Coaching Archives - Page 2 of 2 - First Tee

Coach Kyle Believes in First Tee’s Positive Impact

Kyle Harris has been the Director at First Tee – Massachusetts for the past five years, but his involvement with First Tee started in Utah in 2012.

Originally from Cape Cod, Kyle attended The University of Massachusetts Amherst before working in college athletics as a Sports Information Director for 10 years.

Although Kyle began playing golf while in college, he did not find himself a part of the golf industry until being introduced to First Tee while living in Utah.

One of Kyle’s friends was working to establish the First Tee – Utah chapter and invited Kyle to join him at a participant recruitment event. The weather was miserable, rainy and cold, and Kyle didn’t understand why they were standing out in it. That was until he met KJ, a young boy who was more than happy to stand out in the rain to try golfing.

After missing the ball four or five times, he finally hit it and a big smile spread across his face. That was the moment that Kyle realized how impactful First Tee was and he has been involved ever since.

After that day, Kyle spent much of his time volunteering with First Tee – Utah’s chapter. He helped to get programs off the ground, was a volunteer coach, and oversaw the certification program to help advance participants.

“Always with this mindset, ‘Man if I ever had a chance to work with First Tee full-time I totally would,’” said Kyle.

Kyle’s wishes were answered when a position opened at First Tee – Massachusetts. . Although he said he would have taken a job with First Tee anywhere, he appreciates the opportunity to work with members of the community he grew up in.

“As an adult I’ve learned as much to apply to my own life as I’ve taught to the kids,” he said.

“I’m a better dad, I’m a better husband, I’m a better golfer, I’m a better person, I’m a better employee because of First Tee and holding myself to the standards that I want to hold the kids to.”

Kyle believes that if he had been a part of First Tee growing up, it would have given him a better outlook on the world earlier on. He continues to mentor and encourage participants so that they can foster that positive mindset from the beginning.

Coach Ben goes above and beyond to teach his students

Perhaps you know him from First Tee – Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky as Coach Ben, or maybe you recognize him from his online coaching series, Birdies with Ben.  

Birdies with Ben is a video series hosted by Ben Walker, a staff member and alumnus at First Tee – Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky. In the educational videos the chapter posts to its social media pages, Ben gives advice on life and the game of golf.  

By integrating the First Tee curriculum, Ben found an outlet to grow the game with increasing social media engagement from kids, teens, and young adults.  

“As kids and teens are joining social media, I wanted to meet the kids where they are,” said Ben. “I felt it was space where we could add First Tee content.” 

Coach Ben joined his local chapter as a participant in 2008 and worked his way through the program until he graduated from First Tee as an Ace student (the highest certification a participant can achieve within the First Tee network). 

“You come into the program thinking you are going to learn about golf, but you learn so much more about life skills,” said Ben. “I was once very shy, and First Tee helped get me out of my bubble. I felt safe and empowered to be myself and meet other people.” 

He attended Northern Kentucky University, where he was granted an internship to work with the chapter while earning his degree in sports business and event management. 

This opened the door for him as a full-time staff member upon college graduation in 2020.  

Now that Ben is a proud staff member of First Tee – Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky, he cites how rewarding it is for him to reciprocate First Tee’s positive impact on the next generation. 

“First Tee is home. The relationships I’ve built in this program and skills I’ve taken with me have evolved into more than I could’ve ever imagined. I have a genuine love for First Tee and for the game of golf.” 

To see Coach Ben’s Birdies with Ben videos, check them out here!

Coach Joe: ‘This program has taught me to become a better coach and father’

Joseph Goh, or Coach Joe as many know him from First Tee – Greater Dallas, has been a coach for more than 17 years. He sat on the board of directors for the Greater Dallas chapter until focusing his time as a volunteer coach, where he made it his goal to recruit other volunteers.

Originally from Singapore, Joe started his journey as a coach through First Tee – Singapore and moved to the United States after his technology company was bought out by a company in Dallas. Eventually, he and his wife planted themselves in Texas and started their own family.

