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Coat & Blanket Drive Golf Tournament

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King City Golf Course

First Tee – Monterey County’s King City Golf Course is proud to host the inaugural Coat & Blanket Drive Golf Tournament, benefiting kids in need throughout King City. The tournament will be held at the King City Golf Course but is postponed due to the course’s closure. First Tee – Monterey County will donate the first $5,000 worth of coats and blankets, and we hope our supporters will match our contribution. 

The community is invited to contribute to the Coat & Blanket Drive and may drop off coats, blankets, or monetary donations to First Tee – Monterey County’s King City Golf Course at 613 S Vanderhurst Ave, King City, CA 93930 or Twin Creeks Golf Course at 1551 Beacon Hill Dr, Salinas, CA 93905. Monetary donations can also be made through the button below.

On behalf of First Tee – Monterey County and the community of King City, thank you for #BuildingGameChangers.

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Growing the Game of Golf

Salinas, Calif. (Dec. 8, 2022) – Twenty-eight First Tee – Monterey County participants throughout the county had the opportunity to explore their interest in golf and beyond during the Growing the Game of Golf Clinic, our first-ever clinic dedicated to growing a passion for golf in kids, which occurred Wednesday, December 7, 2022, at First Tee – Monterey County’s Twin Creeks Golf Course.

What’s your favorite core value?

First Tee – Monterey County Participant Jocelyn S. Asks Pridey

The clinic featured a Q&A with Golf Professional Matthew Pridey and First Tee – Monterey County Board Member Benjamin Zoller. Participants from local schools and participants involved in the Center for Learning’s Afterschool Program attended the clinic. Pridey and Zoller worked with the participants to teach First Tee Core Values, grips, and target awareness through chipping and driving range activities. Participants also received First Tee – Monterey County hats autographed by their favorite coaches, the First Tee – Monterey County Executive Director Jessica Abe, Benjamin Zoller, and Matthew Pridey.

“Along with a good work ethic, you need perseverance. Golf has challenged me to adhere to core values like the ones First Tee teaches you. These values translate into your everyday life, not just on the golf course, and that’s my favorite part of the game,” said Matthew Pridey to the clinic’s participants. “You will go through many challenges throughout your life; the more you preserve, the more confidence you have when you face the next challenges. Nothing is better than preserving through a challenge that once intimidated you.”

First Tee – Monterey County is one youth development organization of over 150 national chapters dedicated to teaching life skills and helping kids and teens build their strength of character through golf. First Tee Headquarters provides to encourage and motivate participants as they progress through the program and toward higher education opportunities.

This clinic is one of several ways we are Building Game Changers throughout our community.

Benjamin Zoller, First Tee – Monterey County Board Member

For more information on First Tee – Monterey County’s mission, visit firstteemontereycounty.org/ftmc. To learn more about upcoming events, visit firstteemontereycounty.org/calendar.

Game Changing Alumni

For over 25 years, we’ve used golf to teach lessons about life. We’ve spun the unexpected challenges on the fairway to coach kids about adversity in the everyday. It’s not just a game, its game-changing.

Our alumni are a reflection of that commitment we made to building game changers. Below are just a few of our exceptional alumni who are making a difference in the world because of the lessons learned at First Tee.

Register for Winter Camp!

Join us in Building Game Changers at our annual Winter Camp! Game Changers from ages 7 to 17 will use science, technology, engineering, art, math, and Golf and Life Skills to explore, grow, collaborate, build positive self-identity, use good judgment, and have FUN! Game Changers will learn new concepts daily through hands-on science, technology experiments, art projects, and golf.

The teen’s class will take part in Teen Track with a special emphasis on Life, Exploration, and Preparation through college and career preparation. Teens will also participate in activities like 3D printing, t-shirt printing, embroidery, virtual reality, and robotics!

