Category: Participant Spotlight

Participant Spotlight: SarahAnne Horne

Congratulations to SarahAnne on her selection as Participant of the Month for June 2018!  SarahAnne has been a member of The First Tee for 5 years, since she was 7 years old.  She lives in Mount Pleasant and currently attends Palmetto Christian Academy, where she is on the golf team. SarahAnne takes part in the Core Golf & Life Skills Program at Patriots Point Golf Links with Coach Wayne.  Last month, she successfully certified from the Par level to the Birdie level through our assessment process.  You can click here to read more about The First Tee assessment and certification process.  Her favorite part about group lessons with The First Tee are the “the chipping and putting games, they make learning about golf fun.  Riding the big golf cart together is something I like, too.” (fourth from left, top row) SarahAnne exemplifies each of the Nine Core Values, and her favorite is judgment.  “I have to use my own judgment to make decisions on the golf course.  When I first started, my coach helped choose what clubs I would use, but now I use judgment on what club to use by myself.” (far right, bottom row) She says that she most enjoys golf because, “I like to challenge myself.  Golf is a good sport for that.  Golf also helps me meet new people!”  In addition to her participation in Core Golf & Life Skills Programs through The First Tee, SarahAnne also attends our LPGA-USGA Girls Nights Out at Patriots Point and is also a member of The First Tee’s PGA Junior League team. (second from right, top row) Off the golf course, SarahAnne also enjoys basketball, reading, beach volleyball, and spending time with her dog.  If you see SarahAnne this month, please make sure you also wish her a happy birthday – she turned 13 on May 25th!

Participant Spotlight: Lilian Ducker

Summer registration is now open, and one of the very first participants to register for our summer season was Lilian Ducker.  Lilian has been with The First Tee for almost five years, and she is currently at the Birdie level.  She started the program when her grandfather read about The First Tee in the newspaper.  He enrolled her younger brother, and as soon as she saw him playing, she knew she wanted to try it! She is 13 years old and lives in Moncks Corner.  She is home schooled and in seventh grade.  In addition to playing golf, she enjoys playing guitar, soccer, drawing, singing, reading, and going to see her favorite bands live!  She even hopes to do something with music when she gets older. She is a student of Coach Wayne at Patriots Point Golf Links in Mount Pleasant and says that perseverance is her favorite Core Value.  “There are many times it would be easier to just quit, but making myself keep trying gets me through,” says Lilian.  She has persevered all the way to the Birdie level, many times even being the only girl in her Par or Birdie level class! Lilian also attends all of our LPGA-USGA Girls Golf events at Patriots Point Golf Links, and she loves that at The First Tee she gets “to play golf and meet new people!” Congratulations on your selection as Participant of the Month, Lilian!  If you have a child who would like to enroll in our summer programs, please click here to view the full summer schedule, or if you have a young lady interested in LPGA-USGA Girls Golf events, please click here to submit a free registration.  

Participant Spotlight: Tobias, Robert, and Samantha

Congratulations to Tobias, Robert, and Samantha as their selection of our March Participants of the Month!  The Conover siblings have been members of The First Tee since 2016 and are currently at the Advanced PLAYer level.  All three agree that their favorite core value is sportsmanship because they can use it in golf as well as their other favorite sport, soccer.  When Toby and Robert grow up, they want to be professional soccer players, and Sammy wants to be a baker.  When asked why they like The First Tee, Toby said that it’s great practice for golf tournaments and Sammy loves the Girls Nights Out (that we offer every other month to young ladies registered in co-ed Core Programs). The Conover Family lives in Summerville and started their classes with The First Tee at The Club at Pine Forest.  For the past year, they have been with Coach Meghan and Coach Charlie at Shadowmoss Plantation in West Ashley.  The Conovers were also recipients of our Pick Up Stix Program where participants who reach the Advanced PLAYer level are given sets of golf clubs to use as long as they are respectful with them as members of The First Tee Program! Thank you to the Conover Family for being members of The First Tee program! If you would like to nominate a child for next month’s Participant Spotlight, please email Meghan Taylor!

