Category: Treasure Coast

Damarius has been with one of our program partners Big Brothers Big Sisters for several years. Just this year he was matched with a Big who loved sports as much as Damarius does. Big Brother Hank loves the game of golf and he started to bring Damarius to the golf course. Because he did not have his own clubs, Hank let Damarius borrow his clubs. Thanks to our generous club donors, First Tee – Treasure Coast supplied Damarius a set of his own clubs that fit him perfectly. “After just three lessons, he has found a love for the sport,” said Hank.

Mason Sarkin – Participant of the Year Mason is 12 years old. He has been with Coach Bo and First Tee for 6 years. He attends Hidden Oaks Middle School in Palm City where he is an Honor Roll student. He loves football, basketball and especially golf. His favorite part of golf is putting and getting to walk the course. “My favorite thing about First Tee are the coaches and the new friends I have made,” said Mason. “If I could play a round of golf with anyone, it would be Rickie Fowler. He is my favorite professional.”

Chris Connelly – Coach of the Year Chris was the lead coach for chapter programs at Riverbend Country Club and The Champions Club during a very challenging year. Chris not only coached but also helped mentor newer coaches along the way. Chris has been a PGA professional for over 10 years and enjoys giving back to a game that has given him so much. He also played in our 100-Hole Challenge fundraiser and raised $2,500 for our programs.

Matthew Boyd – Volunteer of the Year Matthew is a retired Police Chief of the City of Miami Gardens. While in Miami he was introduced to First Tee and spent several years volunteering for their chapter. When he retired to Port Saint Lucie, he became a volunteer with First Tee – Treasure Coast. In 2020, he assisted Coach Willie Scott in starting up a very successful First Tee program at Fairwinds Golf Club in Fort Pierce. “The success of my program is due to the help of great volunteers like Matthew,” said Coach Willie.

 

For the last 12 years, our Chapter has conducted the Monday after The Honda Invitational. Our donors, supporters and students play the Sunday pins from the PGA TOUR event. A few crazy people even played the pro tees! Chapter students Katie Harwood and Jacie Goodman (pictured above left) won the low net division with an impressive score of 54. They were joined by Chapter Director of Community Outreach, Anthony Coletta and fellow student Trevor Tarashuk (pictured above right). “We putted lights out and made everything,” said Katie. “If one of us had a tough hole, the other person played it well. It was a great team effort. We are both very thankful to First Tee and The Honda Classic for inviting us to play.” Monday after the Honda tournament results were as follows: LOW GROSS 1st – Bobby Collins & Carl Panattoni (67) 2nd – Morgan Slaton & Mack Edwards (68) 3rd – Matt Boris & Lance Gillet (68) LOW NET 1st – Katie Harwood & Jacie Goodman (54) 2nd – Willie Melia & Bill Dunn (59) 3rd – Clay Surovek & John Surovek (62) “The course was in fantastic condition and the greens were lightning fast,” said Chapter President Andrew Hunt. “The Monday after tournament shows our guests what it is really like to play on the PGA TOUR. We are so grateful to The Honda Classic for giving us this opportunity to raise some funds and have such a memorable experience.”

First Tee registration is open at multiple program locations in St. Lucie and Martin Counties. Please visit our website to learn more about class days and times at the following locations: • Crane Watch Club • The Saints at Port St. Lucie Golf Course • The Champions Club • Riverbend Country Club • Jensen Beach Golf Club • Fairwinds Golf Course

Register now!

The First Tee Leadership Series in partnership with PGA TOUR Superstore kicked off this month at the Palm Beach Gardens store. 10 students including two from our chapter participated. The program is an interactive five-week series designed to provide teens the opportunity to discover their personal values and emerging leadership strengths. Through the series, teens also begin to explore potential career fields based on those findings and frame out multi-year goals to guide them as they navigate future career opportunities. The Leadership Series – which was co-created between First Tee and PGA TOUR Superstore – is being hosted in 27 communities across the country where there is a store and a First Tee chapter. PGA TOUR Superstore general managers will facilitate the interactive sessions between Feb. 8 and March 15 either virtually or in stores and chapters, with safe and socially distant protocols in place. Once the participants complete the series, they will be eligible to apply for the First Tee Leadership Summit in partnership with PGA TOUR Superstore. The Summit will be held this August at PGA TOUR Superstore Chairman Arthur M. Blank’s West Creek Ranch in Montana. Forty teens will be selected for the Summit where they will take part in interactive workshops and outdoor leadership trainings.

