Learning to play golf takes a lot of practice and patience. Fortunately, there are many talented instructors dedicated to teaching kids how to play golf. During our specialized golf lessons in Denver for young players, kids from ages 4 to 18 can learn how to swing properly, hit the ball correctly, and even gain expert tips on how to improve their golf game. At First Tee – Colorado Rocky Mountains, we not only strive to teach children how to play golf, but how to excel in everyday life and beyond.
Trust First Tee for Your Child’s Golf Lessons in Denver
The first step towards learning golf fundamentals is enrolling your child in quality golf instruction programs, like those at First Tee – Colorado Rocky Mountains. Our programs, like the More Than Just Golf program, are designed to help children learn how to become better athletes and people by improving their physical fitness, self-esteem, and confidence and teaching them life lessons through the game of golf.
Our Golf classes are divided up by age and skill level. Each one is structured to be engaging, fun, and educational, and take place on courses all across the metro area and beyond. We also offer advanced classes for children who have completed previous courses and are eligible based on age.
What Will My Child Learn?
The simple answer is: All kinds of things! We will start out with the game of golf and establish a strong golf foundation, which we then use to introduce new concepts and life skills.
First Tee might be all about golf, but we are so much more than just the game. We use golf as a medium to deliver critical information to children that helps them to build relationships, positive attitudes, and driven mindsets. Here are some of the things you can expect your child to learn from First Tee:
The importance of maintaining a good attitude on and off the course
Understanding and managing emotions
Appreciating and respecting diversity
How to make important decisions by considering their potential outcomes
How to behave appropriately regardless of whether of a win or loss at any given activity
Positively handling conflicts
Creating and implementing step-by-step goals
Planning for the future
And more
At First Tee – Colorado Rocky Mountains, we have helped provide exceptional golf programs to thousands of kids throughout Colorado over the years, many of which would never have gotten involved with golf if it hadn’t been for our classes. As a non-profit, we strive to expand access to the sport of golf throughout the year and every year we are able to provide scholarships to kids all across the country thanks to the support and involvement of our staff and volunteers.
Choose First Tee for Your Child’s Golf Lessons!
Since 1996, First Tee has been a national non-profit organization focused on developing character, building physical strength, fostering lifelong friendships, and encouraging academic achievement through the game of golf. Our mission is to help young people develop key skills through the sport of golf and give them equal access to the game. We offer youth-friendly golf programs all-year-round that are fun, safe, and educationally sound. At First Tee, we are dedicated to making a positive impact in local communities by increasing accessibility to the game of golf and making it more equitable for everyone!
Join the First Tee community and sign up your kids for golf lessons in Denver today!
For over 25 years, we’ve used golf to teach lessons about life. We’ve spun the unexpected challenges on the fairway to coach kids about adversity in the everyday. It’s not just a game, its game-changing.
Our alumni are a reflection of that commitment we made to building game changers. Below are just a few of our exceptional alumni who are making a difference in the world because of the lessons learned at First Tee.
University of Delaware golfer Christina Carroll boasts one of the lowest scoring averages in program history. The junior electrical engineering major and First Tee – Delaware alumna is also the first African American woman to play golf for the Blue Hens.
It’s clear Carroll has a bright future ahead of her. And for the last decade, she’s had a dedicated mentor behind her. First Tee – Delaware volunteer coach Karen Hart has been part of Carroll’s go-to team since Carroll was in 7th grade.
“Karen is one of the most supportive and thoughtful people I know,” Carroll said. “She would take the time to take me to golf with her at her own home club Patriots glen. She would also encourage me to do my best every time I was around her. I am forever appreciative of the warm and caring person she is.”
Hart is one of two incredible volunteers to be named George H.W. Bush Volunteer of the Year by First Tee. Together the two honorees have been volunteering with First Tee chapters for four decades.
PGA TOUR player Will Zalatoris presented the Volunteer of the Year awards during First Tee’s 25th anniversary celebration last month in Dallas, while he and FootJoy both donated $5,000 to each winner’s chapter.
Despite health issues that kept her away from the ceremony, Hart’s commitment to First Tee – Delaware has never wavered, said program director Charma Bell.
“Her grit has no quit! She says the First Tee motivates and inspires her to keep going and growing,” Bell said.
Over the last 17 years, Hart has helped introduce three new program locations, recruit 20 volunteers and onboard more than a dozen schools to the First Tee School Program, Bell said.
“Karen is a wonderful role model, who constantly shares her time, talents and treasures with our chapter. She exemplifies the true meaning of volunteerism and looks for nothing in return.”
