place in my school’s golf tournaments!

What are you looking forward to most with your golf game?
I am looking forward to get better with my golf game. In my future I want to be able to play in the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association). I want to get to that level so I can be successful in golf and my life.