Category: Treasure Coast

Zoe And Wylie Had A Blast At Pebble!

Chapter students Zoe Shamy and Wylie “Coyote” Inman played in the ultimate First Tee student opportunity – the Pure Insurance Championship.  They played in this televised event each paired with a PGA Tour Champions professional at Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill.  Zoe was paired with Ken Duke and the Coyote played with Ernie Els.

The three-day event was televised on Golf Channel.  Both students made the cut and they both finished tied for 10th place.  This is the first time our chapter has sent two students to the Pure Insurance Championship.

“This was unbelievable!” said Wylie.  “Three rounds at Pebble and two at Spyglass playing with Mr. Els was an incredible experience.  He taught me a lot about my game.”  Added Zoe: “Mr. Duke was so nice to me and my family.  I have experienced some very special opportunities through First Tee, but the Pure Insurance Championship is now at the top of the list.”

Want your child to play at Pebble Beach? Enroll in a First Tee program. It is the only way to qualify.

Sponsor Spotlight: AWS

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is dedicated to a world where every person has the opportunity to live a life of dignity on a healthy planet. Whether you are working to generate donor, member, or volunteer insights through managed databases and analytics, accelerate research through machine learning and AI, optimize program delivery through scalable websites and applications, or just getting started – AWS is here to help.

Whether you’re looking for compute power, database storage, content delivery, or other functionality, AWS has the services to help you build sophisticated applications with increased flexibility, scalability, and reliability.

Special thanks to Chapter Director RJ Bibby of AWS, a Worldwide SAP Alliance Leader for his continued support and leadership.

100-Hole Challenge Was A Huge Success

We had a great day for at the 100- Hole Challenge at Medalist Village par-3 course. Twenty-eight players including golf professionals from local golf clubs and Chapter supporters played 100 holes in one day raising over $117,000 to support our children and veterans. Donations are still coming in, but Loblolly is in the lead with over $13,000 raised.  Turtle Creek is in second place, followed by Hobe Sound Golf Club.  In the individual division, Chapter Director Peter Crocitto III from Keiser University’s College of Golf has raised over $8,800.

Please visit our 100-Hole fundraising website to support our many players.  You can be entered for a chance to win a trip to Pebble Beach!

The players enjoyed great food from the Dune Dog food truck, closest to the pin and most birdies made contests.  Special thank you to Chapter Director Joe Downey for chairing the event.

Huge SHOUT OUT to our sponsors Amazon Web Services, Holderness Bourne, and The Andrew & Robin Philanthropic Fund.

Chapter Alumna Shares The Game

Chapter alumna, Annery Abrue, ran a seven-week program this summer at Fairwinds Golf Course. Students learned about fundamental golf skills, rules, etiquette, and tournament and on-course play. Each day during the week, the group worked on a particular skill that would build for the final day where they would be able to test their skills.

The students also participated in other extracurricular activities throughout the day. As golf can be challenging, students enjoyed a break from time to time. Other activities included outdoor sports, STEM activities, and arts and crafts. In addition, Wednesdays were water days!

Big Fun At Westside Learning Facility

Our Westside Learning Facility is booming with activity! Coach Ben Miller, PGA spent a morning with Olivet Private School emphasizing the challenge of golf and the perseverance needed to play. The students started their activities with a putting shootout, where the students showed their great sportsmanship.

Next, the students went to the range where they learned the fundamentals of golf, including grip, aim, setup, and swing. Coach Ben was very excited by the progress he saw this week, and he is very enthusiastic for the future of these Game Changers.

Arlen Bento Hooking New Students

Coach Arlen Bento’s class is bringing in new students at The Saints at Port St. Lucie Golf Course! One of his recent classes contained three first timers as well as four returning students. The group learned about putting, chipping, and the full swing. One of the first timers, Charlie, made a 30’ putt, which may have hooked him on golf for life. Nothing but smiles and enjoyment on display in this class.  To learn more and register for Coach Arlen’s class, please visit our website.

Back At Harvey Academy

We are excited to be back at the Harvey Academy in Tequesta. Each week, the 4th through 6th graders spend time with Coach Gabbie Budd, LPGA. The students are currently working on developing their golf skills, while building a positive self-identity. This program is uniquely designed to include a physical education program where students learn about health and safety, the rules, and how to link the knowledge they have with the new golf skills they are learning.

Program Location Spotlight: PGA Golf Club

We are in full swing at PGA Golf Club! Coach Alex Iguchi, PGA, offered a fun summer camp at their awesome golf facility that provided participants with an amazing experience. Every day began with a golf history lesson in their museum. The students learned the values of the game through its history. After some stretching, the kids had tons of fun including playing a golf version of tic-tac-toe. They used a wedge to hit a giant blow up gorilla with a foam ball. If they hit the gorilla, they were allowed a turn on the game board. The campers had a blast.  After lunch, the class worked on short game drills from putting to bunkers.

PGA Tour Championship Trip

Chapter staff and coaches traveled with 29 teens from our outreach programs to Atlanta, Georgia for an incredible weekend experience. Teens and chaperons participated from Fort Pierce Police Department’s Explorer Program, the Police Department’s Courageous Kids mentoring program, Gifford Youth Activity Center and Project LIFT

The group attended the PGA FedEx Tour Championship in East Lake, Georgia. They also visited the Georgia Aquarium, attended a soccer game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, spent time at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights and enjoyed a tasty meal at The Varsity! We also visited First Tee – Metro Atlanta for an interactive lesson. 

Back To School – Register

Our Fall programs are beginning.  Enroll your children in our programs in Martin or St. Lucie Counties.

We have a new program location! Sign up for classes at Martin Downs with Coach Joe Grohman, PGA.  To learn more about Coach Joe’s programs and to register, please visit our website.

To review information on all 11 of our program locations, please visit our website.

100-Hole Challenge

We are underway!!  Are you in?

Loblolly is in the lead for the clubs with over $8,000 raised.

Peter Crocitto is in the board member lead with over $3,600 raised.

Ben Miller is in the coach lead with over $2,000 raised.

All players who raise over $2,000 earn a $500 shopping spree from:

We have multiple dates to play or play at your own club.  Please contact [email protected] for more information.

College Scholarship Awards Party

Congratulations to our 2023-2024 College Scholarship Recipients! We celebrated their awards at the PGA Tour Superstore in Palm Beach Gardens. This year we awarded $37,500 dollars to nine alumni (Pictured above right: The winners with Chapter Directors, staff, and Coaches).

From the Treasure Coast Chapter, Katelyn Harwood and Trevor Tarashuk were awarded the Erling Speer Memorial Scholarship for their 2023-2024 school year (pictured above left).  

Katelyn is attending Rollins College majoring in Business Management with a minor in Communications. Trevor is entering his sophomore year in the PGA Golf Management program at Florida Gulf Coast University.