Like Hart, Deb DeNure has served as a chapter board member and mentor for participants. She’s been a dedicated volunteer at First Tee – South Central Wisconsin for more than two decades – having raised more than $1 million for the chapter.
“Deb is truly someone who is essential to the livelihood of First Tee – South Central Wisconsin and is one of the most influential volunteers and heartbeat of the organization,” said executive director Ashlyn Mehlhaff.
DeNure has spent more than 4,000 hours organizing fundraising events and tournaments on behalf of the chapter.
“If there is a dream volunteer opportunity, working with First Tee – South-Central Wisconsin is it,” DeNure said. “Having the opportunity to help influence, grow, mentor and fundraise for a nonprofit organization that continues to shape the youth and citizens in our community brings me great joy.”
First Tee’s network of 150 chapters relies on committed volunteers like DeNure and Hart to help build the next generation of Game Changers. On International Volunteer Day, we thank them for supporting First Tee!
First Tee has become the premier youth golf program across the United States of America, helping kids develop their skills through organized play at over 2,500 courses nationwide. However, it’s not just golf that we teach here at First Tee — Colorado Rocky Mountains. We help kids prepare for their lives in engaging and creative ways that encourage collaboration and outward expression, like at our Colorado juniors summer camps.
At First Tee, golf is more than just a game; it’s a way to reach kids on a personal level and help guide them toward bright and successful futures.
Get To Know First Tee: Your Go-To Host for Colorado Juniors Summer Camps
Since 1996, First Tee has been a national non-profit organization dedicated to developing character, fitness, good sportsmanship, life-long friendships, and academic success through the sport of golf. We’re dedicated to helping youth players build crucial life skills through the sport of golf and gain equitable access to the sport as well. Our youth-oriented programs are designed to be fun, safe, and educational.
At First Tee – Colorado Rocky Mountains, we offer a variety of programs for kids of all ages, from 4 years old all the way through high school! During the summer, we have multiple golf-focused youth programs that are based on age and skill. These programs are aimed at building up the basics of golf while incorporating fun, engaging, and applicable life lessons and knowledge.
Your child can learn a great deal at our summer camps! Here are just a few of those things:
Golf Skills
At our camps, your child will learn how to play the game of golf, and everything that comes with it. Our participants will, of course, learn how to hit the ball, but also the proper stance and form, the different types of features on the courses, the rules of the game, and proper etiquette. You can also expect your child to learn how to behave well on and off the course. .
Life Skills
One of the most important and fundamental parts of all First Tee programs is the belief that golf is more than just a game. It’s an opportunity to teach life skills and lessons in an interesting and entertaining way. At First Tee – Colorado Rocky Mountains, your child will learn:
The importance of maintaining a good attitude on and off the course
How to make important decisions by considering their potential outcomes
How to behave appropriately regardless of whether they win or lose at any given activity
Understanding and managing emotions
Positively handling conflicts
Creating and implementing step-by-step goals
Planning for the future
Appreciating and respecting diversity
And more
These fundamentals are part of what makes First Tee so unique. We are dedicated to providing children everything they might miss in traditional schooling or programming. You can expect First Tee to be a dependable outlet for your children, just as it has been for so many before them.
Learn More About our Colorado Juniors Summer Camps
At the time that First Tee – Colorado Rocky Mountains started, more than 90% of participants were in the free and reduced lunch program at a nearby school. To combat these types of issues, we provided our junior golf program or free or at a lower cost and offered more than just playing the game.
The goal of the project was to increase golf participation among young people – especially those who had been underserved by traditional programs. Denver’s municipal golf courses are primarily located in older inner-city neighborhoods, and the ethnic mix of these neighborhoods has been predominantly African-American and Hispanic. However, the participants in the city’s junior golf program were primarily Caucasian youth from more affluent areas of Denver. Consequently, golf was not only unpopular – it was just strangely foreign to the kids who lived nearest to the golf course.
At First Tee, we are dedicated to making a positive impact in local communities by increasing access to golf and making it a more equitable sport. Come and see how we are shaping youth at our Colorado juniors summer camps by signing up today.
First Tee is celebrating its 25th anniversary this month, and over the years, it’s helped produce no shortage of game changers.
One example is Marcus Freeman from First Tee – Greater Charlotte. He says the organization has helped him grow as a golfer and person.
“Being a part of this community has helped me get through hard times. First Tee – Greater Charlotte was a safe place for me in 2020. During this time my grandfather was going through end stage pancreatic cancer and my family, like the world, was navigating COVID-19 and social distancing,” he says.
