Prior to the course tour , we met inside Rock Creek ’ s antiquated , bare-bones clubhouse . Strong leadership requires good vision , and Sanchez can see clearly into a future where the chapter has a permanent home and Rock Creek is a thriving facility in an underserved golf community .
“ It ’ s the one that needs the biggest upgrade ,” Sanchez said , referring to the three historic D . C . facilities that operate under the umbrella of National Links Trust : Rock Creek , East Potomac Golf Links and Langston Golf Course . “ It has the least facilities . What you see right here is what it is . Food- and beverage-wise , we ’ re very limited . There ’ s no practice facility . There ’ s a putting green out there , and that ’ s pretty much it .”
The First Tee - GWDC chapter is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2024 , and one good way to honor a quarter century in business is to look forward with excitement at where the organization may go in the next 25 years . Rock Falls is ground zero in that regard .
Rock Creek , located in Northwest Washington , will undergo a two-phase transformation . The clubhouse is the top priority , followed by the golf course . After spending years operating out of basement offices at East Potomac Park , First Tee currently operates its business out of a shared workspace in Fairfax County . The new Rock Creek clubhouse will house First
Tee ’ s headquarters , feature a community gathering space , a restaurant , a 50-bay driving range with Toptracer technology , a putting course modeled after the Himalayas at St Andrews , a short-game facility , and a maintenance facility .
Led by Gil Hanse ’ s design team , the course will be transformed into a ninehole championship course and a nine-hole par-3 course , as the driving range will borrow from some of the land that occupies the current back nine .
Construction on the project is tentatively planned to start in late 2024 and is expected to take two years to complete . The first year will focus on the clubhouse area and the maintenance facility , with the golf course work taking place in year two .
“ It will be tremendous ,” Sanchez said . “ Very impactful for our chapter , something we have not had before . The kids that are trying to play in college , we don ’ t have a facility right now that we can take them to . It ’ s really hard for them to work on their games after school or on the weekend or year-round in the wintertime . This will allow us to change that .”
FROM THE BEGINNING
First Tee was founded in 1997 , and the Greater Washington D . C . chapter came on board on July 16 , 1999 , when 90 participants were registered for classes that
summer at historic Langston Golf Course . Program expansion soon followed as East Potomac and Rock Creek joined the roster of facilities .
The growth has been impressive . First Tee – GWDC now hosts classes at 23 facilities serving more than 2,000 young people ages 7-18 annually , covering D . C ., Montgomery County and Prince George ’ s County in Maryland , and a swath of Northern Virginia that includes Fairfax , Arlington and Loudoun counties , along with the cities of Alexandria and Fairfax .
First Tee integrates golf with its life skills curriculum to create learning experiences that build character , self-confidence and resilience that young people carry into everything they do . The organization features a golf course program , school program , community program , national opportunities and offers college scholarships .
The success stories are numerous . First Tee – GWDC alum Marcus Byrd plays professionally on the Advocates Professional Golf Association Tour and has been ambassador spreading First Tee ’ s message . First Tee – GWDC has had plenty of impact in Virginia as well .
Josephine Nguyen began her First Tee journey at Fort Belvoir Golf Course when she was just 8 years old . Her father is an avid golfer and noticed that Josephine — who goes by Joey — had expressed some interest in the game . He had heard about First Tee
LEFT : First Tee coach John Garner leads a class at Langston GC . RIGHT : Participants in the Marilyn Praisner Women ’ s Golf Cup , an annual pro-am to support the girls ’ program at First Tee - GWDC . vsga . org J ULY / A UGUST 2024 | V IRGINIA G OLFER
27