Participant Spotlight: The Wilber Family

Congratulations to the Wilber Family on their selection as this month’s spotlight!  The Wilbers have been a part of The First Tee family for almost 5 years. Dad, Kris, began teaching The First Tee curriculum in his physical education classes at Burns Elementary through The First Tee National School Program in 2014.A year later, the Wilbers’ son, Jackson started participating in Core Golf & Life Skills programming at Patriots Point Golf Links.  Since then, Jackson has fallen in love with golf and has assessed through the PLAYer and Advanced PLAYer levels, now participating at the Par level.  In addition to classes with The First Tee, he also participates on the PGA Junior League team through Joint Base Charleston.  Jackson’s coach at Patriots Point, Wayne Nance, says, “Jackson has always been a joy to have in any of my First Tee classes.  I call him Action Jackson, but Captain Laid-Back fits him better, because he is so low-key.  He enjoys all we do, and goes with the flow, always following instruction.  He is very competitive, but in a very positive and fun way.  He shows sportsmanship, courtesy, and respect while winning or losing!” Even their whole family is now getting involved in golf!  Mom, Shawna, and younger sister, Reese, participated with Kris and Jackson in last year’s Winter Scavenger Hunt (and won!!) and SNAG Some Supplies, where participants took part in a SNAG baseball game and received school supplies to start the year.  They also attended in this year’s Family Golf Day at Daniel Island Club (click here to see the full event recap).  Now, Reese has caught the “golf bug” and will be starting the TARGET level at Patriots Point this year! In addition to joining The First Tee’s Program Committee this year, Kris is now the physical education teacher at the new Mevers School of Excellence in Goose Creek and will be bringing students from his new school to next month’s National School Program Champions Cup. Thank you to the Wilber family for all of their support of The First Tee!  Congratulations on being our “family” of the month!  

Participant Spotlight: Jude Sword

The First Tee of Greater Charleston has 800 participants who take part in on-course activities each year.  We are so proud of all of our participants’ successes on and off the golf course, using our Nine Core Values in their everyday lives.  Our coaches are constantly sharing great stories about our participants, and we are excited to start a “Participant Spotlight” on our blog where we will honor different participants who are striving to be better people and golfers at The First Tee.
Jude Sword developed his love of golf after his father took him to the driving range at the age of five. The 9-year-old 4th grader at the Montessori Community School was the first to arrive and the last to leave each week on The First Tee’s PGA Junior League team and Summer Interleague team. Whether it’s hitting balls on the range, putting on the practice green, or practicing for the Drive, Chip and Putt Challenge, Jude is focused on improving as a golfer.
Jude playing the 17th hole at Patriots Point
With a low score of 40 on nine holes, Jude is starting his fourth year with The First Tee of Greater Charleson and has advanced to the Par level. He has participated at three locations, including Shadowmoss, Patriots Point and Wescott Plantation. “I’ve enjoyed playing on some of the best courses in Charleston,” he said, “while having fun.”
Jude loves the challenge of getting the ball in the hole in as few shots as possible and spends a lot of time practicing his chipping in the backyard. In fact, his baby brother learned how to set up a ball with a tee and hit the ball from watching Jude.
 
Jude plays soccer and basketball, but golf holds a special place in his heart. While on a vacation last year, Jude wanted to get his picture taken at the headquarters of The First Tee in Florida. He has also started a golf ball collection and every time he plays a new golf course he gets a ball with the course logo on it.
 
Jude has decided to be a golf professional when he gets older. His favorite Core Value is Honesty and notes how important it is to put the correct score on the scorecard. “If you make a double bogey on a hole but write down a par,” he said, “that is being dishonest.” His coaches have taken notice of his positive attitude and work ethic.
Jude (far left) at his very first Target class in 2015
Meghan Taylor, The First Tee’s Program Director, said, ” As a 6-year old, Jude was a participant in the chapter’s first ever Target level class held back in the spring of 2015.  Coaching that class, it was quickly evident to me how much he loved the game of golf from the start.  Now, two and a half years later, Jude is a Par level student who embodies the core values of respect and confidence.  He constantly encourages his fellow participants and spends as much time as he can on the golf course.  Congratulations on your selection as participant of the month, Jude!”
 
“Jude is one of our up and coming stars on our program and on our Junior Interclub League team,” said PGA Junior League Coach Bucky. “He has amazing support from his family as he makes them routinely show up early and stay late after matches/classes so he can get additional practice in.  He is very polite, well mannered and listens to his coaches.  Jude works well in a team setting and shows sportsmanship and courtesy to his playing partners during individual matches.  Jude won “Best Use of Protective Eye wear” on this year’s Junior League team as you will rarely find him not sporting a cool pair of sunglasses.  I am really proud of Jude and look forward to watching him use our program to grow into a great golfer and person.”
 
Congratulations, Jude. You earned it!