The support he received from First Tee inspired Freeman to pay it forward.
He completed more than 300 hours of volunteer work for First Tee in 2021. He collected more than 500 books for a First Tee book drive, and he’s a member of the chapter’s participant advisory council. Freeman has also volunteered for his swim team and tutored students in Japanese.
“An aspect of volunteer work that I enjoy is seeing the impact that giving to others can have,” he says.
Freeman is one of 28 First Tee participants from across the country who’ll attend Innovators Forum this November in Dallas. The workshop empowers First Tee teens to develop a meaningful service project in their community focused on education, health or sustainability. Eight participants will be awarded scholarships totaling $32,000 after the event.
A junior at Palisades High School, Freeman is an accomplished violinist, and he won a medal for performing Japanese poems in 2019. Freeman aspires to study sports science in college. “I enjoy learning more about physical fitness and how the body works,” he says. Freeman spends his free time researching training tips and injury recovery.
As he progresses as an athlete and student, Freeman says he’ll continue to use the lessons and qualities he’s learned at First Tee, including confidence.
“When I first joined the program, I was a little shy when meeting new coaches, parents and other players. I spent time observing the instructors and how they interacted with all the different people coming and going. I saw them shake hands, make eye contact, smile and speak confidently,” he says.
“I knew I wanted those skills as well. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone, and I started to apply what I observed to my own social skills. I practiced a strong handshake. I introduced myself to people I didn’t know, and I have met many interesting people, like professional golfer Davis Love III, all because I have improved in sharing my personality.”
Lots of kids aspire to become astronauts but few go on to build careers in space exploration. That hasn’t stopped Hannah Rens from chasing her dreams into orbit.
The 24-year-old is a systems engineer for Boeing Space and Launch, working on Boeing’s Starliner, a commercial crew and cargo vehicle that will be transporting NASA astronauts to the international space station.
“My ultimate career goal is to be chief engineer of a permanent human habitat on the moon,” says Rens, a former participant at First Tee – Siouxland and First Tee volunteer. “To achieve that goal, I need to develop advanced business skills, gain industry experience and further my engineering technical education.”
That’s why she’s attending the First Tee Alumni Summit presented by Gallagher this November in Dallas. The event provides an opportunity for selected alumni to advance their career by building new skills while reconnecting with fellow alumni and chapter leaders.
“I’m looking to learn more about working in a rapidly evolving industry, startups and founding your own business, and how to develop an effective personal brand,” she says.
Rens says her nine years in First Tee helped shape her future. “It provided me with a structured path to improving my golf game, peer and trusted mentors, and interpersonal and professional skills that have been essential in achieving my goals,” she says.
While in First Tee, she was selected to attend the Leaders and Entrepreneurs Forum at Disney World. “Getting to meet other students from across the U.S. while listening and working with successful business owners and entrepreneurs was unlike any other experience I had in high school,” she says. “The business principles and goals I learned have stayed with me.”
A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Rens began her career with internships focused on aircraft maintenance and repair. As Starliner prepares to expand its service to additional sites in Earth’s orbit, Rens works on vehicle life span and sustainment. Ultimately, Starliner will become one of the first spacecraft with turnaround times closer to traditional air traffic. Talk about a Game Changer.
Rens now serves as a mentor for high school and college students who want careers in the space industry, and she’s enrolled in an astronautical engineering master’s program at the University of Southern California focusing on human spaceflight.
Rens still golfs, and she’s a certified open water and dry suit SCUBA diver. Learn more about the accomplishments of First Tee alumni.
Scholarships are financial awards offered to students who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement or other qualifications. This monetary assistance often goes towards tuition costs including room and board, books, and other expenses associated with attending college. These financial awards can be invaluable to many students, and First Tee – Colorado Rocky Mountains actually offers scholarship opportunities to our youth athletes. However, these financial opportunities would not be made possible without scholarship sponsors.
For companies looking for a way to give back to the Colorado community, it’s a good idea to sponsor a college scholarship for local residents.
What Are Scholarship Sponsors?
A scholarship sponsor is a company or organization that contributes to a scholarship opportunity for students in exchange for the student’s endorsement of their products or services. The most common form of sponsorship is an advertising campaign where the company provides money to pay for the student’s education. However, there are also scholarship sponsors that provide funding for specific programs like athletic teams, arts organizations, and community service groups.
