Why Golf?

GROUP LESSONS

In the Group Lessons, participants ages 5-17 receive golf instruction in classes with no larger than a eight-to-one student/instructor ratio. The classes meet once per week for seven weeks, 60 minutes per class, and consist mainly of driving range and short game instruction. All classes are led by a First Tee – Tampa Bay golf instructor. These sessions will be offered continuously throughout the year every two months. Students who have their own golf clubs are encouraged to bring them to class; however, for any student who does not have equipment, First Tee – Tampa Bay will provide the appropriate clubs for each session. Your child’s primary goal for the Group Lessons is to learn enough of the skills needed in order to become eligible for on-course play with First Tee – Tampa Bay Short Course Club. The First Tee – Tampa Bay coach will make the final determination when each child is ready to advance on to the Short Course Club (“Club Certified”) based on his/her performance in the classes.

SHORT COURSE CLUB

Playing on the First Tee – Tampa Bay Short Course Club will give eligible members ages 7-18 a chance to continue developing their skills, learn the necessary rules and etiquette of the game, and also play rounds of golf on an age-and-skills-appropriate course. In addition, the Short Course Club will teach each child the First Tee Core Values and Life Skills, while meeting other junior golfers and making lifelong friendships.

This program takes place exclusively at the Short Course at Rogers Park. The Short Course Club meets once per week for seven weeks on Saturdays for 3 hours each class. Each child will get approximately one hour of golf lessons with coaches in the new First Tee – Tampa Bay Practice Area, and 2 hours of play on the Short Course (holes between 60-120 yards in length). Children must be “Club Certified” from the Group Golf Lessons to be eligible to participate in the Short Course Club. For more information about cost and schedule, click here. If your child has previously been on a First Tee – Tampa Bay Team, but doesn’t yet qualify for the new Advanced Team program (see Advanced Team below), he or she IS eligible for the Short Course Club. Once the child is “Advanced Team Certified” (see Advanced Team below), he or she can register for the Advanced Team. In order to register your child for the Short Course Club, you will receive a separate link with the registration.

ADVANCED TEAM

Playing on the First Tee – Tampa Bay Advanced Team will give eligible members ages 12+ a chance to continue developing their skills and also play rounds of golf on a regulation golf course. The Advanced Team will also enable each child to learn further First Tee Core Values and Life Skills while meeting other junior golfers and making lifelong friendships. All First Tee – Tampa Bay Advanced Teams meet once per week for seven weeks.

Each Advanced Team Member will practice their golf skills, learn the rules and etiquette of the game, and learn a First Tee Life Skill lesson for about 45 minutes prior to each round of golf. Child must be “Advanced Team Certified” to be eligible to participate. To become “Advanced Team Certified”, the child or parent must provide copies of THREE golf scorecards or official tournament scores to the First Tee – Tampa Bay with the following requirements:

• A 9-hole score of 50 or under on regulation course from 2,500+ yards
• A 9-hole score of 40 or under on the Short Course at Rogers Park

If need be, parents may stay to walk or ride along (by purchasing a spectator cart from proshop) with their child on the course at most locations if desired. However, it is NOT recommended for safety reasons and as a potential distraction to the golfers. The golf course has the right to deny spectators according to their policies.

Once your child has qualified to be “Advanced Team Certified”, you can register your child for the Advanced Team by emailing [email protected] to confirm eligibility and for next steps.

SUMMER & HOLIDAY GOLF CAMPS

Beginners and advanced junior golfers alike will work on their skills under the guidance of First Tee golf instructors and counselors. These full day camps run for ten consecutive weeks in the summer, and on most weeks of school vacation. Emphasis will be on helping campers acquire and hone the skills needed to play great golf. Activities will include golf skill stations, contests, special events, and on-course play. These camps will also focus on teaching First Tee Core Values and Life Skills. Snacks & Lunch will be provided by the camp. An advanced camp is also available at Rogers Park. Campers do NOT need their own golf clubs, but they are welcome to bring them if they have them. 

Players Club

The Players Club is a FREE program for high school golfer’s grades 9-12 that meets on Friday afternoons throughout the school year. Sessions include golf instruction, on course play, guest speakers, life skill lessons, and other surprises. In addition to the instruction, students can participate in community service projects, fun social events with their peers, play golf with Board Members, and special friends of First Tee – Tampa Bay. Participants of the Players Club will receive free entry to Tampa Junior Tour events (run by First Tee – Tampa Bay). For high school seniors, college scholarships may also be available for Players Club members. 

