No sport on the planet has a bigger heart than golf. Just look at the philanthropy that runs through it. Plus, the game teaches civility. Despite the disgraceful fan behavior we witnessed at the Ryder Cup, golf spreads a message of love, and its commitment to make the lives of our youth and teens better is unparalleled.
The First Tee, the thriving program for kids ages 5 to 18, has been a favored project of mine since its beginning in 1997. Started by former PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, First Tee received an immediate boost when President George H.W. Bush became its first Honorary Chairman. He was succeeded by his son, President George W. Bush, in 2011. I can vouch first-hand that their roles were anything but honorary. Witnessing their passion to reach America’s youth through this important golf initiative was hands-on work and served as a call to action for me. Over the years, I’ve volunteered to address dozens of First Tee gatherings from coast to coast and even on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Everywhere, the message is the same: Golf has an incredible ability to deliver life lessons to everyone exposed to the sport. It’s been an honor to help spread the gospel.
When you’re enthusiastic about something, word tends to get around. In early spring of 2025, I received a call from my friend Greg McLaughlin, CEO of the First Tee, wanting to know if I could jump on call with him and Jay Monahan, commissioner of the PGA Tour and Chairman of the Board of Governors of the First Tee. I presumed it would simply be a request to host another First Tee gathering. It turned out to be more. They asked if I would become the First Tee’s third Honorary Chairman. Following in the footsteps of the two former presidents was a role I emotionally accepted.
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The unstructured game I played as a junior stands in sharp contrast to the well-oiled machine that is the First Tee today. From age 13 through my freshman year in college, I had a cool summer job at Battleground C.C. in Manalapan, N.J. I worked for head pro Tony Bruno doing all manner of things—cleaning clubs, charging carts, carrying bags to and from the bag drop and picking up the range by hand. The thwock sound of the old-school, handheld ball scooper as I plucked balls is still fresh in my mind. The job paid $2 an hour and included playing privileges. Caddieing and jobs like mine were how many ordinary kids gained access to the game back in the day. There were precious few broad-based junior programs anywhere in the country.
Fast forward 50 years to a scene a 90-minute drive north of my beloved Monmouth County, N.J., childhood home. In the Bronx, N.Y., lies Mosholu Golf Course, where large groups of respectful, well-mannered youngsters come each week to be surrounded by the greatest virtues golf has to offer. Some have never seen a golf course or held a club. At Mosholu, the youngsters blend seamlessly with other golfers, beating balls on the range, walking the course, competing with one another and adding vitality to a facility founded in 1914. The First Tee program at Mosholu is robust, one of 1,800 in America and abroad that this year alone had 3.1 million participants and 6,000 coaches. When Mosholu opened its First Tee facility in 2000, I was honored to be a speaker at the ribbon cutting. In a quarter century it has exploded into one of the most vibrant examples of First Tee success you’ll find anywhere. The kids not only play the game but participate in dynamic activities at the on-site Lew Rudin Youth Golf Center that instill the First Tee’s nine core values: Respect, Courtesy, Responsibility, Honesty, Sportsmanship, Judgment, Perseverance, Integrity and Confidence. There are approximately 2,000 First Tee youth centers like the one at Mosholu that aren’t intended to replace education but add an accent to it.
A key thing stressed in my talks is that the goal of the First Tee is not to create legendary golfers, though three-time PGA Tour winner Cameron Champ, who came out of a First Tee program, is proof it can happen.
The bigger goal is to create citizens with the keystones to success and happiness. Evidence of the program’s effectiveness is everywhere. At Pebble Beach this fall at the First Tee’s annual gathering of its Board of Trustees, we visited with Abigale Morris, a young woman from Buckeye, Ariz., who was a recipient of a First Tee College Scholarship, which to date has provided college support into the millions. Abi is a senior at Biola University in California now, plays on the golf team and is well on her way to a career in the golf media industry. We also spoke with William Liu, a First Tee scholar from Bellevue, Wash., who is studying computer science with an A.I. emphasis at Stanford University. He is hopeful to establish a charity that deploys capital to address global issues. I glowed conversing with these young people because I know the future is in good hands.
In speaking with Abi and William, I uncovered another secret about the First Tee. It isn’t only the recipients who glow; it’s the donors, too. Whether it’s giving of our time or money, the First Tee has been a massive success story to the point where now nearly 1 percent of the U.S. population is being reached.
Changing lives far beyond the fairway—that’s the true heartbeat of golf.