Camp runs from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Drop-off is from 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Pick-up is from 5:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Winter Camp is split up into two weeks. Week 1 is from December 19 to December 23, Monday through Friday. Week 2 is from December 27 to December 30, Tuesday through Friday. Camp varies in price according to week and age. Members qualify for a 75% discount, and financial aid is available! We offer snacks and ask that kids are provided with lunch, a reusable water bottle, and a jacket!

Call (831) 444-7200 or email [email protected] for any questions. Click the button below to register!

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Celebrate an Alumnus: Pedro Ortiz

Unfortunately, the city I live in is known for its gang violence. I wanted a better future, free from violence. This is why I joined First Tee. As a participant, I learn from persevering through problems to make the right choices based on my judgments. I am ready to write the future.

Pedro Ortiz at 15 years old, First Tee – Monterey County Alumnus

Pedro Ortiz was first exposed to First Tee – Monterey County when he was a first grader in 2006. Pedro started as green as possible with the game of golf, coming from a city constantly rehashed in Steinbeck’s writings of farms and field labor.  The thing that drew him to First Tee initially was an innocent curiosity and a constant search for success.  He went from coming to class on the school bus only twice a week to visiting us almost every day after school.  Once he achieved First Tee Birdie level, the third achievable level in our program, Pedro embodied what it was like to become a junior coach. He began mentoring the participants around him as their role model.  Because of his admirable effort, Pedro obtained his very first job at First Tee – Monterey County as an Assistant Coach. 

Pedro has the confidence to stand up in front of a crowd and pour his soul out regarding his life and how much First Tee has impacted his goals and ambitions. In 2013, he was chosen to inspire donors at First Tee – Monterey County’s Boots, Bottles & BBQ, an annual fundraising event that has brought in almost $5 million dollars for our non-profit.  Pedro also attended the inaugural First Tee Northern California Leadership Academy in Pebble Beach, where he won The Sandy Tatum Leadership Award. Moreover, he was offered a job at Poppy Hills Golf Course, a prestigious golf course in Pebble Beach, California, based on his participation and motivating acts during the weekend.  

In 2014, Pedro had the honor of attending the First Tee National Trustee Meeting in Pebble Beach, where he had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet the Honorary Chair of The First Tee, Former President George W. Bush. He had the privilege to speak in front of George W. Bush, hundreds of golf executives, and billionaire trustees. After the event, the Vice-President of the Tiger Woods Foundation, Jin Thatcher, and Commissioner of the PGA Tour, Jody Brothers, offered Pedro their most sincere help in achieving his goals and instantly inspired Pedro to pursue a career in the business side of the golf industry.  This eventually led to Pedro working for the Pebble Beach Company for three years while he was attending college. 

In 2015, Pedro graduated from Salinas High School with a 3.5 GPA. He received a $20,000 scholarship to attend California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) through The Pay It Forward Scholarship & Mentoring Program.  In 2018, Pedro graduated summa cum laude from CSUMB in three and a half years with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He is now the Communications Manager for the San Jose Earthquakes, a professional and major league soccer team. He has been with them for over three years. 

Since 2006, Pedro has been eager to be the difference he knew he, his family, and his community needed, and he has done just that. Pedro is the epitome of what it means to be a Game Changer who embodies the First Tee Core Values and Life Skills.

Marcus Freeman Pays it Forward

First Tee is celebrating its 25th anniversary this month, and over the years, it’s helped produce no shortage of game changers. 

One example is Marcus Freeman from First Tee – Greater Charlotte. He says the organization has helped him grow as a golfer and person. 

“Being a part of this community has helped me get through hard times. First Tee – Greater Charlotte was a safe place for me in 2020. During this time my grandfather was going through end stage pancreatic cancer and my family, like the world, was navigating COVID-19 and social distancing,” he says. 

The support he received from First Tee inspired Freeman to pay it forward. 

He completed more than 300 hours of volunteer work for First Tee in 2021. He collected more than 500 books for a First Tee book drive, and he’s a member of the chapter’s participant advisory council. Freeman has also volunteered for his swim team and tutored students in Japanese.