GIRLS GOLF

Girls Golf is an ALL GIRLS junior golf club!  This program is for girls ages 5-12 and meets once per week for seven consecutive weeks. At each class, the girls work on their golf skills and participate in life skill activities that might include movie night, arts and crafts, and more! Through the program we hope to teach more girls the game of golf, provide social opportunities to encourage lasting friendships, instill confidence in the girls, inspire them to be active, and most importantly, HAVE FUN!

TAMPA JUNIOR TOUR

First Tee – Tampa Bay offers a tournament series called Tampa Junior Tour. The tour consists of several one-day competitive tournaments during the season at different golf courses in our region. Throughout the season, participants can accumulate points for top finishes and the season will conclude with a final championship tournament. These events are categorized into different divisions: Ages 13 and older will play 18 holes, and ages 12 and under will play 9 holes. Participants should have had previous golf course experience and must be able to meet the following criteria:

• 9-hole scores averaging 55 or under on regulation course from 2,500+ yards
• 9-hole scores averaging 45 or under on the Short Course at Rogers Park

If the child cannot yet meet this criteria, he or she should join the Short Course Club until those scores can be achieved consistently.

OTHER FTTB PROGRAMS

First Tee – Tampa Bay conducts several other programs for children throughout the year. These all have separate enrollment procedures and are not available for open registration. For more specific information on any of these programs, call First Tee – Tampa Bay at 813-238-7320.

Elementary School Program – First Tee – Tampa Bay trains local public elementary physical education teachers on how to introduce the basics in golf skills to children in their yearly program. The curriculum is based on national physical education standards and emphasizes character-education through an introduction to First Tee’s Nine Core Values. Each child participates in at least four lessons.

P. E. Player – At select middle schools in Hillsborough County, 6th graders are taught the PLAYer level curriculum and First Tee’s Life Skills Experience using both modified and standard golf equipment. Two to three First Tee instructors go to each school for three consecutive weeks and work with the students in the physical education classes (which 6^th grade students usually take daily). The First Tee instructors, along with the school’s P.E. staff, teach the children golf fundamentals, rules, etiquette, pace of play, and more. The three-week session at each school ends with a field trip to Rogers Park GC for select students. The ultimate goal of this program is to have each student be ready for next-step First Tee programs like Group Golf Lessons and Short Course Club.

Afterschool PLAYer – Select afterschool youth programs come out to our main facility at Rogers Park where children are taught golf fundamentals, rules, etiquette, pace of play, and more. The ultimate goal of this program is to have each student be ready for next-step First Tee programs like Group Golf Lessons and Short Course Club.

Travel Teams – This summer program is comprised of more advanced First Tee members who play in our weekly Advanced Teams and Players Club programs. During Travel Teams, these select youth members play 18 holes of golf at select sites throughout the area including some of the finer country clubs and golf courses. Each Travel Team match is made up of up to 14 First Tee – Tampa Bay youth members. 

PGA Junior League – An initiative of the PGA, the Junior League is a spring, summer, or fall golf league for children 8-12 that somewhat models the baseball little league structure. First Tee – Tampa Bay forms local teams to play matches during the summer against other like teams in the area.

College Scholarships – First Tee – Tampa Bay has access to a variety of different college scholarships each year that are available to First Tee – Tampa Bay members who are high school seniors or current college students. To apply, call First Tee – Tampa Bay at 813-238-7320 for a scholarship application or email [email protected].

Forecaddie Program – First Tee – Tampa Bay members ages 13-18 can earn college scholarship money through our Forecaddie program. Members are trained by First Tee – Tampa Bay staff and then go out in pairs with select foursomes at Rogers Park GC. For an 18-hole loop, each forecaddie earns $100 of college scholarship credit which is awarded by First Tee – Tampa Bay and eventually distributed after their senior year in high school. For those forecaddies who complete more than 100 loops over time, they may be eligible for the national Evans Scholarship. For more information on the Forecaddie program, contact [email protected].

Sing Out and Read – First Tee – Tampa Bay has partnered with the Sing Out and Read (SOAR) program to help struggling readers catch up or even surpass their expected reading grade levels. This three-month program is FREE of charge for select children grades 3-5. SOAR loans families a tablet with the program software already installed. Children who complete the program (900 minutes of SOAR usage) earn a new- high-quality tablet that is theirs to keep. For more information on the SOAR program, contact [email protected].