Sponsorship opportunities are available at all levels of higher education, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools. Some companies will even sponsor scholarships specifically for high school seniors planning on enrolling in college next fall.
Sponsored scholarships are usually awarded based on merit, such as test scores, grades, leadership skills, extracurricular activities, and personal essays. However, some sponsored scholarships may require additional criteria like volunteering for a certain number of hours per month or being involved in a particular club or sports team.
The best way to find out if you or your children qualify for a scholarship is to check with the scholarship provider directly. In many cases, scholarship sponsors have a list of requirements that must be met before they award a scholarship. If you or your children do not meet these requirements then you won’t be eligible for the financial package.
How Do I Find Out About Available Scholarships?
There are several ways to search for scholarships. One of the easiest ways is to use free online scholarship databases. These websites allow users to enter basic information about themselves and then search through thousands of scholarships by category.
Some of the more popular scholarship websites include FastWeb, CollegeBoard, and Go4College. All three of these sites are free to use and contain a wealth of information that can help you find, apply for, and get more information about scholarships and schools.
Another option is to visit local colleges and universities. Most schools have career centers that often host events where they provide education about scholarship opportunities or may even award a few. Career counselors will often know of scholarships that are available for prospective students.
First Tee – Colorado Rocky Mountains Scholarship Sponsors
At First Tee – Colorado Rocky Mountains, we are proud to offer many different scholarship opportunities to teens that participate in our programming. In fact, we award up to 5 scholarships each year to deserving students who demonstrate and embody our organization’s core values. These scholarships are worth up to $10,000 each and help many kids carry the values and knowledge they learned at First Tee through their educational journeys. All of this is made possible thanks to our generous donors and sponsors.
First Tee – Colorado Rocky Mountains doesn’t just offer college scholarships. We are also proud to offer scholarships and financial aid packages to help put kids through our youth golf programs and personalized instruction. Every year, our local scholarship sponsors and donors in Colorado put kids all across the state through our life-changing programming, which ultimately benefits the larger Colorado community.
Ready to Help First Tee Change Lives?
Register your company with First Tee – Colorado Rocky Mountains and learn more about becoming one of our scholarship sponsors.
There are lots of things to consider when choosing an afterschool program. You need to make sure the program aligns with your child’s interests and what they are willing to try; you never know what they might end up liking! However, if you’re searching Denver for afterschool programs, there are a few key considerations to keep in mind.
4 Important Parts of a Quality Denver Afterschool Program
Afterschool programs are an important part of the school day for many students. These activities provide opportunities for kids to learn, socialize and have fun with their peers while also getting some extra help from knowledgeable mentors. However, not all afterschool programs are created equal. Some offer quality experiences that can be replicated in the classroom, while others may offer another way to spend time doing things outside of school.
As you compare your options for afterschool programs and activities in Denver, make sure you keep the following considerations at top-of-mind.
Safety
Safety should be the first priority for any afterschool program. If there is ever a safety issue while your child is at the afterschool activity, it can have serious consequences for your child’s well-being and development. Whether your child gets an injury or they just generally feel unsafe, you can expect your child to feel less inclined to get involved. At any afterschool program, you want to make sure that your child is always supervised by trained staff members who are able to handle any situation that may arise.
Quality Services
Another important part of any afterschool program in Denver is the quality of the services provided. Make sure that the program provides high-quality activities and educational opportunities for children. In an ideal afterschool program, children will build new skills, get great opportunities for exercise, and build new bonds with youth participants. This type of quality service will help your children develop their skills and abilities while having fun at the same time.
Fun Activities
Fun activities are another key element of the top afterschool programs. Children need to have fun during their free time so that they don’t get bored and have chances to stimulate their minds. Children additionally need to explore opportunities to learn how to interact with other kids and adults in a positive way. So, do your research and make sure the afterschool activities you’re considering will be fun and engaging for your children.
Diversity
Diversity is something that every afterschool program should strive to offer. Kids from all different backgrounds and cultures should be included in the activities offered. This helps kids learn about other people and cultures as well as build friendships with others.
What Can First Tee – Colorado Rocky Mountains Offer You?
At First Tee – Colorado Rocky Mountains, we offer a number of junior golf programs in Colorado that perfect afterschool activities for youth players. Our new junior golf classes are based on age and skill level. With a variety of programs to fit any age and skill level, we are sure that you will be able to find the perfect fit for your child. Check out our full list of program offerings today.
What Makes First Tee Special?
When First Tee – Colorado Rocky Mountains started in Colorado, more than 90% of the children players involved were in the free and/or reduced lunch programs at nearby schools. To combat those issues, we have structure our junior golfer programs to be free or require reduced fees and offered more than just playing the game.