“An aspect of volunteer work that I enjoy is seeing the impact that giving to others can have,” he says. 

Freeman is one of 28 First Tee participants from across the country who’ll attend Innovators Forum this November in Dallas. The workshop empowers First Tee teens to develop a meaningful service project in their community focused on education, health or sustainability. Eight participants will be awarded scholarships totaling $32,000 after the event.

A junior at Palisades High School, Freeman is an accomplished violinist, and he won a medal for performing Japanese poems in 2019. Freeman aspires to study sports science in college. “I enjoy learning more about physical fitness and how the body works,” he says. Freeman spends his free time researching training tips and injury recovery. 

As he progresses as an athlete and student, Freeman says he’ll continue to use the lessons and qualities he’s learned at First Tee, including confidence. 

“When I first joined the program, I was a little shy when meeting new coaches, parents and other players. I spent time observing the instructors and how they interacted with all the different people coming and going. I saw them shake hands, make eye contact, smile and speak confidently,” he says.  

“I knew I wanted those skills as well. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone, and I started to apply what I observed to my own social skills. I practiced a strong handshake. I introduced myself to people I didn’t know, and I have met many interesting people, like professional golfer Davis Love III, all because I have improved in sharing my personality.” 

Learn more about Innovators Forum. 

Alumna Hannah Rens Reaches for the Stars

Lots of kids aspire to become astronauts but few go on to build careers in space exploration. That hasn’t stopped Hannah Rens from chasing her dreams into orbit. 

The 24-year-old is a systems engineer for Boeing Space and Launch, working on Boeing’s Starliner, a commercial crew and cargo vehicle that will be transporting NASA astronauts to the international space station.  

“My ultimate career goal is to be chief engineer of a permanent human habitat on the moon,” says Rens, a former participant at First Tee – Siouxland and First Tee volunteer. “To achieve that goal, I need to develop advanced business skills, gain industry experience and further my engineering technical education.” 

That’s why she’s attending the First Tee Alumni Summit presented by Gallagher this November in Dallas. The event provides an opportunity for selected alumni to advance their career by building new skills while reconnecting with fellow alumni and chapter leaders. 

“I’m looking to learn more about working in a rapidly evolving industry, startups and founding your own business, and how to develop an effective personal brand,” she says. 

Rens says her nine years in First Tee helped shape her future. “It provided me with a structured path to improving my golf game, peer and trusted mentors, and interpersonal and professional skills that have been essential in achieving my goals,” she says. 

While in First Tee, she was selected to attend the Leaders and Entrepreneurs Forum at Disney World. “Getting to meet other students from across the U.S. while listening and working with successful business owners and entrepreneurs was unlike any other experience I had in high school,” she says. “The business principles and goals I learned have stayed with me.” 

A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Rens began her career with internships focused on aircraft maintenance and repair. As Starliner prepares to expand its service to additional sites in Earth’s orbit, Rens works on vehicle life span and sustainment. Ultimately, Starliner will become one of the first spacecraft with turnaround times closer to traditional air traffic. Talk about a Game Changer. 

Rens now serves as a mentor for high school and college students who want careers in the space industry, and she’s enrolled in an astronautical engineering master’s program at the University of Southern California focusing on human spaceflight. 

Rens still golfs, and she’s a certified open water and dry suit SCUBA diver. Learn more about the accomplishments of First Tee alumni. 

Give back to First Tee – Monterey County through MCGives! this Holiday Season

More than a decade ago, the Weekly decided we could leverage our resources and create a new program for local philanthropy to support the nonprofit community. We first established the Monterey County Weekly Community Fund as a donor-advised fund at the Community Foundation for Monterey County (CFMC) back in 2000. In 2009, we created an annual appeal to our readers—Monterey County Gives!

Today, Monterey County Gives! is a special project of Monterey County Weekly in partnership with CFMC, the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, and our other major partners, enabling you to donate in traditional ways or through different types of gifts, such as via your IRA retirement fund.

