First Tee offering tee times at some great courses!

[Eric Strulowitz]

Here is a way to support a great cause by booking a tee time  on the following site.  Many of these courses are upsacle, some quite private.  Never played Atlanta National, might just give it a try!

http://www.thefirstteecampaign.org/sites/courses/layout9.asp?id=1137&page=70171

[Howard Riefs]

Here is a way to support a great cause by booking a tee time  on the following site.  Many of these courses are upsacle, some quite private.  Never played Atlanta National, might just give it a try!

http://www.thefirstteecampaign.org/sites/courses/layout9.asp?id=1137&page=70171

Admittedly, I quickly misread that as "Augusta National."

Too bad no participation in Illinois or Wisconsin.

[Joe Leenheer]

Most of these courses are ClubCorp facilities.  ClubCorp is one of 100 partners that has promised to raise a Million $'s for the 1st Tee.  A BIG NOTE is that 100% of the money from the Golf Now Tee Times goes DIRECTLY to the 1st Tee of America.  The facilities have completely donated the golf (they don't even make a cart fee).

You get to play golf at some fine facilities and donate to a very worthy and important cause. 

[Brian Finn]

Most of these courses are ClubCorp facilities.  ClubCorp is one of 100 partners that has promised to raise a Million $'s for the 1st Tee.  A BIG NOTE is that 100% of the money from the Golf Now Tee Times goes DIRECTLY to the 1st Tee of America.  The facilities have completely donated the golf (they don't even make a cart fee).

You get to play golf at some fine facilities and donate to a very worthy and important cause.  

Joe...your name sounds very familiar.  Do you (or did you) live in San Diego?  I lived in the area for 5 years.

I plan to book a few tee times for this cause, especially since the proceeds all go to the 1st Tee.  That is great.

[Carl Johnson]

Not to completely change the subject, but how many of you have actually worked as a "volunteer coach" at a First Tee program for a year or so?  What do the folks who are paid staff members at your First Tee programs get paid?  As a volunteer coach, for a year or so, what has your experience with the program been?

[Joe Leenheer]

Most of these courses are ClubCorp facilities.  ClubCorp is one of 100 partners that has promised to raise a Million $'s for the 1st Tee.  A BIG NOTE is that 100% of the money from the Golf Now Tee Times goes DIRECTLY to the 1st Tee of America.  The facilities have completely donated the golf (they don't even make a cart fee).

You get to play golf at some fine facilities and donate to a very worthy and important cause.  

Joe...your name sounds very familiar.  Do you (or did you) live in San Diego?  I lived in the area for 5 years.

I plan to book a few tee times for this cause, especially since the proceeds all go to the 1st Tee.  That is great.

Brian,

I was in San Diego from 2005-2007 at an Assistant at the Morgan Run Club & Resort.  Does that ring any bells?  I'm afraid I don't recognize your name..but sometimes I'm a bit slow. 

[Jonathan Mallard]

Not to completely change the subject, but how many of you have actually worked as a "volunteer coach" at a First Tee program for a year or so?  What do the folks who are paid staff members at your First Tee programs get paid?  As a volunteer coach, for a year or so, what has your experience with the program been?

I was the initial volunteer coordinator at the First Tee Chesterfield. That site is unique in they it is one of the very few 18 hole facilities, and I think the only one built from scratch.

Me experience was that the golf side of the program was terrific. The issues with it were fiscal pressures in meeting the budget - and probably still are. It didn't help that it is competing with the state golf association that opened it's own junior facility in the same county.  They have since scaled back the concept to 3 and 6 hole facilities.

The staff was paid comparably to what I guess pros would make. They posted the budget online. It was Ex Dir 50k, Head Pro 42k, Assistants 21k. etc. Figures were circa 1998.

My experience was with an organization that had growing pains and was learning and revising on the fly. I think with the concept, they realized that 18 holes was a bit much to bite off and chew. The volunteer aspect of it was akin to herding cats to a degree. And, there were some issues with staff/volunteer interactions. One told me he quit because staff upset him. He's a volunteer - he didn't have to take that.

Let me re-iterate that I always thought highly of the program. This one was unique within the national concept.

[Carl Johnson]

Not to completely change the subject, but how many of you have actually worked as a "volunteer coach" at a First Tee program for a year or so?  What do the folks who are paid staff members at your First Tee programs get paid?  As a volunteer coach, for a year or so, what has your experience with the program been?

From Jonathan Mallard --
I was the initial volunteer coordinator at the First Tee Chesterfield. . . .

Thanks for the response, Jonathan.  I served as a volunteer coach in my hometown last summer, and then again in the 2011 fall session.  The program has it's own very nice "clubhouse" at a 9-hole public course with excellent practice facilities.  First Tee seems to have priorities on both the course and practice facility.  In theory, it looked good, but I was disappointed in the execution and decided not to continue volunteering.  I do not know what the current dirctor gets paid, but according to the publicly available Form 990's (non-profit report to the IRS:  http://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/990finder/) a couple of years ago the prior director was paid about $100,000/year, which seems an awfully lot to me to do administrative work and oversee two staff members, when compared with what other non-profit leaders get paid.