“First Tee is more than a golf instruction program; we teach life skills. This program has taught me to become a better coach and father because of it,” he said.

He enrolled his two children in the program and the rest became history.

His two kids participated in First Tee throughout high school. His oldest, Jonathan, attended the University of California, Los Angeles and graduated in 2021 with a major in electrical engineering. He currently works at Amazon Robotics in Boston as a hardware development engineer.

His youngest daughter, Joni, is attending the University of Texas in Austin and will graduate in May 2023 with her degree in architecture engineering. She is currently an intern at The Boring Company and will be working with Southland Holdings as a business development associate.

“I want to emphasize that the First Tee program has built a foundation for its participants, including my own kids,” said Joe.

He makes it his mission to positively impact and equally empower First Tee participants with the skills and opportunities they need to be successful.

“As a volunteer coach at First Tee, I could change the trajectory of a child’s life,” he said. “No other organization gives me the opportunity to impact another’s life and add value to them like First Tee would.”

Joe, like many other First Tee coaches, is just one of many unique stories that make First Tee’s impact so profound. If one person can make a difference, a difference can be made upon a multitude of generations.

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Coach Jignesh leading the next generation

It started with his passion for the sport.

Coach Jignesh, from First Tee – Raritan Valley, found a love for the game of golf and only wanted to get better. He focused a lot of his time on playing in tournaments and excelling in his skills to be a better player.

When it came time to grow his family, he knew that he wanted to share his love for the game with his kids and once they were of age, he got them involved with First Tee.

“First Tee builds mental health and strength for the kids so after many years of experience with the chapter, I too wanted to get involved to give back to the community and be a part of building game changers,” said Coach Jignesh.

Since his kids have been involved with First Tee, they have been excelling in their golf game and together as a family, they build memories over their shared passion. Over time, Coach Jignesh would see change in how his kids became focused in school, in their golf game and instilling daily the character building blocks into their lives.

“First Tee brings so many life values for the kids including mentorship and safety,” said Coach Jignesh.

“I saw a big change in my son’s behavior and how when he goes out and plays, he brings those values to the tournaments.”

Coach Jignesh started as a coach in 2020 and has gone through First Tee’s Coach Level 2 training, now a senior coach. Eventually, he will take his skills and passion to soon become a master level coach.

As for his kids, they continue to stay involved in the chapter while his son has recently begun to volunteer himself as a way to give back to what has been given to him.

“First Tee is more like an education itself, knowing there’s safety in the program and values that you can learn such as being able to define what confidence is. Here, the kids get to learn, be smart and have fun – all at the same time.”

Coach Bonnie on sharing her love of golf: ‘Golf will make them better people’

It feels like fate played a role in bringing Bonnie Bunch Glover to golf 20 years ago. “I had a set of old clubs in my garage. Someone gave them to me, but I had no place to play and didn’t even know how,” she said. Then a colleague heard about the Lady Drivers, a group of Black women golfers in Jackson, Mississippi.

Glover dusted off her hand-me-down clubs and attended a beginners clinic hosted by the group. “I was voted most likely to succeed at the clinic, and I’ve been hooked ever since,” she joked.

For the last few years, Glover has been volunteering full-time with First Tee – Central Mississippi.

“Sportsmanship is one of the things I enjoy teaching the kids,” she said. “Golf will make them better people later in life. They’re learning to share, patience – golf promotes a lot of things,” she said.

With support from Morgan Stanley’s Eagles for Impact program, Glover attended a Level 2 Coach Training in New Orleans last year. “Getting that formal training just motivates you. You know you’re getting something solid to take forward,” she said.

“Bonnie is eager to help our chapter in any way she can. She loves working in our girls’ classes, and she’s a great person to recruit new volunteers and coaches,” said Margo Coleman, executive director of First Tee – Central Mississippi.

