About Us

We enable kids to build the strength of character that empowers them through a lifetime of new challenges. By seamlessly integrating the game of golf with life skills curriculum, we create learning experiences that build inner strength, self-confidence, and resilience that kids carry to everything they do.

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 golf courses throughout Pierce, Kitsap, Thurston, Cowlitz, and Lewis Counties. 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 high school graduation can join First Tee — South Puget Sound, and experience both local and national participant opportunities. Being a part of the South Puget Sound chapter allows our participants to experience our character development curriculum centered around life skills and seamlessly integrated into the game of golf.

For more details about our programming please contact Ryan Kallenberger, Chief Executive Officer, at [email protected].

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.