The purpose of our Denver afterschool program has been to get more young people involved in the sport of golf – especially those who were underserved. Denver’s Municipal Golf Courses are mainly located in older inner-city neighborhoods. Because of that, the racial makeup of these neighborhoods is primarily African American and Hispanic. However, the participants of most Junior Golfer Programs have been predominantly white youths from wealthier parts of Denver. As a result, golf wasn’t just unpopular; it was strange to the children living nearest to the golf course.
That’s how we came to be. Now First Tee is a national organization and the Colorado Rocky Mountains chapter is the third largest in the country, serving thousands of kids every year. To us, golf isn’t just a game, it’s an opportunity to teach kids real-life skills and help shape their futures for the better.
Ready to See First Tee in Action?
Sign up for a program today, and see why we’re one of the best Denver after–school programs for kids and teens of all ages.
Three First Tee teens ace holes 5, 7 and 17 at the iconic course
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (Sept. 25, 2022) – Seventy-eight First Tee teens from across the country had the opportunity to learn from the game’s legends and explore possibilities in golf and beyond during the PURE Insurance Championship impacting First Tee, an official PGA TOUR Champions event, which concluded today at Pebble Beach.
Bryson Hughes representing First Tee – North Florida and paired with Alex Cejka, and Megan Meng representing First Tee – Greater Trenton and paired with Charlie Wi, claimed the male and female Pro-Junior titles today, respectively. Hughes and Cejka finished 18-under and won in a scorecard playoff, while Meng and Wi capped off the event 22-under.
The PURE Insurance Championship, in its 19th year, brings 78 teens from First Tee chapters nationwide to Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill Golf Course. Throughout the week the teens apply character strengths to play at an elite level at an iconic golf course where they are paired with and mentored by a PGA TOUR Champions player and amateurs from the business world. The annual event, hosted by the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, was televised internationally on Golf Channel.
PURE Insurance Championship male and female Pro-Junior winners with Pro winner; R to L: Bryson Hughes, Steve Flesch and Megan Meng
Three teens in the field made holes-in-one at Pebble Beach during their tournament practice rounds – Cooper Groshart from San Louis Obispo, Calif. on #7 (video), Theresa Shaw from Auburn, Calif. on #17 (video) and Sophia Bardunias from San Ramon, Calif. on #5 (video).
“We are proud of all the teens who played with confidence and composure this week at the PURE Insurance Championship,” said Greg McLaughlin, First Tee CEO. “These young people exemplify the character and values we instill through the First Tee programs every day. A special congratulations to Bryson and Megan for winning the Pro-Junior titles. Thank you to our partners – PURE Insurance, PGA TOUR Champions, Chevron, Monterey Peninsula Foundation and Golf Channel – for making this a special week for 78 First Tee participants.”
Hughes is a 15-year-old sophomore at Creekside High School in St. Johns Country, Fla. where he holds a 3.8 GPA. He has been involved with First Tee – North Florida for nine years and playing in this tournament has been a goal since he first watched it on TV as a six-year-old. Hughes holds a +2.3 handicap and is the No. 1 player on the golf team at Creekside High School.
“Thanks to PURE Insurance and First Tee for an amazing experience,” said Hughes. “Pebble Beach is golf heaven and it feels great to get a win at such a cool course. I’ve tried to make the most of this week by focusing on what I could learn from Alex and all the pros in the field. My biggest takeaway is how well they handle themselves during high-pressure situations.”
Meng is a 16-year-old junior at Hopewell Valley Central High School in Pennington, NJ where she holds a 4.5 GPA. She’s been involved with First Tee – Greater Trenton for nine years and has progressed from participant to volunteer junior coach mentoring the younger participants in the program. Meng holds a +2.3 handicap and aspires to play collegiate golf. She was named 2022 NJ.com Golfer of the Year.
“I’ve worked really hard to get to this moment,” said Meng. “But the biggest thing I’ve learned this week is that golf is meant to be fun. I’ve had a really great time and I’ve made memories I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life. I’d like to thank my pro Charlie, PURE Insurance and First Tee for this opportunity.
During the week, First Tee partners PURE Insurance and Chevron both hosted events to celebrate their commitment to First Tee’s mission and raise additional funds to support the First Tee College Scholarship Program. Leaders from PURE Insurance extended a surprise invitation to the scholarship program to 17-year-old Isabelle Junio, a high school senior from First Tee – Phoenix. The program pairs Scholars with a mentor and provides professional development workshops and financial assistance throughout the college experience.