Morgan Stanley’s support will continue this year. For every eagle made during this month’s PLAYERS tournament, the firm will donate $5,000 to First Tee in support of the development and retention of diverse golf coaches, like Glover, to mentor the next generation of game changing leaders.

As a self-taught golfer, Glover said she feels more comfortable passing along her skills after attending a First Tee coach training. “I just try to tell my kids that you don’t have to be the best. You just have to do the best you can, and it will pay off,” she said.

“Coach Bonnie brings positive energy to each class. She is helpful to all of the students, taking the time to help them, no matter their level of golf,” Coleman said.

In addition to coaching, Glover helps organize an equipment drive each spring in partnership with the Jackson Women’s Golf Association. The group has provided shoes, clubs and clothes to many young golfers in Mississippi.

All her efforts aim to make golf more accessible to all kids, including those from diverse backgrounds, Glover said. “We need more minorities in the game of golf. Our kids need to see them,” she said.

Research has shown that kids learn better when they identify with their teachers. That’s why First Tee believes it’s important for our coaches to represent the communities they serve.

“We’re so grateful to Morgan Stanley for supporting this important initiative,” said First Tee CEO Greg McGlaughlin. “Coaches form the backbone of our organization, and we’re committed to bringing in and training coaches from diverse backgrounds because golf – especially with the life skills it teaches – is a game for everyone.”

AnnaLeis Caldwell fell in love with golf through First Tee. Now she’s sharing her passion

AnnaLeis Caldwell is a former collegiate golfer and current program director at First Tee – Clearwater. Her First Tee journey started with an ad her father saw 16 years ago while her family was living in Salinas, California.

“He thought it would be a great way for me to learn the basics of golf, and he appreciated that it was both personal development and skills based, so I joined [First Tee] Monterey County as a participant,” she said.

Caldwell’s dad was in the military, and she stuck with First Tee when the family later moved to Virginia. For Caldwell – an avid athlete and serious softball player – First Tee went far beyond sports.

“Now I’m a First Tee trainer and I always talk about the importance of being a mentor because of my own experience,” she says. “I couldn’t tell you the names of my softball coaches today, but I remember all my First Tee coaches because we talked about my school life and my home life – not just my stats.”

Caldwell said golf has opened doors for her on and off the course, offering unique opportunities and giving her confidence. On National Girls and Women in Sports Day we’re celebrating the positive benefits that sports can provide. “Sports changes lives,” Caldwell said.

Having female coaches at First Tee when she was younger helped Caldwell build confidence, she said. “Seeing these professional women who enjoyed the game and were high up in their careers – and looking back, they were moms, which I identify with now – it gave me the confidence that I could achieve those things,” she said.

Caldwell had never touched a golf club before her initial First Tee lesson. “Little did I know 16 years ago, I’d be coaching for First Tee, welcoming girls and getting kids excited about golf,” she said.

Her journey came full circle in 2021 when she attended the Game Changers Academy as a coach. She previously attended the event as a participant and then as an alumni chaperone back when it was called the Life Skills Academy. And as a new national trainer she’s now working alongside one of her own First Tee coaches, Colleen Henry of First Tee – Silicon Valley.

“It’s amazing to be able to impact so many girls,” Caldwell said. Her chapter serves about 40 percent female participants.

Caldwell previously worked for First Tee – Upstate South Carolina, and she was the first director of women’s golf at Champion Hills Golf Course in North Carolina. Caldwell played golf at North Greenville University.

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Mentors Make the Difference: Scholar Becky Jones Shares How Her Mentor Guides Her as she Navigates College

It’s National Mentorship Month! And we truly believe that mentors can make all the difference for kids as they face new challenges – from navigating middle or high school to eventually embarking on a career. That’s why we’re proud to pair every First Tee Scholar with a mentor to help them along their journey.

First Tee – Indiana alumna Becky Jones is a sophomore at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology where she is studying civil engineering. Her professional goal is to address pollution in her home region. “Especially around our area, we have a lot of environmental hazards that I’d like to fix,” she said.

