Category: Blog

This week we are very excited to highlight two of our favorite siblings, Chloe (11) and Taylor (14). They have both been with First Tee – Greater San Antonio for two and a half years and are currently participating in our Par program. What is your favorite accomplishment in golf so far?  Chloe: My favorite accomplishment so far is being able to play 9 holes! Taylor: The distance that I was able to hit the golf ball while playing for my school. What has your First Tee experience been?  Chloe: Going to play on golf courses with the group. Taylor: It has been fun and has taught me a lot. It is where I learned to like golf. What are some activities you like to do outside of school?   Chloe: I like playing tennis, swimming, and riding bikes. Taylor: I like to play tennis, play the violin, swim, and do things with my friends. How did you get involved with the First Tee?  Chloe and Taylor: Our mom’s cousin played golf in high school and told us how fun it was, so we signed up for Girls Golf through the First Tee to try it out. Between school and your extracurricular activities how does First Tee aid in your success?   Chloe: The First Tee has taught me honesty and respect which has helped me to be a more respectful person at school and at home. Taylor: It has taught me core life values that have helped me in other aspects of life. What are your future goals?  Chloe: I want to be a pediatrician and to be able to play tennis when I am old and grey. Taylor: I would like to be a neuroscientist or neurologist.

Jack Polansky Age: 13 First Tee Level: Eagle How long with The First Tee: Since I was 6 Favorite accomplishment in golf so far: Last fall, I qualified for the First Annual Gamechanger Cup with the First Tee. We played in a Ryder Cup format event at TPC San Antonio in December of 2020. I qualified based off a combined score of school grades, volunteer hours and golf scores. What has your First Tee experience been like? My First Tee experience has been a combination of life skills and golf skills. I feel like the First Tee is setting me up to have a successful life. It is really fun to volunteer there, and I get more golfing opportunities the more I advance within the First Tee. I get to participate in a lot of fun tournaments as an Eagle Level. What are some activities you like to do outside of school? I play in a lot of STPGA Golf Tournaments. I play on my school’s football team and run track and play golf for school. I also go to WyldLife every Tuesday, which is YoungLife for middle school, and I go to Wyldlife Camp. How did you get involved with the First Tee? I started doing lessons there when I was five. I joined the Player Level when I turned six. Between school and your activities, how does the First Tee aid in your success? The First Tee has set me up well for life and taught me a lot of life skills. I recently interviewed for, and was accepted into, the PALS program at Bradley Middle School. I feel like my volunteer experience with the First Tee and all of the life skills I learned there helped me get into the program. What are your future goals? I want to play golf in college. I also want to grow up to be a good person. I would like to always be in a position to give back to the community.

Tell me a little bit about yourself!  Hi! My name is Josiah Israel Reyna, I am 12 years old, and I am in 6th grade at Joe. J . Bernal Middle School.  I have been with the First Tee for 7 years and I am currently in the Birdie class.  I started playing golf at the age of three years old and have had a passion for the game ever since. I have been playing competitively since 2018 and won 15 tournaments within the first two years. I enjoy playing with multiple leagues such as: STPGA, Beltway Jr. Golf Tour, and  PGA Jr. league.  What are some things you like to do outside of Golf and the First Tee? I love to paint, sing, act, play multiple instruments, and play video games. I have been in multiple productions for my church. I love playing video games such as: Animal Crossing, Breath of the wild, Super smash bros., Minecraft, and so much more! A little known fact about me is that I enjoy making and mixing music! It puts me in a good mood that lasts throughout the day! What has been your favorite experience with the First Tee? I have many favorite experiences! Such as making new friends, Learning new skills, Seeing new people… it all means so much to me! Yet, there is one experience I will never forget. A couple of years ago, the First Tee asked me and two other kids to meet up with professional golfer, Joaquin Neimann. That was only the beginning. In Spring of 2020, they asked me to do a video call and show him around my practice area and my medals! Two weeks later, they asked for me to be in a commercial for the return of the PGA Tour. I was so excited! In summer of 2020, the commercial aired on live TV. I was freaking out!   How did you get involved with the First Tee? My Dad signed me up for the Tiny Tigers class at a Golf course that sadly, does not exist anymore. From then on, I have been with the First Tee ever since! What are your future goals in Golf and in Life? In golf, I would like to play in collegiate golf, then move on to the PGA Tour! Another goal in golf, is that I wish to be one of the most well-known golfers in human history! Even better than Tiger! But, I don’t want it for fame… I want everyone to know the dedication, the passion, and the fun of golf! In life, I would like to get a Phd in Neuroscience. Ever since I was a little kid, I fell in love with the medical field and medical science! When I was about four, maybe five, my dad bought me a health encyclopedia to read. Sure enough, in a matter of days, I had read it all!  What would you like to say to the First Tee? I would like to thank once again the coaching staff, the volunteers, executive director Carrie Kimbell and Sara Diaz, Manager, Marketing Strategy for the PGA Tour for the many opportunities with Joaquin Neimann. I would also like to thank Mrs. Resendis for giving me the opportunity to write this blog. You all have been such a help to achieve my dreams!

