Category: News

OUR 100 FRIENDS ENJOY A GREAT DAY AT THE BEAR’S CLUB

We extend our sincerest gratitude to Jack Nicklaus, our Chapter’s Honorary Chairman and a Trustee of The First Tee, and the members and staff of The Bear’s Club for recently hosting our annual 100 Friends’ golf tournament and dinner. The winners of the net division with a score of 53 were – Bill Dunn, Bill Owens, Jared Myers, and Michael Blum (pictured above left). The winners of the gross division with a score of 65 were Tommy Frankel, George Tamasi, Deron Zendt (pictured above right with Aliya and Connie), and Buddy Finch. HOLE-IN-ONE! Congrats to David Weener from BallenIsles who recorded our first ever 100 Friends tournament ace on hole #7. “Our sponsors and supporters simply had a wonderful time and enjoy the hospitality of the club,” said Bobby Hendel, Chapter President. “It is a fun day at a fantastic golf club.”

Thank you sponsors!

Sponsors

DENNIS WALTERS AND BUCKY COMING TO DYER PARK

Please join us this Saturday, December 9th at 10:30am for The Dennis Walters Golf Show at the Michael B. Finnegan Learning Center located at:

Dyer Park 7301 N. Haverhill Road West Palm Beach, FL 33407 *FREE ADMISSION

The Dennis Walters Golf Show is a one-hour combination of “Golf Lessons and Life Lessons.” It is great golf, great fun, along with an inspiring message. You do not want to miss Super Dog Bucky’s tricks and proficiency at math!

DID WE MENTION THERE WILL BE PIZZA TOO……

CADDIE OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE FOR OUR STUDENTS

Spend time at a golf course, learn more about life and the game of golf and earn some money. In partnership with our Chapter, CADDIENOW is recruiting youth caddies for an on-demand caddie program. Think UBER for golf! Download the CADDIENOW app to get started. We have an orientation scheduled at our golf facility in Dyer Park on Tuesday, December 12th at 4pm. Please RSVP to Terry Wittek at [email protected] or 561-291-2152. CADDIENOW has partnered with multiple private courses in our area including Jonathan’s Landing, The Club at Ibis and Admirals Cove to give members the option of taking a caddie any time they play through the CADDIENOW app. Caddies are given advanced notice of the golfer’s tee time via a push notification on their device. Caddies then show up to the course, hustle and after the round, money is direct deposited into their bank account. PLUS CADDIES RECEIVE CASH TIPS! CADDIENOW is primarily seeking high school and college-age students active in the game. Our caddies need to have a great attitude and work hard to ensure a great golfer experience. Caddies are there to carry golf bags, rake the bunkers, watch their golf ball and keep the clubs and ball clean. No caddie experience? No problem. Through CADDIENOW’s partnership with our Chapter, orientations are offered, plus a graduated process to help the students succeed. Every time your child takes a loop, a donation is also made to our Chapter. How does it work? CADDIENOW operates on a first-come, first-serve basis, based on availability of the caddies. Golfers use their app to request a caddie with at least 24 hours’ notice before the tee time. A notification goes out to all the caddies in our area that have been through orientation. We realize many junior caddies are in school and can only work on weekends. No problem, there are more loops to be filled on the weekends anyway. CADDIENOW is committed to the game and our community. Many of America’s CEOs credit their success to their time as a caddie. Download the CADDIENOW app and get your students signed up for an orientation. Caddie Benefits: 1. Make up to $100+ in 4-5 hours 2. Flexible hours 3. Meet successful people 4. Free golf at our partner courses Caddie Requirements: 1. Age 14 and up 2. Must be hard working 3. Must like to make money 4. Must enjoy talking to people 5. Must be able to walk 4-6 miles 6. Carry up to 20 lbs. After taking a loop with CADDIENOW you can benefit by playing FREE golf at one of our featured courses; Jonathan’s Landing, The Club at Ibis and Admirals Cove. We are adding more courses monthly. Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity. Visit www.CADDIENOW.com for more info and download the app to get started.

THE FIRST TEE CELEBRATES 20 YEARS

Earlier this month, nearly one-thousand-chapter staff, coaches, educators, industry leaders, participants, partners, trustees and alumni from 160 chapters across the world visited ChampionsGate in Orlando for our biennial conference to celebrate The First Tee’s 20th anniversary. The conference also marked the retirement of CEO Joe Louis Barrow, Jr. after eighteen incredible years and the introduction of Keith Dawkins, formerly of Nickelodeon, as his successor. The First Tee’s Board Chairman, Commissioner Tim Finchem, presented Joe with a special watercolor created to recognize his contributions to our organization that will permanently hang at The First Tee home office (pictured above). “It was a great week of education and celebration of Joe Louis Barrow’s incredible accomplishments,” said Steve Rockoff, Chairman of the Children’s Golf Foundation. “We definitely had the most attendees and I am very thankful for our chapter Trustees and my fellow Directors that joined us at the meeting.” StaffOver 20 attendees from our Chapter participated in the week-long conference of classes and general sessions. The chapter hosted a reception for all of our attendees (pictured right). The team of Carl Mistretta-Executive Director, Coach Rick Hengstenberg and Coach/alum Emily Valentine won a nine-hole scramble tournament at the resort’s par three golf course.