As she works toward her future, Jones said, she knows she has at least one person in her corner: her mentor Dr. Roger May. May is senior technical manager in the Great Lakes region for TruGreen, a First Tee Trustee. Not only has May helped Jones on her academic journey, but “he knows me as a person,” she said.

“Especially as I’m going to college and being in a new environment and working with a lot of different people, he’s given me fantastic advice about things like teamwork, what to do when group members aren’t holding up their weight,” she said.

His guidance was especially helpful during Jones’ internship at a 66-turbine wind farm in Iowa. “I was in a very different environment than I’m used to, and while it was a wonderful experience, it did challenge me in a lot of ways,” she said. “It’s been incredible. I’m lucky First Tee connected me with him.”

May said mentoring Jones has helped him understand the challenges a college student faces in 2023. The pair talk for about one hour each month, and while mentoring isn’t a huge time commitment, it’s a great way to give back, May said.

“I thought back to the time when I was a freshman in college. I could have really used a mentor! This was a golden opportunity to pay it forward with experience and help a young person navigate the ups and downs of the college experience and give them career advice,” he said.

For the relationship to work well, mentors need to be non-judgmental, and mentees must be open about the challenges they’re facing, May said. “When everything clicks you form a trust that helps to keep the relationship and communication progressing,” he said.

As a First Tee scholar, Jones not only receives support from her mentor, but also financial assistance and access to professional development opportunities, including a recent winter workshop that brought together 40 First Tee alumni from across the country. She said First Tee has helped her gain confidence and expand her horizons.

“When you start playing golf as a kid, you’re just out there hitting a ball. You don’t think about all the etiquette you learn,” Jones said. “You learn about systems, being outside, appreciating nature, respecting authority, honesty. There’s just so many values that go throughout your entire life. Now as a Scholar I get to hear from all these phenomenal speakers who are giving me advice on aspects of my career and personal life, and I feel like I’ve grown more as a person in so many ways I can’t even describe.”

Learn More about the First Tee Scholars

Loreley & Russell John: First Tee – Greater San Antonio Tiny Tigers Participant & Lead Coach & Father-Daughter Duo

This week we’re highlighting one of our favorite father- daughter duos to have on our range! Russell (aka Hunter) is one of our Tiny Tiger lead coaches at the First Tee Learning Center. He leads the class his daughter, Loreley John, is a participant in!

Loreley John – Tiny Tiger participant

How long have you been golfing?

“I don’t know” – for a couple of years.

What are some activities you like to do outside of school? What other sports do you play?

Play with my friends and go to the park. Soccer, basketball, and swimming.

What’s your favorite golf activity?

Hitting balls really high!

What’s your favorite lesson you learned in class this session?

Hitting a ball sitting on your knees and with one leg.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

An architect!

Russell John – Tiny Tiger Lead Coach

Where are you from?

I grew up in a little town in central Missouri called Huntsville.

How did you first get involved with the First Tee?

I started volunteering right before COVID shut everything down and then started volunteering again last year.

What has your First Tee experience been?

I’ve appreciated the professional but still fun nature of the leadership and organization. They really seem to care about the kids and want to help you succeed as a coach.

What is your favorite part about being a lead coach for the Tiny Tigers?

I have seen a lot of young kids who sometimes have very little or no experience with golf having fun for an hour through golf. I love watching the kids get one in the air and look sheepishly back at you like it was an accident or excitedly yell something about their amazing air shot. It’s really fun to the see the growth and excitement every week.

What do you love most about golf?

I would give two key loves of the game. First, I get to spend an extended time in a relatively quiet and peaceful corner of nature. No chaos, no noise, and generally around enjoyable people. Second, the only person you have to blame or congratulate is you. There are bad breaks or unfair bounces, but it is a game, for me at least, where I compete with myself first and everyone else second. Because of that, it has taught me to compartmentalize bad shots and control my emotions that I maybe wasn’t so good at when I was a junior golfer. I can also go out and play with people who maybe aren’t as good and people who are much better without it impacting my game.

