Year: 2018

Dennis Walters a long-time Chapter supporter and a member of our Honorary Board of Directors, received a phone call from Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player to inform him of his induction into the Class of 2019 World Golf Hall of Fame. Dennis is an elite golfer who was paralyzed from the waist-down at the age of 24 following a golf cart accident. He has since dedicated his career to sharing life lessons and inspiring fans and disabled golfers of all ages through golf clinics and special performances at more than 3,000 worldwide appearances. Former spokesperson and national ambassador for The First Tee, his message is to always continue hoping and dreaming. He is one of only 11 honorary lifetime members of the PGA of America. Walters was also honored with the 1978 Ben Hogan Award and was a 2018 recipient of the USGA’s Bob Jones Award. “Everybody has a story of how they got here, but I think my story is probably the most unlikely journey to get to any type of Hall of Fame that anyone’s ever done,” Walters said. “I was laying in a hospital bed 44 years ago, and I never thought I was actually getting out of that bed. I’ve done so many things I’ve never thought were possible, but it also gives me the opportunity to show others what’s possible.” The official induction ceremony is June 10, 2019, the Monday prior to the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.

TRUNK OR TREAT at Dyer Park October 27th, 2018 9:30am – 11am

Costume Contest and Fun Golf Games!

No Class will be held. Open to all children.

Please contact Connie Capanegra at [email protected] and location is 7301 N Haverhill Rd, West Palm Beach, FL 33407

Marathon Golf added new participating clubs and grew again in 2018. Chapter Development Director – Jack Barrett played a grand total of 108 holes and raised over $5,000, which will be matched by the Seminole Region CMAA. The CMAA donated additional funding from their annual gala and golf tournament to bring our total raised to $15,000! In their 8th year, Gary Collins, the man behind Marathon Golf, announced that all clubs and Marathon Golfers set a new record of over $300,000 to support local charities. The Marathon Golf 2018 Celebration Breakfast and 2019 Kick-off was recently held at the Coral Ridge Country Club, where Gary presented the check to Jack (pictured above). With their charitable giving, the Seminole Region Club Managers Association is changing lives in South Florida. The Seminole Region CMAA is recognized as a Nine Core Value Sponsor of our Chapter

Fellow staff members of Press Ganey Associates honored Patrick Ryan’s 60th birthday by making generous donations to our chapter. Mr. Ryan, CEO of Press Ganey, asked that the funds be directed to The First Tee programming in his local area. Mr. Ryan is an avid golfer and has a passion for supporting youth development. He donated funds to build a new sports field at Avon Old Farms (named the “Ryan Field”). As a corporate donor, he also served on the scholar review committee for the Pat Tillman Foundation, which awards scholarships to returning veterans. He has instituted an annual community service day at Press Ganey where employees donate a full day of volunteer work by 1300+ associates to organizations in need. “The staff and leadership at Press Ganey understand the importance of giving back to the community,” said chapter Executive Director Carl Mistretta. “Together we will impact the lives of young people by teaching them life skills and that golf is more than a game. It is the sport of a lifetime and the sport of business.”

Our Chapter, working in partnership the Boys and Girls Club of Boca Raton recently started new programming at the PGA Tour Superstore in Delray! These participants will alternate classes between the indoor instruction at the PGA Tour Superstore and also green grass play at John Prince Learning Center in Lake Worth. The class is lead by Coach Nancy Stuart, LPGA with help from Jack Barrett and Volunteer Rich Leviss. Special SHOUT OUT to the PGA Tour Superstore and the John Prince Learning Center for hosting our programming.

Our Chapter recently lost a great friend, ambassador and supporter of our mission.  David Burke, longtime vice president of The Breakers hotel and a leader in the Florida tourism industry, died suddenly on Wednesday, Aug. 29, at the age of 61. “David was a great believer in our organization and I was lucky to have him as a close personal friend,” said Carl Mistretta, Chapter Executive Director.  “We met because of The Honda Classic’s and the Breakers’ generous support of our chapter and became fast friends, golf buddies and shared a love of football.  We simply cannot believe he is gone. Our thoughts are with his family- Amy, Matt and Ryan.” Aside from his 27-year career at The Breakers, Mr. Burke served as an ambassador for the Honda Classic, a 100 Friend of The First Tee of The Palm Beaches, a trusted adviser for Discover the Palm Beaches’ board of directors, the vice chairman of the Palm Beach County Tourist Development Council, and president of the Florida Restaurant Lodging Association. Golf Channel’s, Tim Rosaforte, is hosting our annual 100 Friends Invitational golf tournament at The Bear’s Club on October 23 which is dedicated in honor and memory to “Burkie” this year. Tim is a longtime supporter of our Chapter and serves as Vice Chairman of our Honorary Board of Directors. For more information on the tournament, please CLICK HERE. For tournament sponsorship information, please CLICK HERE.

The Club at Ibis – Heritage Course Sunday, October 14^th at 8:30am 

Entry Fee: $175 which includes golf, lunch and two tickets to the 2019 Honda Classic Format: Two Person Scramble. Double Bogey max per hole for all amateurs Field Size: Event is limited to the first 48 teams with entry deadline Monday, October 8^th To register, please call the PBCGA office at (561) 625-0400.

The Palm Beach Golf Course Superintendents Association (PBGCSA) continues to generously support our chapter mission through their annual Futures of Golf tournament. At their recent tournament at Eastpointe Country Club, the “big check” was presented to Chapter representatives.  Pictured above: Chapter Director Mark Reid and son Billy, Director Ken Ohrstrom, previous Director Kevin Downing, Development Director Jack Barrett, Director of Golf at Eastpointe Country Club John Spiwak, Chapter Superintendent Ryan Kelly and PBGCSA Board Member Deron Zendt.   “The PBGCSA support has allowed us to continually improve the turf conditions at our golf facility through many capital improvements,” said Mark Reid, Chapter Director and PBGCSA member.  “This year’s grant added a second maintenance building and purchased cabinets for fertilizer and fuel storage.”