In last year’s campaign, Monterey County Gives! raised over $9.6 million in six weeks, thanks to more than 7,500 donors. That’s impactful. Since its inception, the program has raised and donated over $45 million to approximately 500 local nonprofits.

MCGives! runs through midnight on Dec. 31. 

We invite you to participate and support First Tee – Monterey County through MCGives!

Become a donor, and help spread the word.

Every bit helps. We’re in this together and can collectively create positive change for all who call Monterey County home.

Please, join us to make a difference. Click donate to make a tax-deductible donation.

Donate Today

Read more about MCGives! at https://www.montereycountygives.com/.

Golf Channel Interviews First Tee – Monterey County as a Top DEI First Tee Chapter

Like our participants, what makes First Tee chapters so special is that each one is unique in its own way. At First Tee – Monterey County, we celebrate diverse perspectives because it makes our work even more powerful. Yet one thing that remains consistent in every chapter is their passion for supporting the next generation and their communities. First Tee – Monterey County and other First Tee chapters are doing this by creating a space that makes every individual feel like they belong. A culture of acceptance is deeply rooted in our values as an organization as we seek to understand walks of life that are different from our own. Watch the video below to learn more about how First Tee – Monterey County is embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion as one of the top DEI chapters throughout First Tee.

Read the full press release at https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2022/10/23/usga-first-tee-chapter-grants-25-year-anniversary/.

City of King Approves Agreement with First Tee – Monterey County to Operate the King City Golf Course

King City, California – October 26, 2022

The City of King City Council approved an agreement with First Tee – Monterey County to operate the King City Golf Course at its meeting on October 11th. The agreement was the conclusion of an extensive selection process, which included the release of a Request for Proposal to all interested parties, selection committee interviews, and City Council public meetings and workshops.


First Tee is dedicated to providing youth of all backgrounds an opportunity for a brighter future. Their mission is to deliver a targeted curriculum of golf and character development, life skills, academic support, higher education, mentorship, and career development. “First Tee will be an ideal partner for the City of King because they will address the City’s priority on youth, as well as our goal to invest in upgrades to the City’s golf course and other facilities,” said City Manager Steve Adams.


While First Tee plans to increase programming for local youth, adult golf play opportunities will continue with little change. A local steering committee is being formed to help guide future operations and improvements. First Tee and the City are also working in partnership to plan and implement a number of future improvements to the King City Golf Course facilities to enhance the golf play experience for both adults and youth, as well as to increase the golf course’s marketing to visitors.


Under the terms of the agreement, First Tee will assume operation of the Golf Course on November 1st following the expiration of the existing operations agreement. According to Mayor Mike LeBarre, “the City is fortunate to have First Tee – Monterey County as its future operator.” “They bring with them a high level of expertise in overall golf course operation and maintenance, an outstanding youth program, and a commitment of investing resources and energy to the betterment of the community.”


City Manager Adams added, “the City also wants to express our recognition and gratitude to Yolanda and Drake Frudden, who have operated the Golf Course since 2012.” “They did an amazing job of maintaining the Golf Course and local play and tournaments through a period when the City had little funding to invest in the facility due to a serious financial crisis.”


First Tee – Monterey County has operated the Twin Creeks Golf Course in Salinas for 18 years and, through its youth development program, has positively impacted the lives of over 120,000 young people throughout the county. “Our board is thrilled at the opportunity to become the next operator of the King City Golf Course,” said David Gill, Vice Chairman of First Tee – Monterey County, local King City resident, and businessman. “We will be building on the great job achieved by the previous operator, and I believe First Tee is the perfect match for the future for all King City residents, the golf community, and especially for our local youth.”


First Tee – Monterey County is currently hiring local King City residents for various positions. They can be reached at 805-421-9299 for those interested or 831-789-7473 for any questions regarding the future King City Golf Course services.


Questions for the City can be directed to City Hall at 831-385-3281.