A bad day on the golf course is better than a great day in a lot of other places!

Charlotte Davis: First Tee – Greater San Antonio Program Specialist

Charlotte Davis is a Corpus Christi native who has loved golf since the age of 10. After her first clinic of Girls’ Golf, golf became a huge part of her life story. She went on to play for the University of the Incarnate Word. After the completion of a Bachelors of Business concentrating in PGM, Charlotte worked to raise over $30,000 for non-profit, Broken Chains Recovery Center, through the organization’s annual golf tournaments. With the opportunity to continue to change lives through golf, Davis became a part of the First Tee staff as Program Specialist.

Tell us a little bit about your role as First Tee Program Specialist.

As Program Specialist, I serve as lead coach for our classes. I teach Tiny Tigers, PLAYers/Advanced PLAYers, and Par classes. I also help our coaches prepare for class by organizing lesson plans and set up. I will also be assisting in event coordination for the First Tee Invitational and our Annual Game Changers Luncheon.

What do you value most about your work with the First Tee?

I value the ability to reach the youth in San Antonio and teach them the skills that allowed me to have such a meaningful career in golf. The character skills that we instill in our program are so important, and it feels good to be apart of making the next generation great.

What kind of impact do you hope to have on our participants?

I hope to let them know that through persistence and confidence, they can accomplish many things. Through hard work, our kids can accomplish anything they can imagine. I hope to help them reach their goals in life and in their golf game by not only serving as a coach but a mentor as well.

What impact has golf had on your life?

Golf was the one sport I was good at as a kid. Through the Girls Golf program, I was able to overcome my circumstances and become a college golfer. The sport taught me how important and valuable hard work is. If I went to practice every day, it would allow me to preform better. Golf also showed me the importance of developing a strong mental ability to persevere in every situation I am in. Golf not only brought me my “Why,” but it brought me an education and a lifetime of friendships and memories.

What do you think is the importance of implementing our nine core values/life skills curriculum in our lesson plans for our participants?

The core values serve as great addition to the curriculum because they teach our players that it is equally important to be a great person as well as a great player. If we can develop our students to understand these values early in life and their career, success will come very easily for them. It feels great to contribute to the next generation of role models.

Vinny Kabaso: First Tee – Greater San Antonio Program Ambassador

*Vinny Kabaso with First Tee – Greater San Antonio participant, Jack Polansky*

Vincent Kabaso is the first PGA golf professional from Zambia. His path to PGA membership has been highlighted by Golf Digest magazine and was recognized in the US House of Congress for his achievements. He is also a published author of the book titled Raised by the World which highlights his journey to PGA membership from Zambia. Vincent currently serves as the First Tee’s Program Ambassador and has positively impacted the lives of over 350 youth just in the past year.

Tell us a little bit about your role as First Tee Program Ambassador.

My role is primarily focused on supporting our participants to develop essential life skills while also playing an active role in their career development. I am also tasked with identifying new program partners especially within lower income school districts. We have three new school partners this winter.

What do you value most about your work with the First Tee?

Playing an active mentorship role and seeing the impact of our program on out participants and their families

What kind of impact do you hope to have on our participants?

I want to be a go to person for all of their needs: career questions, development needs, and general youth development advise

What impact has golf had on your life?

Life changing, from the opportunity to travel and see the world to having the opportunities to give back in many different forms, I simply wouldn’t be close to where I am without the game of golf.

What do you think is the importance of implementing our nine core values/life skills curriculum in our lesson plans for our participants?

I think the core values are really the key to everything we do. The First Tee has a phenomenal record of helping in the development of young men and women who have integrated in society with distinction. The ultimate lesson about how to become a better and responsible human being far supersedes any athletic talent or achievement and being a part of that process is a great privilege.