The First Tee announces campaign to reach 10 million

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Stan Badz/PGA TOUR

PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem announces "The First Tee Campaign for 10 Million Young People"

It's easy for PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem to remain optimistic that The First Tee will realize its goal of reaching 10 million young people by 2017. All he has to do is look inside the numbers.

In announcing "The First Tee Campaign for 10 Million Young People" in Pebble Beach, Calif., on Thursday, Finchem said he envisioned an effort in the $100 million range to be raised between now and October 2012 with a number of events scheduled, culminating with an Oct. 8, 2012 event at Pebble Beach.

"The First Tee has discovered a way to use the game of golf to instill core values in young people," Finchem said, "and the growth of the program has been astounding."

A driving force in the campaign is co-chair Jim McGlothlin, Chairman and CEO of The United Company, who has set the wheels in motion at a fast-forward pace.

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"Jim last year conducted incredibly, in one day, a tournament involving Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer to endow a young school for kids in southwest Virginia, and in one day he raised over $15.5 million for that cause," Finchem said. "He knows how to get things done.

"And after that event, he came to me and he said, 'You know, Tim, there's no reason that we can't take the concept that I developed in Virginia on a national level and raise the kind of money we need to raise to really elevate what The First Tee is all about.'"

Since its inception in 1997 when former President George H.W. Bush served as honorary chair, more than 4.7 million young people have been reached with 750 programs active in all 50 states and in 4,200 schools.

"We want to get to 10,000, 11,000 elementary schools -- particularly schools that feed some of these high drop-out high schools," said The First Tee Chief Executive Joe Louis Barrow, Jr. "In addition, we want to increase the number of volunteers, number of coaches, and number of adults who are involved with our program."

Young people who previously may not have considered whether they can graduate from high school are now graduating from college because of their involvement and understanding of The First Tee, according to Barrow.

Oh, and they're playing more golf.

In a recent survey with the chapters, more than 9,000 participants in The First Tee are now playing high school golf because of their participation in The First Tee programs, with more than 1,700 playing college golf.

"I wouldn't say that's a driving priority," Finchem said of The First Tee's impact on increased golf participation. "Becoming a great golfer is generational. But it will certainly have that effect over the long term and it's a very positive by-product of what we see the future of The First Tee being.

A very high percentage of tour players on both the LPGA and PGA TOUR are individuals who started at a very young age. The broader we can develop the pool of young people that are showing that interest, then we can start to take the steps to prepare them for competition at this level, it will eventually lead to participation."

Barrow has seen those positives first-hand.

"Since we have been able to introduce young people to the game and excite them about the game, many of them are trying to take it to the highest level," he said. "I suspect that some of those 1,700 playing college golf have aspirations to play on the LPGA or PGA TOUR."

While the participation from PGA TOUR, Champions Tour, Nationwide Tour and LPGA professionals has been phenomenal, Barrow expects to see more and more players step up to lend a helping hand and give back.

Barrow added that the participation of over 500 PGA teaching professionals in the program has been invaluable.

"It has made a significant difference in our abilities to appropriately deliver a life skills curriculum," he said. "They are professionals and only teach the game of golf. However, they have really taken the time to be designated coaches in The First Tee."

Michael Curet is a freelance writer based in the Jacksonville, Fla., area.