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Member Clubs
So Much More Than Golf
First Tee graduates share why the program has been so important to their whole-person development
by ARTHUR UTLEY
What Brittany Woo has to say about The First Tee leaves no doubt about the impact the golf / life skills program that is celebrating its 20th year of operation has had on her life .
“ I could talk for hours on end about The First Tee program and the impact it had on me . There is so much to say . Yes , it ’ s a step in the door to gain golf skills , but in my mind and through my experiences , The First Tee is so much more than just golf ,” Woo , a junior and a First Tee Designated Scholar at the University of Richmond , said in an email response to a request from Virginia Golfer .
Her testimonial could easily be a standalone article .
Woo , a graduate of Monacan High School and the school ’ s Richmond Times-Dispatch / SportsBackers female Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2014 , began participating in The First Tee of Greater Richmond programs when she was 8 years old .
“ It ’ s the place where my passion for golf came to be and evolved . At first , the sport seemed too challenging and boring , but the games and programs made golf into something that was enjoyable and something I
LEFT : Brittany Woo , a past USGA Boatwright intern with the VSGA , says her “ entire life has been built on a First Tee foundation .” RIGHT : Jordan Spieth chips during a clinic for The First Tee of Lake Erie at Inverness Club in Ohio in 2014 .
10 V IRGINIA G OLFER | J ANUARY / F EBRUARY 2017 vsga . org