WE WILL MISS YOU MIKE ROACH

It is with sad hearts and deep sympathy that we announce the unexpected passing of our great friend and supporter, Mike Roach.  Mike’s company upgraded our irrigation system and he visited our facility just a few weeks ago to check up on our progress and discuss some enhancements. The most important component of a golf facility to ensure healthy turf is the irrigation system.  Mike worked tirelessly during our re-grassing of 2012 to ensure our upgraded system was state of the art.  He donated many hours and equipment and asked his friends in the industry to also donate time and equipment to defray over 70% of the costs associated with the project. “We would not be where we are today without Mike’s dedication,” said Carl Mistretta, Chapter Executive Director.  “He was a great friend and we worked on many projects together during my golf course design days, including The Bear’s Club and Trump National Jupiter.  Mike was a fantastic advocate for our golf and youth development programs.” We will miss him dearly and ask that everyone involved in our Chapter to please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers. Services are expected to be held later this week in South Carolina.

JOIN US AT THE INAUGURAL BEAR TRAP BASH

Replicating the energy of the famed Bear Trap at The Honda Classic, this Halloween party will be raising awareness for philanthropy in Palm Beach County. Join us for spirits, brews and bites, live music, an exciting auction and prizes for the best costume!

Date: Saturday, October 28th Tickets: $225 per person ($100 Tax Deductible) TICKET AND PACKAGE OPTIONS AVAILABLE Time: 7pm – 11pm Location: PGA National Resort & Spa Attire: Casual Dress – Costumes encouraged!

Please select: “Charity to Support” – The First Tee of The Palm Beaches

CAN’T ATTEND AND WOULD LIKE TO DONATE? CLICK HERE!

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: TRACY PEYTON

Recently our volunteer Tracy Peyton received an award for her efforts in completing 70 hours of “workship” during the 2016-2017 school year. Peyton was given the award by Palm Beach Atlantic University, where she attends school and is a member of the golf team. For the past year, Peyton has been responsible for logging database entries into our Chapter’s online system. Although the task is tedious and requires persistency, Peyton is happy to give back to her community. “It means a lot to me to support organizations like The First Tee which grow the game of golf. Having been raised playing golf myself, I recognize the character building aspect of golf which is highly beneficial to every child/teen,” Peyton said.

SUMMER FUN THANKS TO THE PAR 3 FOUNDATION & THE PALM BEACH PAR 3 GC

Over the summer, the Palm Beach Par 3 Golf Course with funding support from the Par 3 Foundation hosted three weeks of our chapter summer camps! The 18-hole course between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway was re-designed by Ray Floyd and is a great course for children and families to enjoy. The course is fun and challenging for golfers of any skill level to play. The PAR 3 Foundation continues to promote Raymond Floyd’s dedication to junior golf programs and growing the game. “It is a pleasure having The First Tee host the students to enjoy our facility each summer,” said Tony Chateauvert, PGA, Director of Golf of the Palm Beach Par 3. “The students learn about golf and life skills and enjoy the beach and fantastic food from our restaurant.” The Lake Worth Community Center, Marjorie S. Fisher Boys & Girls Club, and students from our chapter were among the many participants to enjoy the beautiful course during the summer camps.

CHAPTER PROGRAM DIRECTOR MEETS GARY PLAYER

At a recent SE Section LPGA tournament at TPC Sawgrass, Coach Connie had the pleasure to meet the Black Knight, Gary Player. Mr. Player gave the LPGA Professionals some playing tips before their round on the Stadium Course. Pictured above: Coach Connie, Gary Player, and Teaching Professional Vanina Colledanchise from Argentina.

100 FRIENDS INVITATIONAL AT THE BEAR’S CLUB

Our 100 Friends support our chapter in many ways, such as: – Learning about our mission and programs to act as our community ambassadors ï – Helping us to identify potential donors, corporations or foundations to support our non-profit organization – Contributing special skills and talents to help us grow and promote our youth development programs. Each year our 100 Friends gather for a golf tournament at The Bear’s Club. This year’s event is Tuesday, October 24th. Please CLICK HERE to learn more about joining the 100 Friends. New this year- The Young Professionals of the 100 Friends.  This new group is for young leaders in our community ages 25-40.  It is being headed up by Sheridan Fields from US Trust.  Sheridan chaired a similar group with great success for The First Tee of Connecticut. Please CLICK HERE for more information on The Young Professionals.

CHAPTER INTERN AND COLLINS SEAFOOD ASSISTS RESIDENTS IN THE KEYS

William Burke Jr., (pictured far right) our chapter summer intern from Dwyer High School’s business magnet, helped deliver over 8,000 pounds of ice to residents of the Florida Keys. The ice was generously donated by our long standing sponsor, Collins Fish & Seafood. Collins is the oldest seafood distributor in South Florida and supplies many restaurants, hotels and other businesses in the Keys and many Palm Beach County country clubs and customers. “The devastation was very sad and the people that live in the Keys are going to need a lot of help to rebuild,” said William after the trip. “They were very thankful to Collins Seafood for donating the ice and I am glad I could help out. I learned how important it is to give back and volunteer while at The First Tee this summer.”