It had been six years since the First Tee summer program, which teaches children life skills through golf, operated on the North Shore. That changed on July 10 when Sagamore Spring Golf Course in Lynnfield welcomed back the seven-week program.
Kyle Harris, director of operations for First Tee – Massachusetts, said discussions to bring the program back have been in the works for a while.
“It all came together at the last minute kind of quickly,” Harris said. “We haven’t been on the North Shore in a while, so this is pretty exciting for us.”
Sagamore owner Richard Luff played an instrumental role in bringing the program to Lynnfield. His Sagamore-Hampton Golf Club has been a First Tee facility for 20 years and is considered the home of First Tee New Hampshire, Harris said.
Luff said Sagamore-Hampton serves more than 400 children a year on site with many more participating across the state in satellite programs.
“We were the first facility in all of New England to be designated as a First Tee chapter so (bringing it back to Lynnfield was) a no-brainer for us,” Luff said. “We are so familiar with the program and it’s a great fit for Sagamore. The program has really been refined over the last 10 years and to see kids come through the program and have so many scholarship and leadership opportunities is fantastic.”
For 10 years, Reedy Meadow in Lynnfield hosted the First Tee, starting in 2006. The program offered a seven-week summer session with up to three hours of instruction a day, including lunch, to children from local communities in partnership with the Lynn YMCA, the Saugus Family Y and the Torigian Family Y in Peabody.
Lynnfield resident Jim Tobin, co-lead coach at the Franklin Park First Tee in Boston, said he is glad the program is back in Lynnfield.
“The program is a win-win for any community that hosts the First Tee. It has a proven record of being a game-changer for these kids,” he said. “We are exposing kids to things that might help change their lives for the better. If we helped just one kid, that was a victory. We are making a difference.”
According to its website, the First Tee’s original mission was to make golf affordable and accessible for children, especially those in economically
disadvantaged areas. Combining the rules of golf with life and leadership skills, kids didn’t just learn how to play golf, they learned valuable life lessons.
The key component of the program is its life-skills curriculum that focus on nine core values. A portion of every session is dedicated to introducing these values, which the First Tee identifies as honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, courtesy and judgment. The First Tee believes that its approach will translate into greater participation and leadership in the community and beyond.
The program was held on Mondays and Wednesdays through August. Classes were held for youngsters ages 7-9, 10-11,12-13 and 14-and-older. Lead coach is local PGA professional Joe Rocha.
“Joe has a lot of experience as a PGA teaching pro, brings a great attitude, and is really embracing everything that goes into the First Tee Program,” said Harris. First Tee programs are contracted for three-year terms, but Sagamore’s was a one-year pilot.
Founded in 1997, First Tee has conducted winter sessions at the PGA TOUR Superstore at the Northshore Mall in Peabody in recent years.
The cost was $100 per child. Financial aid was available for those who were not able to pay.
“Anyone who requests a scholarship will be taken care of and there is no need to prove financial need,” Harris said. “What’s happening at the First Tee is incredible and the most recent evolution is really exciting. The line I use all the time is that if a kid comes and spends an entire season with us and they never touch a golf club again, we still know that they got something out of it.”
