Category: News

WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP FORUM

Ten Chapter students, staff and Coaches attended the 10th annual Women’s Leadership Forum presented by The Honda Classic Tuesday of tournament week. The forum was an enlightening and educational event attended by more than 350 women to participate in an engaging discussion on topics vital to their professional and personal development.

The two leadership guest speakers were Karen Brodkin, Executive Vice President of content strategy and development for Endeavor and co-head of WME Sports and Susie Krabacher, a dedicated humanitarian who works with saving, feeding, and educating the poorest of the poor.

Chapter female participants Isabella Cecere, Katie Harwood, Isabella Rubio, Daniela Perez and Olivia Marano joined Coach Connie, Coach Sun Min Lee, Coach Gail, Coach Tami, Manager of Operations Janelle Johnson, and Board Member and Palm Beach County Commissioner Maria Marino.

Pictured above: Chapter attendees with Barbara Nicklaus, Co-Chair of The Honda Classic.

BILLY, JAYDA AND OLIVIA PLAY IN THE MONDAY PRO-AM

In a tournament week full of student opportunities, it all began with Chapter students Billy Reid, Jayda Dookie and Olivia St. Antoine playing the Monday Pro Am with PGA TOUR professional and First Tee – Greater Sacramento alumnus Austin Smotherman.

“What a great day,” said Billy Reid. “First, we received all kinds of SWAG- clothes, shoes, golf balls, sunglasses, then we played a golf course in PGA TOUR conditions with a PGA pro. Austin was so nice to all of us, and we talked about his path to the Tour and our similar experiences in First Tee.”

Austin and Billy both played in what is now named the PURE Insurance Championship Impacting the First Tee at Pebble Beach. Jayda is applying to play in the tournament this year and Olivia will apply in the future.

“This is one of our most coveted local participant opportunities,” said Chapter Executive Director Carl Mistretta. “It is made possible because of the support and generosity of The Honda Classic and is reserved for our most dedicated students each year.”

GOLF FANS BACK IN ACTION AT THE HONDA CLASSIC

It was great to see lots of fans and packed stands at The Honda Classic. The Honda Classic is a Founding Partner of our Chapter. They support our children’s and veterans’ programs throughout the year in many ways from grants, to providing volunteers and even donating practice balls for our driving range.

Congratulations to Sepp Straka for winning a very exciting 2022 tournament that came down to the last shot at the last hole.

Straka trailed by five shots entering the final round and tapped in for birdie in the rain on the final hole to beat Shane Lowry by one shot. He became the first Austrian winner in PGA TOUR history. He shot a 4-under 66 on Sunday to finish at 10 under and earn $1.44 million.

Straka would birdie the par-4 16th (from 19 feet) to tie for the lead, and he then made one final birdie at the last hole. He led the Honda field in driving accuracy (47 of 56 fairways), hit 15 greens on Sunday, and when he missed one, scrambled well all week (13 of 17, which ranked third).

The victory ensures that Straka — who played his college golf at Georgia — will play the Masters in April.

MISSION UNITED VETERANS – JANUARY MONTHLY GOLF OUTING

Chapter veterans are invited monthly for an 18-hole golf outing. This is an event where Broward veterans play a round at rotating golf courses in Broward. January’s event was played at the Country Club of Coral Springs in Coral Springs.

Pictured above: The participants were Dail Revish, Doc Duberry, Gary Smith, Charlie Schmidt, Tom Melville, Chris Ellis and Jack Bloomfield. Three of the veterans played with Jack Bloomfield and the others three veterans played with Pro Emeritus, Bill Freising. Special thanks to Bill for hosting this month’s outing. 

Our veterans’ golf programs and outings are generously funded with a grant from The Harry T. Mangurian, Jr. Foundation.

SHREY WINS PARTICIPANT OF THE YEAR

Shrey, now 15 years old, joined our Chapter six years ago and attends our program at The Club at Weston Hills. Our participants progress through many levels by demonstrating inner strength, character, and the life and golf skills they have learned. Shrey has reached the Eagle level, which emphasizes setting goals and making them a reality. Shrey attends Cypress Bay High School and holds a 4.2 GPA. Shrey participated in our chapters 100-Hole Challenge fundraiser and raised over $3,000 dollars! Congrats Shrey!

