First Tee — South Puget Sound
We began youth programming the summer of 2011 and served 94 youth our first year at Meadow Park and Chambers Bay Golf Courses. We now impact more than 63,000 youth throughout the South Puget Sound on the golf course, in the classroom, and in our community.
First Tee — South Puget Sound works strategically and intentionally with our community partners to serve at-risk and underprivileged youth who would otherwise not normally get the chance to experience the game of golf. First Tee coaches deliver programming that weaves golf and character building activities into each lesson, helping children become even more equipped to make good choices on and off the golf course. These youth programming partners include Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound, Kings in Training, Joint-Base Lewis McChord, Rescue Mission, and others. More than 60% of our participants receive full or partial scholarships to enroll in programming, because no child is every turned away from our programs due to financial hardship.
First Tee — South Puget Sound offers programming at 12 South Puget Sound golf courses: Allenmore, Chambers Bay, Eagles Pride, Gold Mountain, Highlands, Lake Spanaway, Madrona Links, Mint Valley, North Shore, Tapps Island, Tumwater Valley, and Whispering Firs. All lessons are taught by First Tee Certified Coaches and each facility has a complete practice area which includes a putting green, short game area, and driving range. Youth ages five to 17 can join First Tee — South Puget Sound, beginning with our Little Drivers Program and up to our Ace Level participants. Being a part of the South Puget Sound chapter allows our participants to experience our partner golf courses, First Tee Life Skills Experience, First Tee Nine Core Values, and First Tee Nine Healthy Habits, all of which play an integral role in building character and developing leadership skills through fun, interactive, and engaging lessons.
For more details about our programming please contact Ryan Kallenberger, Executive Director, at [email protected].
Meet Our Team
Diversity & Inclusion Statement
Diversity, Equality and Inclusion are at the core of First Tee’s Identity and essential to our continued success as an organization. First Tee- South Puget Sound reaches children of all ages and backgrounds and is the entry point for them to learn about and experience the game of golf. Diversity is the variety of similar and different characteristics among people, including age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, thinking style, geography, socio-economic background and all other attributes that make each person unique. We are committed to increasing diversity and to ensuring it is part of the fabric of our organizational culture in all aspects of the chapter’s operations. This is an expression of who we are and an intentional process to ensure that our mission is fulfilled. We will remain focused on increasing participation of children from all backgrounds and characteristics by teaching them the game of golf through character education.