The First Tee is an organization that was established in 1997 by the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, PGA of America, Masters Tournament and the USGA. Its sole purpose was to bring golf to kids who have not been exposed to the game and also to spread positive values in life. The First Tee has now expanded and has over 9 million young kids that have joined around the country.
The First Tee of Tampa Bay was formed in 1999 and has provided 40,000 kids with hands on golf training and even teaching core values that they can learn off the course. Many of their kids that have attended The First Tee and have gone on to do great things after graduating from high school. Some have received scholarships to play in top Division 1 colleges and some were offered scholarships for academics and music. These young people were able to learn the game of golf and also different core values and skills that they can use outside of golf.
Terese Romeo is one of the many kids that have achieved a lot after joining the First Tee. A senior in Freedom High School, Terese has early committed to play at Mercer University in Georgia. Being able to play in a Division 1 school did not come easy for Terese as she was faced with a road block that gave her the gift of playing the game of golf. In 9th grade Terese had a wrist injury from doing gymnastics and that ended her gymnastics career. She was heartbroken that she could not perform anymore but when she joined the First Tee after her parents and brother told her to, she fell in love with the sport. She was a little skeptical about it but it turned around for her in the end and it has been great ever since. It was a long and hard journey for Terese however she has been given a lot of great opportunities to play in big junior golf events such as The Nature Valley First Tee Open, interviewed by The Golf Channel and earn the title of “Girl Golfer of The Year” by the Tampa Bay Times in 2013.
The First Tee has been a stepping stone for these kids and now The First Tee of Tampa bay has been working with different schools such as Franklin Middle School to create an after school program for these kids to attend and learn the game of golf. It is a growing organization and they have producing extraordinary kids that have made it to colleges due to the teachings that are being taught at The First Tee.
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