Tell me a little about yourself. Hi, I’m Armond Walker! I’m 16 years old and I have been in the First Tee program for over 5 years. I am currently in the Eagle level. I play on the Winston Churchill High School golf team. I like to volunteer here at the First Tee classes with the younger kids and at other junior tournaments. What has your First Tee experience been? So far, my experience with the first tee has been great. I’ve met a lot of new friends and learned many valuable lessons not only relating to golf, but life as well. What are some activities you like to do outside of school? Outside of school and golf I go fishing a lot and play video games. How did you get involved with the First Tee? I first got involved with the First Tee because my Dad signed me up. I have heard of it before, but I mostly thought it was only for beginners playing golf. Between school and your activities how does First Tee aid in your success? The First Tee aids in my overall success in life by teaching me valuable life lessons. There have been many times where we use golf as an example to real life situations. What are your future goals? My goals in life are to play college golf and then play professionally after that.

Tell me a little about yourself? What’s up! My name is Mya! I’m 11 years old and I am in the homeschool program at First Tee – Greater San Antonio. Right now I just certified into Birdie. What has your First Tee experience been? My experience has been great! My coaches are awesome and I love just getting to hang out and play golf with my classmates! What are some activities you like to do outside of school? I love playing outside, dancing and singing, making masks for the pandemic, cooking, inventing things, sewing, drawing, doing challenging puzzles or games, Facetiming with my cousin, and practicing softball with my awesome dad! How did you get involved with the First Tee? My friends told me about it when I used to live back in Fort Worth, so I started my First Tee journey at the First Tee – Fort Worth. Between school and your activities how does First Tee aid in your success? It helps me make new friends and helps me get to my goal of being a pro golfer. What are your future goals? I want to be a fashion designer and a pro golfer!

Hi! My name is Julia Vollmer. I’m a freshman at Alamo Heights High School. I’m 15 years old and currently an Eagle participant in the program at the First Tee – Greater San Antonio. Outside of school, you can find me on the golf course. I play many high school and individual tournaments throughout the year. I absolutely love competing and have met so many people at these events. Golf is a very important aspect in my life and I am always trying to learn more about the game. I am also very involved with my church, Wayside Chapel, and their youth group. I play guitar and sing with the youth group band. I have also been on a couple mission trips where I created some of the best memories and friends of my life. As much as I can, I volunteer at the First Tee. Working with the younger classes is a really cool experience and I love seeing how the program has come full circle. My dad encouraged me to go to one of the classes and their Spring Break camp 8 years ago. I really enjoyed my time at these classes and so going to First Tee became a regular occurrence. After a while, I was practicing on the range multiple days a week and later on that year I played in my first ever golf tournament. Since then, I’ve never stopped. I credit this program to getting me started in golf. Their fun approach to the sport and the teaching of life skills is something I would recommend to everyone. I have loved my experience with the First Tee and I am so grateful for all the people that help to make this program possible. I have met so many friends and have had the privilege to participate in many fun events throughout the years. Golf is something I want to take to the next level. I have always had the dream to play D1 college golf. Through the First Tee, I believe they have been able and will continue to make this dream a reality. I would have never been so involved with golf if it weren’t for this program. Not only that, but they have taught me the importance of social skills and how to maneuver my way through life with maturity. These next few years are going to be very significant and I know I can count on the First Tee to help me along my journey.

