Golf shouldn’t just be for elite rich kids — this growing South Sound organization has been upending that perception for a decade
Drew Halili had played golf since he was three years old, so he had an established skillset by the time he was in middle school. But the Port Orchard native and South Kitsap High grad isn’t sure if he’d be on a golf scholarship at Western Washington University right now if it weren’t for First Tee, a non-profit organization that aims to teach kids life lessons through the game of golf.
“I didn’t get introduced to golf through First Tee, but First Tee introduced me to the social networking side of golf,” Halili said. “I was able to gain confidence to email coaches, to actually organize my life so I could play golf, be in school and get prepared for college.
“To make connections — it gave me the confidence to meet a new person, shake their hand and say, ‘Hi, my name is Drew Halili.’”
Ryan Kallenberger, who serves as the Executive Director of First Tee South Puget Sound (the local chapter of the national nonprofit organization), has seen this type of positive impact time and time again. First Tee South Puget Sound, which is based at Meadow Park Golf Course in Tacoma, recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary.
Just how much has it grown since its inception on June 11, 2011? The first year’s budget was $120,000. Now, the organization’s average annual budget is around $850,000. In the summer of fall of 2011, 94 kids participated in programs in the Tacoma area. This year, First Tee South Puget Sound is serving 2,700 kids. In 2011, they were operating out of two public golf courses. Now, 14 courses, and a presence in Tacoma Public Schools, as well.
That’s quite a bit of progress from the days when Kallenberger was volunteering six months of his time to try to get the organization off the ground.
“I did my research and knew First Tee was a powerhouse in some ways,” Kallenberger said. “I knew there was great potential.”
He had to sell his wife on the idea, first.
“She maybe didn’t see that potential so much when I was volunteering,” Kallenberger said, laughing.
First Tee teaches the fundamentals of golf to kids of all ages. For little kids who maybe have never picked up a club before, instructors use oversized clubs and balls to make the experience fun and less intimidating. The organization teaches core values like integrity, respect and perseverance through golf.
“The core value that really stuck with me is perseverance,” Halili said. “That really prepared me for school. Everyone talked about it, how it’s really tough to balance your time (being a college student-athlete). Freshman year came around and boy, it was quite the learning curve to to organize your time, schedule it out, get your practice in, go to school, learn to live on your own, eat, all that stuff. Perseverance really helped me through.”
Let’s be honest: Often, golf has a reputation for being a stuffy, elitist sport that caters to rich, often white kids, whose families can afford expensive country club memberships. That’s disheartening to people like Kallenberger, who sees golf as a sport that people can play for their entire lifetimes with their friends. He wants golf to be for everybody.
In that sense, the leaders of First Tee South Puget Sound have put their money where their mouth is. They’re actively fighting that perception, with in-school programs at various schools throughout Tacoma, some in under-served communities where kids wouldn’t otherwise pick up a golf club, maybe ever. For kids who are unable to afford the programs, partial and even some full scholarships are available.
“Every education thing we talk about is talking diversity,” Kallenberger said. “With ethnicity, we’re very proud of where we are. Our mission is to impact kids that don’t normally have the opportunity.”
They’ve partnered with organizations like the Boys and Girls club and the Tacoma Rescue Mission to offer golf instruction to kids from all different walks of life. They offer in-school programs in 83 schools during P.E. classes, including Giaudrone and First Creek on Tacoma’s east side, and Lincoln High School, serving a racially diverse population.
“We really want to partner with the communities that are under-served,” Kallenberger said. “For me, that’s my passion. It’d be great provide some of these high schools with more golfers.”
After every session, First Tee sends a survey to the parents.
“The No. 1 response we get is once (their kids) got on the golf course, they want to come back,” Kallenberger said. “People who are just picking up the club for the first time, they want to continue.”
Halili, who is Asian-American, said he’s seen a shift in golf’s diversity over the course of his lifetime.
“People see this game as very stuffy,” he said. “Sometimes, it holds up to that stereotype. But the game is changing. We need to change the game in order to keep it going. … I see the diversity in the game and see that it’s growing. It’s important to show that this isn’t a stuffy sport anymore. This is a sport that’s social — you make connections, have fun with your friends. … It warms my heart to see this diversity growing.”
So what’s next? First Tee South Puget Sound is working to make a brick-and-mortar building on the site of Meadow Park Golf Course a reality within the next five years. The vision includes several computers, places for kids to study or relax with friends before enjoying some golf. Picture something like a Boys & Girls club, but a bit smaller.
“Just kind of a community room for kids to have a safe environment and then play golf,” Kallenberger said.
And the organization, which is serving kids in Pierce, Kitsap, Thurston and Cowlitz counties, is hoping to continue spreading.
“We have more kids that we can serve,” Kallenberger said. “We’re just diving into where.”
This story was originally published August 12, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Golf shouldn’t just be for elite rich kids — this growing South Sound organization has been upending that perception for a decade."