Willoughby Golf Club and Stuart Yacht and Country Club joined together to play the 100 – Hole Challenge to support our children and veterans. This is their second year in a row participating and we are very thankful for their members’ continued support! Director of Golf, Gerry Knebels represented Willoughby Golf Club and raised $5,050 through the support of his membership. Head Golf Professional Dean Lawson and Dave Shimko represented Stuart Yacht and Country Club and raised $4,900 with the support of their membership. A portion of their donations came from the Breezy Foundation, a scholarship fund in memory of Briana Lawson. During this difficult time of COVID, these donations will support local programs in the Treasure Coast.

Time to clean out the trunk and the garage and donate all of that unused golf equipment! Club Drives help us support thousands of young people in Martin and St. Lucie Counties, including those with special needs, and veterans. The club schedules a two-week time frame for members to drop off donated clubs at the cart barn. Their donations are tax deductible and we give each donor an IRS receipt letter for their tax returns. At the conclusion of the Club Drive, we will come by and pick everything up. We provide signage, example newsletter text and pictures, and receipts. Please contact Gennifer Garvin at [email protected] or 812-243-5703 to schedule your Club Drive.

Jack Nicklaus recently called Tim Rosaforte to congratulate him on being named the recipient of this year’s Memorial Golf Journalism Award. The award was created to honor journalists who served their profession with conspicuous honor and made a major contribution and impact on golf journalism. “It’s pretty surreal to have Jack call to tell you that you’ve won an award like that,” Rosaforte said. “I’ve known Jack for a long time, and it was an emotional moment. It means a lot to be honored at Jack’s tournament.” Rosaforte, a longtime Jupiter resident, was one of golf’s original “insiders” during his four-decade career that included stops at the Palm Beach Post, Sports Illustrated and Golf World. The 65-year-old retired from the Golf Channel a year ago because he has early-onset Alzheimer’s. “Tim has been a great friend for some 40 years,” Nicklaus said. “We first met at Oak Hill at the 1980 PGA Championship, and our paths have crossed countless times since. Tim is also one of this generation’s great golf journalists. “He has developed relationships and trust from so many in the game, and you always know that if there was an important story to be told in golf, Tim was going to be the first call you received and usually the first one to report it.” In late October, Rosaforte became the first journalist – and the 12th person overall – to receive Honorary Membership in the PGA of America. Rosaforte also received the PGA of America Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism in 2014.

First Tee – Florida Gold Coast, the parent organization of First Tee – Palm Beaches, Broward and the Treasure Coast, held its Inaugural Celebrity Pro-Am at the Breakers Ocean Course this week. The event began with lunch at the Flagler Steakhouse with the players, our Chairman Steve Rockoff, Vice Chairman Ken Kennerly and Executive Director of the David Burke Foundation, Ryan Burke. The winning team shot a 13-under par score of 57 in a format of one best-ball net of the foursome. The winning team consisted of the course architect- Rees Jones, Peter Helie, Phil Restino and chapter students Felipe Obando and Billy Reid. “We had an incredible day at the Breakers,” said Carl Mistretta, Chapter Executive Director. “Everyone had a great time, and it was a lot of fun to have Rees tell the group about the course re-design. It is such a fun course to play.” The proceeds of this inaugural event will benefit our 2021 college scholarship fund and veterans’ programs.

Registration for the SFPGA Junior Tour is now open and offers a variety of tours for players of all skill level ages 6-18. The Links, Prep, Challenge and Championship tours provide a journey for young golfers who are just starting out to when they are competitive tournament players and perspective college golfers. Links Tour – A series of 9-hole events which provides a competitive and fun tournament atmosphere for players to gain stroke play experience and learn the game of golf. This tour is aimed at beginner-level golfers, ages 6-14. Prep Tour – Players on this tour must have some previous tournament golf experience as it is single day, 18-hole rounds for junior golfers ages 9-18. Challenge Tour – This is a series of two-day tournaments for junior golfers ages 11-18 at some of south Florida’s premier golf facilities. Championship Tour – The Championship Tour is an invitational-only tour based on the previous year’s scoring average and point standings. This tour features two or three-day events for juniors ages 13-18. Please visit the SFPGA Junior Tour website to register and for more information.

Tristan lives in Hobe Sound. Besides golf, he enjoys creating and building things with Legos, drawing, and football. Tristan likes being a role model for his two younger sisters, ages 3 and 4. They keep him very busy. He has been playing golf with our Chapter for 3 years through our partnership with the Samaritan Center. “I look forward to golf every week,” said Tristan. “I especially like the teamwork and I have learned patience from participating in First Tee. Coaches Anthony Coletta and John Sedwitz are the best!”