About MGA Links
For Immediate Release: July 1, 2007
Headline: The First Tee of Massachusetts Clinic Held at Hyannis Golf Club... Hundreds of Kids Participate
Hyannis, MA – The First Tee of Massachusetts held a successful junior golf clinic at Hyannis Golf Club on July 1st. Hundreds of local kids took part in the six sessions that were offered that day.
Here is a copy of two articles about this important, fun clinic that appeared in the Cape Cod Times and Barnstable Patriot:
Cape Cod Times... Click Here
Barnstable Patriot... Click Here
First Tee gets youngsters into swing of sportsmanship, art of golf
By Rob Duca, STAFF WRITER
July 01, 2007
HYANNIS — Matt Trotto relished blasting away at the driving range and honing his golf swing. But the 11-year-old from Osterville also appreciated other lessons learned during his three days at Hyannis Golf Club.
"When you get mad, you can't bang your club down," he said. "You have to respect the course."
It's that blend of practical and ethical instruction that is the cornerstone of the First Tee program, a national organization that introduces kids to golf.
Founded in 1997, the First Tee includes 204 chapters and 259 sites, stretching across 47 states and into Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. Hyannis Golf Club received approval to run a First Tee program this spring, joining the MGA Links at Mamantapett (Norton) and clubs in Lynnfield and East Longmeadow as the only Massachusetts sites.
Four sessions of six 90-minute classes will be held this summer for youngsters ages 10-13, with roughly 25 spots available for each session. The opening session was completed last Wednesday, with the next session beginning on Tuesday, July 10, followed by sessions on Tuesday, July 24 and Monday, Aug. 6. Classes are held Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons and are open to Cape Cod residents.Although space is limited, youngsters can be enrolled in the clinics by contacting their local town recreation departments. There is no entry fee.
The program is initially funded by a $75,000 grant from the First Tee, which is expected to cover three years. The Barnstable Recreation Department and The Hyannis GC have already initiated fundraising efforts to continue the program past 2009. The First Tee program is based on nine core values designed to educate beginning golfers on more than how to hit a drive or stroke a putt. Instructors, who are hired by the Massachusetts Golf Association and are independent of the host clubs, teach perseverance, integrity, sportsmanship, confidence, responsibility, courtesy, judgment, honesty and respect.
"It's teaching golf and also factoring in life skills," said Mike Ghelfi, director of golf at Hyannis GC. "Golf is a game where you have to police yourself. There are no umpires, no referees, no teammates. You have to call penalties on yourself, play the ball as it lies. Kids learn honesty and respecting their partners and the golf course.
"Golf is the perfect outlet to instill these values in kids."
Jim Rondeau, a longtime Cape Cod Baseball League umpire, is serving as the program instructor at Hyannis. Rondeau combines practical golf tips, such as blasting a ball out of a sand bunker, with gentle hints on proper etiquette, the rules of the game and how to prepare for a round.
"Let's face it, these kids have just finished school," he said. "They don't want to come here and sit in a class. They want to hit some golf balls and have fun. We give them golf instruction, while hoping they absorb the other stuff."
On the final day of each session, Rondeau gives youngsters a glimpse into the life of a PGA Tour player. He takes them through a pro's routine on the day of a tournament, beginning with stretching exercises, taking them to the driving range — where they begin hitting the highest numbered club and work their way to the driver — and then to the putting green, the sand bunkers and onto the course.
"I've been fortunate to volunteer at a number of PGA events, including Doral and the Deutsche Bank (at TPC-Boston), and I've met Tiger Woods and watched how he prepares," Rondeau said. "I tell them some stories about that."
The goal is that by introducing kids to golf, they will learn valuable lessons and fall in love with a sport that will be available for a lifetime.
"The aim is to get young kids involved in golf, and to show them that this is something they can take with them their entire life," Rondeau said. "They can play soccer or baseball or basketball though high school and maybe in college. But they can play golf until they're elderly."
Photos featured on this page were courtesy of the Cape Cod Times.
First Tee program takes flight
By Dave Colantuono, GateHouse News Service
July 01, 2007
Cape Cod - A group of Barnstable youngsters took to the putting green at Hyannis Golf Club Monday as part of the town’s inaugural First Tee program. The national First Tee program is a partnership of the Barnstable Recreation Department, the Massachusetts Golf Association and offers lessons that youth golfers can apply on and off the course.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for the boys and girls who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to play golf,” says Barnstable’s Director of Recreation Dave Curley. “Through the golf lessons, they’ll learn life skills they can carry forward in their everyday lives.”
The town has scheduled four classes consisting of six 1 1/2-hour sessions that will teach youngsters not only the game of golf, but the nine core values that form the foundation of the First Tee program.
“We hope to teach the kids through the golf lessons these core values they can apply to everyday life,” says Joe McCabe, executive director of First Tee of Massachusetts.
From honesty and integrity to sportsmanship, respect and courtesy, the organizers believe the young participants can apply the program’s values to both the game of golf and the game of life. Hyannis Golf Club is the fourth site in the state to host the program, and was a logical choice for both First Tee organizers and the town.
“The Cape always seemed like a natural fit for this program because of its long history of junior golf,” says McCabe. The timing could not have been better for the town. While the recreation department has more than 30 programs — arts and crafts to sailing and gymnastics — available for local youths, it didn’t have an offering for aspiring golfers.
“We thought there was a real need on the Cape for a program like this,” says Curley, who was excited about being able to utilize the newly purchased golf course to promote a youth program. “We have so many youngsters in the town who are looking for a positive direction in their lives.”
In just under a week after announcing the program, Curley received 100 applications, filling all of the town’s available positions. He hopes to expand the program to neighboring towns and youth organizations in the future, and envisions more than 400 local youths taking part in what will become a regional youth golf program. Currently the program is open to Barnstable boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 13. No golf experience is needed and there is no cost associated with the program that includes putting and driving instructions along with discussions about the rules and etiquette of the game.
The First Tee organization provides 50 junior golf club sets to each site for participants who have never played golf and are interested in taking their first swing in what could become a life long pursuit.
“This is a sport you can play your entire life,” PGA pro and First Tee instructor Jim Rondeau told the first group of youngsters. “We want to teach you etiquette and the right way to play so that you can carry that through the rest of your lives.”