GOLF MOURNS THE LOSS OF ROSIE

James Rosaforte III, 66, of Jupiter, joined the Lord on Jan. 11, 2022 after a brief battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. 

“He was golf’s best friend and a big supporter of our organization and our students,” said Chapter Executive Director Carl Mistretta. “He was a dear friend to me and served as our Honorary Vice Chairman. We will miss him greatly.”

Tim, as his mom called him, attended Brewster High School and became the second person in his family to attend college, at the University of Bridgeport and the University of Rhode Island, where he also played on the football teams. 

Tim graduated from URI in 1977 with a Bachelors of Science in Journalism. HE moved to Tampa where he worked as a sportswriter for the Tampa Times and Clearwater Sun, before moving to Fort Lauderdale in 1981 to work for the Sun-Sentinel. Tim married his wife, Genevieve Stewart, in Fort Lauderdale in 1983. They moved to Palm Beach County after their first daughter Genna was born in 1987, which is when he started writing for the Palm Beach Post. Their second daughter, Molly, was born in 1991. 

Tim started writing for Sports Illustrated in 1994, then Golf World/Golf Digest in 1996 as his family moved to Jupiter. Tim also started working as a TV announcer for Sunshine Network in the 1990s. He appeared on PGA Tour Sunday on USA Network from 2003-2007 before he became a regular on Golf Channel, where he served as the sport’s first true “insider.”

Tim covered almost 150 majors and 17 Ryder Cups, wrote four books, won dozens of writing awards, served as president of the American Golf Writer’s Association, and received the PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. Tim retired in late 2019, not long after he had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. 

Among his many honors: The PGA of America made him their 12th honorary member and the first journalist; he received the 2021 Memorial Golf Journalism Award from Jack and Barbara Nicklaus; his hometown Honda Classic named the Media Room after him and created the Tim Rosaforte Distinguished Writers’ Award; and the University of Rhode Island endowed a scholarship in Tim’s name in the neuroscience department. 

Tim is survived by his wife Genevieve, daughters Genna (Nick) Bezek and Molly (Mason) Colling; grandchildren Graham, Finn and Saylor James; brothers Andy (Kim) Rosaforte and Michael (Kathi) Rosaforte, sister Shirlyn (Scott) Malley and his many nieces and nephews.

The family will hold a celebration of life Thursday, Feb. 17, (2pm) at Christ Fellowship Church in Palm Beach Gardens on 5343 Northlake Boulevard. The service will be live-streamed at funerals.online.church. In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be made to Nantz National Alzheimer Center | Houston Methodist, and the Tim Rosaforte Scholarship, University of Rhode Island Foundation and Alumni Engagement, P.O. Box 1700, Kingston, R.I., 02881

REGISTRATION OPEN FOR PROGRAMS

Enroll your children in our First Tee programs to learn the game and our valuable life skills curriculum.

Our program locations include:
– The Bridges at Springtree Golf Club
– The Club at Weston Hills
– Cooper Colony Golf & Country Club
– Davie Golf Club
– Eagle Trace Golf Club
– Hollywood Beach Golf Club
– Parkland Golf & Country Club
– PGA TOUR Superstore – Plantation
– Pompano Beach Golf Club

For more information and to register, please visit our website.

ENTER NOW FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A NEW HONDA

American Honda Birdies for Children program serves as a vehicle for local charities to team up with The Honda Classic and invite our supporters to participate with a chance to win a new Honda automobile. Our Chapter benefits from all the proceeds plus a 5% matching contribution courtesy of LOCALiQ. Since its inception in 2010 over $16 million has been raised by charities that have teamed up with The Honda Classic.

How to participate: Donate $20 or more and then guess the total number of birdies that will be made by the entire field in all four rounds of the 2022 Honda Classic.

Grand Prize: BRAND NEW 2022 HONDA VEHICLE awarded to the donor who guesses the correct number of birdies.

