How First Tee of Sacramento helps local kids learn life skills, the game of golf and more
A well-struck golf shot can end up in the sand, just like a bad one can find itself a few feet from the hole.
Golf is often considered a metaphor for life. You can do all the right things and end up in a tough spot, whereas some good luck can come from unexpected places. Golf, like life, takes resilience and a positive attitude. That has been an ethos of the First Tee Chapter in Sacramento, which benefits thousands of local kids each year.
“What we’re doing is building experiences that build character for kids,” said Angie Dixon, executive director for First Tee of Greater Sacramento. “Young people in our program definitely learn how to play golf, but they learn way more than just the game, so we teach nine core values and life skills inside our program that kids can take with them to classrooms, to social interactions, to college.”
Those nine core values: respect, courtesy, responsibility, honesty, sportsmanship, confidence, judgment, perseverance and integrity.
The work First Tee does is notable in a climate where there’s often a dearth of productive activities for kids outside of school. A study from America After 3PM said the unmet demand for after-school programs throughout the country was 24.6 million in 2020. First Tee has worked to combat that as one of Sacramento’s most widespread and successful non-profit programs since its inception in 1983. The national program’s Sacramento chapter is one of its largest, reaching over 58,000 children annually, Dixon said.
“Raising teenagers is a very hard thing,” said Anna-Marie Stouder, who has two teenagers who are active in the First Tee program. “And so to have the extra support of an organization like First Tee, who pours into your kids and gives them these extra values of leadership and teach them skills like communication ... they make them highly competent. This is the point, they really are so engaged, not only in the sport of golf, but giving back.”
Stouder’s two children, Hannah, 16, and Anthony, 15, have both been part of First Tee since they were 8 years old. They each took golf lessons and participated in the First Tee Junior Tour. After having success, Hannah was able to apply for national opportunities leading to tournaments in Texas, Philadelphia and San Francisco.
“First Tee is more than about golf, it’s really a family,” Strouder said. “So they educate your whole child. And they make the game of golf more than just a game, right? It’s a way that you can learn an amazing sport and then you can undertake the values of that sport and apply them outside the course.”
First Tee of Sacramento has two alums on the PGA Tour: Cameron Champ, a three-time winner on tour, and Austin Smotherman.
And of those 58,000 reached in Sacramento, about 56,000 participate free of charge, Dixon said. The program has partnered with over 125 local schools and outreach programs such as Shriners Hospital for Children, the Salvation Army and the Boys and Girls Clubs.
First Tee has also partnered with nine area golf clubs, which are some of the best places to get access to the programs, Dixon said. Those after-school or summer camp programs account for the majority of the 2,000 kids who pay fees to participate.
But there is a scholarship program First Tee calls a “golfer-ship” that allows any child to participate in the program free of charge.
“We never turn a child away due to lack of funding,” Dixon said. “So if someone is trying to sign up for one of those programs and can’t afford it, they can write a letter to us and ask for a golfer-ship to pay for their fees. We really have some wonderful support from our community behind the program.”
First Tee also has programming for children with disabilities. The California Eagles program works with those dealing with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism and other special needs 25 weeks a year. They also partnered with Els for Autism using “evidence-based practices” for teaching golf to those with autism spectrum disorder.
Those interested in connecting with First Tee can do so at their website or at Sacramento area golf courses, including Bing Maloney, Haggin Oaks, Williams Land, Empire Ranch, Turkey Creek, Cordova, Emerald Lakes and WildHawk.
This story was originally published October 20, 2023 at 5:00 AM with the headline "How First Tee of Sacramento helps local kids learn life skills, the game of golf and more."
