Category: News

Veteran Spotlight: Derek Smith

Derek Smith, U.S. Airforce, has been playing golf for over 10 years and has participated in our programs for the last year at Eagle Trace Golf Club and Country Club in Coral Springs. 

When talking about his experience in our programs, he said: “It is such a great experience being able to meet with other veterans. A good balance of fun and friendly competition, and very well organized. Big thank you to all the coaches for their time, help and support, as we could not do this without you.”

Interested in joining our veterans’ programs?  Please visit our website for more information.

Great Week At The TimberTech Championship

Our partnership with the PGA Champions Tour TimberTech Championship continues to grow.  This year our Coaches Gabbie Budd, LPGA and Nyla Sims accompanied students Emma Huber and Mia Baez to play in the Women’s Pro-Am on Monday of tournament week. The students spent the morning listening to a panel led by former LPGA Tour Player and current broadcaster Morgan Pressel. Emma and Mia were inspired by Morgan’s words, and both wish to continue her legacy by being fierce competitors on the course, and Game Changers off the course.   Our ladies team was paired with Chapter Director Ken Duke for the Pro-Am.  Ken made the experience one of a kind. Mia and Emma were both astonished by how straight and far the ball went when Ken hit it! 

On Thursday of tournament week 60 students, parents and coaches attended our first ever Junior Clinic at the TimberTech sponsored by ADT.  PGA Champions Tour player Tim O’Neal shared his life’s journey in professional golf, including the ups and downs.  He never gave up and used our core value of Perseverance to shape his life.  Tim impressed the crown with his incredibly long and straight shots into a 20-mph wind.  Some of the students also tried their hand at some shots on the range.  ADT handed out gift bags to all the students and Tim signed lots of autographs!

Mateo Muñiz attended the final round of The TimberTech Championship and had an awesome time. This was his first time attending a Champions Tour event and he had the opportunity to speak with Bob Toski, Ernie Els, Mike Weir, K.J. Choi, Jerry Kelly, David Toms, and 2022 TimberTech Champion, Bernhard Langer.

Isabella At Drive Your Future Academy

Chapter participant Isabella Rubio was of 24 female students selected to attend the First Tee Drive Your Future Academy in San Francisco, California. About her trip experience, Isabella said “The week was full of insightful lessons and experiences that will last a lifetime!” 

Isabella had the opportunity to play at two of the finest courses in California in Lake Merced and Golden Gate Par 3. She won the closest to the pin contest from 118 yards, sticking it 6 inches from the hole. She also ran into Lydia Ko at Lake Merced where she was finishing a practice session, which to Isabella, was a dream come true!

Isabella gave back to the community by visiting the Pomeroy Recreation & Rehabilitation Center. This center gives back to those with developmental disabilities and provides them with a second family. The girls spent time with the students from the Rehabilitation Center and taught them about the great game of golf.

“It was a great day to give back and put smiles on everyone’s faces,” said Isabella.

The girls also took a road trip to Muir Woods, where they hiked up the treacherous mountains for a spectacular view. After, they went to downtown Sausalito and enjoyed a delicious Italian meal while enjoying the beautiful sunset. The trip was finished off with a bay cruise that passed right under the Golden Gate Bridge. 

“I’m so honored to represent First Tee – Broward and so grateful for this experience,” said Isabella.

First Tee Drive Your Future Academy presented by John Deere is a female empowerment event recognizing young women who are motivated to influence positive impact at their chapters, schools, and communities. The five-day academy experience focuses on the importance of building a strong network and how to approach mentorship opportunities, navigating post-graduation and career planning, and appreciating the value/impact of volunteerism. The selected teens have an opportunity to participate in activity-based workshops with female industry leaders in technology, STEM, and business development, as well as a golf outing.  

Scored The “W” At Fort Pierce Rotary Club Tourney

Chapter Coach Chuck Washington, veteran and Coach Willie Scott, volunteer Dave McCall, and participant Maximus Resendiz won the Fort Pierce Rotary Club Golf Tournament at Gator Trace Golf and Country Club with a score of 54!