First Tee is a youth development organization that teaches life skills and helps kids and teens build their strength of character through golf. The PURE Insurance Championship is one of several national opportunities provided by First Tee Headquarters to encourage and motivate participants as they progress through the program and toward higher education opportunities.
First Tee (www.firsttee.org) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit youth development organization that is supported by the PGA TOUR. Its mission is to impact the lives of young people by providing educational programs that build character and instill life-enhancing values through the game of golf. In 2022, First Tee celebrates its 25th anniversary and reaching millions of youth through its network of 150 chapters, 10,000 schools and 1,700 youth centers. Headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, USA, programs are delivered in all 50 United States and select international locations. President George W. Bush serves as Honorary Chair.
About Monterey Peninsula Foundation
Monterey Peninsula Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization which donates funds from the proceeds of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on the PGA TOUR and the PURE Insurance Championship Impacting the First Tee, a PGA TOUR Champions tournament. The Foundation focuses on improving the quality of life in Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito counties.
Privilege Underwriters Reciprocal Exchange (PURE) Insurance is a property and casualty insurance company designed exclusively for successful, responsible families. We opened for business more than 15 years ago with the goal of offering something different in the insurance space: a company focused on doing what’s right for our membership (policyholders), one that promotes transparency and alignment of interests, and delivers greater value.
Today, after growing at least 15% in each year since we began, we are the most awarded insurer in our category, offer coverage in all 50 states that includes high value homeowners, automobile, collections, watercraft, personal excess liability, fraud & cyber and flood to a membership of more than 100,000 individuals and families.
Pureinsurance.com | 888.813.7873
About PGA TOUR Champions
PGA TOUR Champions is a membership organization of professional golfers age 50 and older, including 34 members of the World Golf Hall of Fame. The Tour’s mission is to provide financial opportunities for its players, entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back and generate significant charitable and economic impact in tournament communities. Follow PGA TOUR Champions online at PGATOUR.com, at facebook.com/PGATOURChampions, on Twitter @ChampionsTour and on Instagram @pgatourchampions.
All events are televised in the United States, with most receiving complete coverage on Golf Channel, the exclusive cable-television partner of PGA TOUR Champions. Tournament programming is available via 25+ TV linear partners in 145+ countries and territories, with 25 channels carrying long-form and/or highlights coverage, and 200+ hours of live coverage distributed in 135+ countries and territories. Programming is also available via the OTT platform GOLFTV powered by PGA TOUR in every market outside of the United States, excluding China and Korea, with live coverage distributed in 130+ countries and territories.
With a perfect 4.0 GPA and student government experience under his belt, BJ Little wants to change the world. He aims to become a criminal defense attorney, U.S. Senator and eventually, President of the United States.
But first, BJ is focused on serving his community. Starting with his high school.
When BJ entered his freshman year at Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School there was no golf team. BJ wasn’t going to sit idly by, he was determined to form a team.
“In my freshman year, the very first thing I did was ask for the school to start a golf team,” says BJ. “The school went through all of the necessary preparations for the golf team to start, but then Covid happened.”
For BJ, and most of the country, school was now virtual for the next year and half, halting all chances for the team.
But BJ says the pandemic did not discourage him from achieving his goal.
“Going into my junior year I went in with the same mindset I had freshman year. I asked the school for a golf team, and they delivered.”
BJ helped by recruiting players and finding a practice facility. Leveraging his go-to team, a concept taught and encouraged at First Tee, he smartly enlisted help from his coach and director of golf operations at First Tee – Metro Atlanta Jeff Dunovant. They worked out a plan that the school could use the chapter’s facilities while BJ secured players for the team.
In 2021, the team officially launched. But there was still much work to do.
“BJ was the only player on the team who was not a beginner, so the practices would consist of BJ and I teaching the new players,” says Dunovant.
And for BJ, that’s what it’s what this is all about.
“In all honesty I just want people to have fun. The State and District titles will come with time. But ensuring students are happy and want to learn about golf is the most important thing to me. I hope that when I graduate Cristo Rey, students will still be playing golf. I want that to be a piece of my legacy to the school.”
BJ is one of 78 First Tee participants teeing off this Friday at the PURE Insurance Championship. The tournament pairs First Tee teens with PGA TOUR Champions players providing life-changing mentoring opportunities for the teens. This experience opens the participants’ eyes to the possibilities in golf and beyond as they are contemplating their future education and careers.
