.."to impact the lives of young people in our community by promoting character development and positive values through the game of golf."

IN THE FAIRWAY
Get Ready...!
Many of our Eagle and Ace participants are shoring up their golf skills to prepare for spring and summer tournament play. Our high school age players are progressing well in their golf endeavors, and we look forward to a lot of great news about competing and achieving. Stay tuned here as we post their winning scores and accomplishments over the next couple of months!

The First Tee Tour of San Antonio
We had a very successful tournament run at the Polo Field in January during our programming break. Tournaments of various formats were held for all age groups, each Saturday. The events were directed by a formal "tournament committee" comprised of TFT Eagle and Ace participants; and designed to give players a taste of true tournament play, operations and etiquette. Scorecards were used, an official leader board was operated and maintained, and 1st, 2nd and 3rd place prizes were awarded for Mighty Mite, Par, and Birdie/Eagle levels. Congratulations to the winners; thanks for the great effort and sportsmanship from all who played; and "great job" to the tournament committee, under the direction of Coach Mark. Lots of fun all around. 

 

IN THE CLUBHOUSE
TFTSA EWGSA Scholarship Winners
Congratulations to Sarah Diaz and Sara Jane Hughes, each 2008 winners of a $1000 scholarship awarded by the Executive Womens Golf Association of San Antonio. The award is based on academic achievement, golf pursuits and accomplishments, and extra-curricular activities. We congratulate both young ladies for their hard work and devotion to excellence. We are very proud of their achievement and the way they represent our chapter! Of course, we equally appreciate and thank EWGSA for recognizing their talent; and further for being so dedicated to young girls and women in San Antonio, both on and off the golf course. We are delighted to have Sarah and Sara Jane on board with us; and priveledged that EWGSA cares enough to help out in the community.

Congratulations Mary Carriker!
Mary Carriker, our Executive Director, is racking up more awards and achievements than our kids these days! It has been an exciting time for her lately, as she is being justly rewarded and recognized for her endless devotion to junior and amatuer golf. In December Mary received a Special Service Award from the Southern Texas PGA. This award is given "to friends of the STPGA whose exceptional efforts and donations to golf have not gone unnoticed." More recently Mary was elected into the San Antonio Women's Hall of Fame for all of her contributions to golf in San Antonio. Off the fairway Mary has been just as blessed, becoming a grandmother in January when her son Ben and his wife Jenny gave birth to Jackson, on January 25. These are great achievements for Mary, whose endless devotion to golf, her work, and her family are simply admirable. We are glad she was recognized for her talent, and of course welcome her grandson into the world too. Happy Birthday, Happy Life, Jackson!

Welcome, New Programming Outreach Partners:
We are very excited to announce new partnerships with two great San Antonio children's programs. We welcome The Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children, and the UTSA Motor Development Clinic onto our programming calendar.
The Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children "prepares children with hearing loss for a successful life in the hearing world by promoting early identification of hearing loss, intervention and listening, language and speech in an auditory oral educational environment." Their doors "are open to every child with hearing loss who can benefit from their program." The UTSA Motor Development Clinic is a movement program for children ages 5-13 who experience movement problems due to a lag in growth and development; poor social skills; or the inability to process information  By partnering with these programs, we not only expand our participation base: we diversify our population as well, and bring golf, and critical Life Skills, to children who truly may not otherwise have the opportunity to learn or play the game. We welcome these children, and embrace the opportunity to impact their lives. We look forward to a mutually rewarding experience as we work with them and their instructors. 

DONATIONS!!!
Because we rely so heavily on outside funding, we are constantly stepping out into the community to raise funds. A great way to help defray our expenses is to poll the community to see if anyone out there can help provide us with necessary equipment to run our program. Following is a list of some of those items and their costs. If you or your company can help with donations, we in turn would gladly ackowledge you as a supporter, and publicly recognize your donation. Please contact Mark Tisdale (210-736-9592; mtisdale_99@yahoo.com) or Mary Carriker (210-345-3848; mary@golfsanantonio.org) to contribute. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

   1. Range balls. $3,000 commitment. Donor receives logo on balls along w/TFT logo.
   2. 9 Core Value Flags. $60 ea.($540). Donor receives logo on flags along w/TFT logo. These
        will be featured in a permanent display at the Polo Field.
   3. Portable PA system. $400. Donor gets credit every time we talk on the microphone! (And trust
       us - we talk a LOT!!)
   4. Commercial-grade ice machine. $800. Signage provided.
   5. Digital camera. $300. Signage provided.
   6. Access to a16' flatbed trailer. $2000. We will only need thIs occassionally, so we would 
       borrow; picking up and returning at your location when we need it.
   7. Golf shirts for kids. $1500. Donor's logo appears on left sleeve.
   8. Golf shirts for The First Tee coaches and staff. $800. Donor logo appears on left sleeve.
   9. The First Tee cap for kids. $1500. Donor logo appears on side of hat.
  10. The First Tee golf gloves for kids. $1000. Donor logo appears on top of glove.
  11. The First Tee golf towel for kids. $600. Donor logo appears on one side of towel.
  
THE GOOD LIFE
"Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking."
 -H. Jackson Brown.
It is hard to "do the right thing" sometimes, isn't it? Especially if you're the only one "looking." True victory in life isn't really on a scoreboard, is it? It lies in staying true to ourselves; living congruently: actions consistent with words; and doing what is right simply because it is right, not because someone else knows about it. If you got too much change at the checkout, would you give it back unasked? If you have kids, what would/do you teach them about character and integrity? Golf, just like everyday life, offers plenty of opportunity to hone our character. Did you call that penalty on yourself when no one else saw it? Did you count every stroke? Let's challenge ourselves to get it right the first time, and then every time, in golf and in life. Regardless of who is in the gallery. Integrity is one of our Core Values.
 

POINT TO PONDER
"Remember that happiness is a way of travel - not a destination."
-Roy Goodman.

"I'm not old enough to play baseball or football.  I'm not eight yet.  My mom told me "when you start baseball, you aren't going to be able to run that fast because you had an operation."  I told Mom I wouldn't need to run that fast.  "When I play baseball, I'll  just hit them out of the park.  Then I'll be able to walk." 
-Edward J. McGrath, Jr