To participate, please visit our chapter link on the Birdies for Children website.

*Note – In the event of a tie, a blind drawing from all correct guesses will determine the winner.

COACH GLEN AWARDED COACH OF THE YEAR

Coach Glen Beaver began his golf career at Keiser University’s School of Golf. He graduated in 2014 and has been successfully coaching First Tee programs since 2015. He has recently built the second largest First Tee program in Palm Beach County serving over 150 participants of all ages including students with special needs. 

Glen’s passion for helping junior golfers with his seamless delivery of our Nine Core Values and life skills lessons with golf instruction has led to his growing programs. 
“Coach Glen has been an inspiration to his students and provides constant encouragement to help them strive and achieve their goals,” said a program parent. “His coaching goes beyond the sport of golf. He coaches to who a child is and believes in who they will become.” 

Congratulations to Glen for winning 2021 Coach of the Year and changing the lives of our Chapter’s students.

LOOKING FOR NEW CLUBS?? WANT TO DONATE CLUBS??

Through the generosity of local golfers and country clubs, our Chapter receives thousands of donated golf clubs. Some can be used by our high school students and veterans, but many are too big or too stiff for children. We partner with Blake’s Golf Shop to sell the remaining clubs which raises funds to buy child appropriate U.S. Kids Clubs and to fund our programs.

“We have about one-half of the courses in Palm Beach County helping out with Club Drives each year,” said Chapter Development Director David Trout, PGA. “Club members really enjoy cleaning out their trunks and garages and donating their old clubs and bags to a great cause that serves children and veterans.”

Please visit our website for the complete list of club donation drop off sites.
Country clubs interested in hosting a Club Drive this year should contact David Trout, PGA at [email protected] for more information.

If you are in the market for a different set of clubs, bags, shoes, etc. please visit Blake’s Golf Shop. Your purchase will support the mission and programs of First Tee – Palm Beaches. There are two ways to shop. Visit their online ebay site with over 6,000 listings or visit their physical location at:

Blake’s Golf Shop 
1820 Hypoluxo Road, Unit C6
Lake Worth Beach Fl. 33462
561-703-7788

Blake’s Golf Shop is located in Lake Worth, immediately west of I-95. Please call 561-703-7788 to arrange a time to see their incredible inventory or just stop by between 10am-4pm on Monday- Saturday.

FELIPE AWARDED KEISER COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP

When Felipe was in 5th grade, his school art teacher entered him into The Honda Classic Kids Ticket of Admission Art Contest. This was the first time he was introduced to the game of golf. A couple of weeks later, he learned he had won the contest and was awarded admission tickets to The Honda Classic! He met many PGA Tour Professionals, including Russel Henley during tournament week. Felipe also met Ken Kennerly, the Executive Director of The Honda Classic and our Chapter Vice Chairman. Ken gave Felipe and his family tickets to Disney World and even better, a lifetime scholarship to attend programs at First Tee – Palm Beaches. 

Felipe’s experience at First Tee has greatly impacted his life. He was introduced to a game he learned to love despite his disability. He was born with a deformed right hand that resembles a claw. At First Tee, he met coaches who became mentors. He participates in many chapter events and volunteers with the younger children. In 2018, Felipe and 7 other chapter teenagers established our Chapter’s Teen Golf Association (TGA) and he served as the recruiter. Felipe and the team grew the TGA to a thriving club that meets throughout the year. 

Felipe was selected to participate in multiple participant opportunities, including being a Junior Course Reporter at The Honda Classic, and volunteering as a standard bearer at the First Tee – Aiken Junior Invitational at Sage Valley in South Carolina. He is currently attending the First Tee Leadership Summit in partnership with the PGA TOUR Superstore. 

Now a senior at Dreyfoos School of the Arts, he will graduate high school in June. He was recently awarded a four-year full scholarship in partnership with our chapter to attend the Keiser University College of Golf where he will have the opportunity to receive a bachelor’s degree, an accomplishment he has always dreamed of. 

“First Tee has changed my life in a huge and positive way,” said Felipe. “I plan on continuing to volunteer as an assistant coach throughout college and beyond.”