Hi my name is Logan Skinner, I am 10 years old and in the 5th grade at Rolling Meadows Elementary. I have been with the First Tee for four years. I am an A Honor Roll student and was inducted into the National Elementary Honor Society at my school as a 4th grader. This year, I was chosen to be one of the team leaders at my school for a program called Anchored4life. Some activities that I like to do outside of school are… I like to play darts, I love to go fishing. My personal best is a 4 pound catfish. I have fished in both saltwater and freshwater. I enjoy swimming with my friends. As a member of the Schertz Stingrays swimming team, I had a successful season by placing at every meet and setting 4 NEW records for the Schertz Stingrays in the 8 year old boys division. I qualified for the AAAA Summer League Championships in 2019 (the season was canceled in 2020). At the Championship meet, I placed 1st in three individual events (25 freestyle, 25 breaststroke, 100 IM) and placed 1st in the 100 M relay and 2nd in the 100 IM relay with my teammates. I like watching YouTube and Dragon Ball Z. I also participated in the Rolling Meadows Elementary Youth Code Jam on December 4-10, 2020 where I placed 2nd overall. I have also participated in Robotics. My team and I built a fully functional robot using only Legos. My school has a bike rodeo every year. I placed 1st as a 4th grader and qualified for the Judson ISD district bike rodeo. Lastly, I participated in the First Annual Rolling Meadows Elementary Spelling Bee. I was 1st in my class and finished in 4th place overall from my school. How did you get involved with the First Tee? My dad introduced me to the Tiny Tiger program. Between school and your activities how does First Tee aid in your success? The First Tee helps me concentrate more when doing activities that require focus. It also helps me with teamwork because I need to practice teamwork for Robotics, swimming and PGA Jr League. I have also learned how to improve my communication skills and make friends. What are your future goals? My number one goal is to be a paleontologist. Another goal I have is to be a professional swimmer and golfer.

Tell me a little about yourself! Hello everyone! My name is Kyle Mahan! I am a Junior at Claudia Taylor Lady Bird Johnson Highschool. I am 17 years old and currently an Ace level participant in the First Tee – Greater San Antonio program. What do you like to do outside of school? Outside of school you can typically find me on the golf course. I am a very passionate golfer that really enjoys practicing and always working on making my golf game better. If I am not on the course, I enjoy spending time with my family and hanging out with friends. I also enjoy watching movies and playing video games. How did you get involved in the First Tee? What has your First Tee experience been? I first for involved with the First Tee – Greater San Antonio when we moved from West Texas. I was in 7^th grade at the time. My experience with this chapter has been great! I really consider the First Tee my second home. I highly recommend this program to everyone! I get to participate in events and unique opportunities like national events and local events like the Game Changer Shootout. What are your future goals? How is the First Tee helping you achieve them? As you read above, I am very passionate about golf. My future goals include playing college golf and earning a degree in biology or in forensics. The First Tee is helping me achieve my goals because it is great in both areas. The program really focuses on helping me improve both as a golfer and as a person. I feel confident that with the lessons I have learned and continue to learn at the First Tee, I can and will make my goals a reality.

Tell me a little about yourself! Hi there, I’m Gabriella! I’m currently a homeschooled junior in high school, but I also attend St. Philip’s College, where I’m currently pursuing an Occupational Skills Award in aircraft technology (in English, that basically means I’m learning how to fix aircraft when they go wrong!) My favorite subject would have to be history, but I also enjoy more STEM-related topics. What do you like to do outside of school? Outside of school, I’m actively involved with Civil Air Patrol, the Air Force’s Auxiliary. Civil Air Patrol, or CAP, has 3 missions: cadet programs, aerospace education, and emergency services. For a cadet, aerospace education and emergency services mean that you get to go flying, learn about aerospace and STEM, train to help with search and rescue, and volunteer in your community. Cadet programs means learning to follow, lead, teach, and – amongst other things – not completely fall over your feet when doing drill. I struggled with that one at first! I’m currently a member of the Alamo Composite Squadron (8500 Mission Rd Bldg. 675). We meet at Stinson Airport, one of the oldest operating airports in the US, which is pretty cool! I also love to volunteer with organizations including the First Tee, the Commemorative Air Force, and my church. The Commemorative Air Force is probably the most exciting organization I volunteer with; we go flying, maintain WW2 warbirds, and right now we’re restoring a WW2 trainer that flew in the 1970 movie Tora Tora Tora! It can be very greasy work, but it’s always enjoyable! How did you get involved in the First Tee? What has your First Tee experience been? I joined the First Tee of Fort Worth a few years ago because my sister wanted to attend a summer camp and I got roped in (snacks every day helped reconcile me to the program, though). 2 years ago, my family moved to San Antonio and I enrolled in classes with the First Tee here, this time by myself! Since then, I’ve been able to attend classes, volunteer at events, and even help to teach. What are your future goals? How is the First Tee helping you achieve them? As you might guess from the paragraphs above, I like planes. A lot! Goals for the future include studying mechanical engineering and becoming a pilot, which means a very hectic schedule. The First Tee provides a sort of safety valve. I realized a while ago that I couldn’t dedicate all my time to practicing golf because of other obligations, but I also decided that I was going to enjoy playing golf whenever I could! The First Tee lets me do that. The coaches and participants create a stress-free environment where one can learn about golf and values, meet people, relax, and just have fun, all without having to be great at golf! So I would say that the First Tee is helping me reach my goals by letting me learn, have fun, decompress, and realize that you don’t have to be amazing at golf to enjoy it.