Rotary clubs bring together people across generations who wish to create lasting change in the world, in their communities, and in themselves. Rotary members around the world strengthen their connections to friends and neighbors by taking action through service.

Congratulations To Coach David Ladd, PGA

David Ladd, PGA has been a long-time coach and supporter of our Chapter.  He is a huge advocate of junior golf in the Treasure Coast. We are excited to share that David has qualified for the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor, Michigan. David will be in the field with the most accomplished senior golfers to take on this Jack Nicklaus Signature Course in May 2024. This is an amazing accomplishment, and we look forward to cheering for David during tournament week.

The KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship is one of the most historic and prestigious major championships in senior golf.  The championship was first held in 1937 and was contested at Augusta National Golf Club. Each year, it showcases the legends of golf.

TimberTech Women’s Day And Pro-Am

Two Chapter students attended the TimberTech Women’s Day and Pro-Am with Coaches Gabbie Budd, LPGA and Nyla Sims. The students, Emma Huber and Mia Baez, spent the morning listening to a panel led by philanthropist, former LPGA Tour Player and current broadcaster, Morgan Pressel. Emma and Mia were inspired by her words, and both wish to continue her legacy by being fierce competitors on the course, and Game Changers off the course.

In the afternoon Emma, Mia, and our Coaches played the Pro-Am with Chapter Director Ken Duke at the Old Course at Broken Sound. They had a team score of 11 under par.

“Ken Duke and his caddie, Marvin, made the round a fantastic experience for the girls,” said Coach Gabbie. “He captained our team and helped the students during the round. Mia and Emma were both amazed by how straight and far the ball went when Ken hit it.”

Ken Duke & Friends

In 2016, Ken Duke’s vision of founding a non-profit 501(c) 3 organization to support well deserving local and national organizations came to life.  After a meeting of friends and family, the Inaugural Ken Duke & Friends Celebrity Pro-Am was born. Each year a great dinner, concert and day of golf are enjoyed by everyone that attends this great weekend. The tournament supports national and local organizations each year to benefit from the event.

The tournament generously supports our Chapter’s children and veterans each year.  Ken also serves as a Director on our Treasure Coast Board.  Chapter President Andrew Hunt joined Director of Operations Anthony Coletta and Executive Director Carl Mistretta to play in this year’s event.

“We are so grateful to Ken for his incredible generosity,” said Chapter President Andrew Hunt.  “Ken and his tournament supporters impact the lives of so many deserving people each year.  It is an honor to be a benefitting charity of this tournament and to have Ken very involved with our organization.”

Sponsor Spotlight: Skate Payments

We are delighted to announce our newest sponsor: Skate Payments, a South Florida based fintech company.

Would your club or business be interested in no longer paying credit card processing fees? Credit card fees paid by clubs and businesses each year total in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Skate Payments empowers business owners and clubs with updated hardware and software that pass the credit card processing fees to customers. 

If customers want their points or cash-back incentives on their credit cards, why should your club or business pay these fees? Skate Payments transitions these fees to become a choice made by the customers.  

To offer customers a better experience and the ability to pay in cash, Skate Payments offers their SkatePay mobile app, which offers customers and businesses real-time processing of cash transactions in the form of ACH. This means no one pays the credit card processing fees and there are no longer disputes and/or chargebacks. Funds are settled the same day!

There is a reason PayPal bought Venmo, and seven banks/credit card companies now own Zelle. We will be the last generation to use credit cards. You already know that your teens and college students rarely use them. Skate Payments is positioned for the incredible opportunity to save their clients from paying millions of dollars in credit card fees while offering a simple solution for customers to access electronic cash. They have partnered with our Chapter as their goal is to have the golf industry be one of the early adopters of saving lots of money.

Would you like to learn more? Visit their website at: www.skatepaymets.com or please contact Kris Patterson at Skate Payments at [email protected] or 917-657-1895.