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.

Since 1997, First Tee has grown its network to deliver programs in all 50 United States and select international locations. In 2016, First Tee brought character education through the game of golf to more than 5.3 million young people. How did we get here?

It all started with a question:

Why don’t more kids play golf?

In 1997, a partnership among the LPGA, the Masters Tournament, the PGA of America, the PGA TOUR, and the USGA looked to make that question a thing of the past. To find the answer, they formed First Tee.

First Tee started as a way to bring an affordable junior golf program to youth and communities that did not have them. What First Tee soon discovered was that by blending the rules of the game with life and leadership skills, kids and teens didn’t just learn how to putt – they were learning important values.

the game of golf.