Steven Adams
City Manager

“Meeting the needs of our entire community through caring, professional and responsive services.”

La Ciudad de King City Aprueba Un Acuerdo con First Tee del Condado de Monterey Para Operar el Campo de Golf
en King City


King City, California – 26 de octubre de 2022


El Concejo Municipal de la Ciudad de King City aprobó un acuerdo con First Tee – Monterey County para operar el campo
de golf de King City en su reunión del 11 de octubre. El acuerdo fue la conclusión de un extenso proceso de selección,
que incluyó la entrega de una Solicitud de Propuesta a todas las partes interesadas, entrevistas con el comité de
selección y reuniones y talleres públicos del Concejo Municipal.


First Tee se dedica a brindar a los jóvenes de todos los orígenes la oportunidad de un futuro mejor. Su misión es ofrecer
un plan de estudios específico de golf y desarrollo del carácter, habilidades para la vida, apoyo académico, educación
superior, tutoría y desarrollo profesional. “First Tee será un socio ideal para la Ciudad de King City porque abordarán
la prioridad de la Ciudad en la juventud, así como nuestro objetivo de invertir en mejoramiento al campo de golf de la
Ciudad y otras instalaciones”, dijo el Administrador de la Ciudad de Steve Adams.


First Tee planea aumentar la programación para los jóvenes locales, las oportunidades de juego de golf para adultos
continuarán con pocos cambios. Se está formando un comité directivo local para ayudar a guiar las operaciones y
mejoramientos futuras. First Tee y la Ciudad también están trabajando en asociación para planificar e implementar
una serie de mejoramiento futuras a las instalaciones del campo de golf King City para mejorar la experiencia de juego
de golf tanto para adultos como para jóvenes, así como para aumentar la comercialización del campo de golf para los
visitantes.


Según los términos del acuerdo, First Tee asumirá la operación del campo de golf el 1 de noviembre después de la
expiración del acuerdo de operaciones existente. Según el alcalde Mike LeBarre, “ la Ciudad tiene la suerte de tener al
Condado de First Tee – Monterey como su futuro operador”. “Traen consigo un alto nivel de experiencia en la operación
y mantenimiento general del campo de golf, un excelente programa juvenil y el compromiso de invertir recursos y
energía para el mejoramiento de la comunidad.”


El Administrador De La Ciudad Adams agregó que “La ciudad también quiere expresar nuestro reconocimiento y
gratitud a Yolanda y Drake Frudden, quienes han operado el campo de golf desde 2012″. “Hicieron un trabajo increíble
al mantener el campo de golf y el juego y los torneos locales durante un período en que la Ciudad tenía pocos fondos
para invertir en las instalaciones debido a una grave crisis financiers.”


First Tee – Monterey County ha operado el campo de golf Twin Creeks en Salinas durante 18 años, y a través de su
programa de desarrollo juvenil ha impactado positivamente las vidas de más de 120,000 jóvenes en todo el
condado. “Nuestra junta está encantada con la oportunidad de convertirse en el próximo operador del campo de golf
King City”, dijo David Gill, Vicepresidente de First Tee – Monterey County, residente local de King City y Empresario.


“Construiremos sobre el gran trabajo logrado por el operador anterior, y creo que First Tee es la combinación perfecta
para el futuro de todos los residentes de King City, la comunidad de golf y especialmente para nuestros jóvenes locales”.
First Tee El condado de Monterey actualmente está contratando residentes locales de King City para varios
puestos. Puede comunicarse con ellos al 805-421-9299 para los interesados o al 831-789-7473 para cualquier pregunta
relacionada con los futuros servicios del campo de golf de King City.


Las preguntas para la Ciudad pueden dirigirse al Ayuntamiento al 831-385-3281.


Steven Adams
Administrador De La Ciudad
212 South Vanderhurst Avenue
King City, CA 93930
831-386-5917


“Satisfacer las necesidades de toda nuestra comunidad a través de servicios atentos, profesionales y receptivos”.