About Pebble Beach, World Golf Hall of Fame member Johnny Miller once referred to the breathtaking Monterey, California sweet spot as being nestled along the “greatest meeting of land and water in the world.”

Experiencing Pebble Beach is, indeed, a bucket list dream for virtually every individual who has ever touched a golf club. Those who have had the opportunity to test their mettle on the world-renowned design will carry with them indelible memories of a lifetime.

Opportunity, though, can be a finicky thing.

While seemingly always within reach for some, chances for others feel, at best, more like rare commodities. With regard to golf, some are fortunate to get into the swing of things so early in life that a start date precedes memory. Others spend the bulk of their early lives striving for the means to experience the joys of a game that feels out of reach.

They would like an opportunity.

For 25 years now, First Tee has been the gateway to that opportunity for millions of kids and teenagers in all 50 states and beyond. For many, it became an open door they would never have otherwise had. And what they pick up along the way with First Tee outside the ropes defines the term “career best.”

Born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Skye Skenandore grew up on the Oneida Reservation as a Native American. She took up golf at the age of eight. In 2020, Skye and her family moved to Aiken, S.C.

“The reason we moved was because I want to become a professional on the LPGA,” said Skye. “Wisconsin weather doesn’t exactly provide the best opportunities for that.”

After seeing the good experience her brother had with First Tee, Skye signed on.

“The funding aspect of First Tee helped us a lot,” Skye said. “We don’t really have a lot of money, so they help with things I need, like balls and tees.”

According to Skye, First Tee helped her come to understand herself better and become comfortable as her own person.

“I think that may be something a lot of other kids have a hard time with,” said Skye. “But now, thanks largely to First Tee, I do feel comfortable in my own skin.”

After finishing an impressive fifth in the 2021 South Carolina Women’s Open, she won this year’s event.

“I’d have to say that my best quality, which has improved even more since joining First Tee, is my mentality,” Skye said. “I’m now better able to turn a bad shot into the potential for something positive. First Tee really helped me with that, and it really carries over into my day-to-day life. They made golf fun. We all know it can feel like work sometimes, especially when you aren’t playing great. But I put my heart into it and First Tee really made it fun for me. That has really helped me off the course as much as on the course.”

As far as her game goes, Skye admits to having struggled in the past.

“I put in so much, but never seemed to get the scores I wanted. We also put a lot of money into tournaments, and I wasn’t able to get the return out of it we hoped for. That was hard. But I’ve learned to be patient and understanding. I may not win this one, but could very well go on to win an even bigger one. I just keep pushing forward with that mentality of believing that everything happens for a reason.”

In January of this year, Skye fulfilled a long-time wish, getting her first tattoo. She now has nine, including a quote on her left arm: “Everything happens for a reason.”

“I can’t say I was always decent at golf, but I worked really hard at it,” Skye said. “I definitely get frustrated at times, but I’ve learned that if I’m just patient with it and keep going, it will all work out in the end.”

First Tee is a multi-faceted opportunity which shapes and strengthens the focus, determination and, ultimately, resolve of impressionable young folks.

A development organization for youth, First Tee uses the game of golf as a way to foster integrity, teach life skills and build strength of character. Given the natural parallels between golf and everyday life, combining the two was, well, a lay-up.

To date, First Tee has enhanced millions of young lives through its 150 chapters at 1,400 golf course locations in the U.S., Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, Mexico and Morocco.

First Tee chapters combine golf with a life-skills curriculum designed to develop strength, self-confidence and perseverance, without regard to circumstance. Using good judgement, mitigating strife in life, building sound self-identities and pursuing goals are among First Tee’s many focuses.

First Tee, which actively tries to reach underserved and underrepresented families and communities, remains steadfast in its commitment to using golf to grow life.

In 2021, nearly half of all participants had little, if any, golf experience prior to joining First Tee.

When Marcus Leonard was eight years old, he and his family moved to the East Lake community in Atlanta, where he got introduced to golf, the beginning of his passion for the sport.

“The Charlie Yates Golf Course, which was right across the street from where we lived, held Metro Atlanta First Tee classes there,” Marcus said. “My dad thought it would be a great way to get me introduced to the game, so he signed me up. I have loved it ever since.”

Marcus, a high school senior today, admits he wasn’t keen to wake up at 8 a.m. Saturday mornings for lessons at first, but quickly fell in love with it and has been an active part of it ever since.

“So many of these life skills are ones I likely would not have ever gotten had it not been for the game of golf and First Tee,” Marcus said. “It’s so much more than just about hitting the next shot. It’s about learning to meet people and create opportunities for myself.”

When Marcus’ grandmother passed in October 2020, a difficult stretch ensued.

“It was in the middle of COVID-19 and the middle of the school year,” he said. “It was just a really weird time and really rough on me.”

One of Marcus’ fondest memories of his grandmother revolved around her passion for reading. As a way to honor her life, he partnered with an organization, called Books for Africa.

“We started a book drive at my school, which ended up receiving over 11,000 books to the foundation,” said Marcus. “Every book was sent overseas to countries and, specifically, students in need. That was last year, in the first book drive. So, I would really love to do it again.”

“Just being around First Tee and all its participants and volunteers has really, really helped my son blossom in a lot of different ways,” said Marcus’ father, Marcus Sr. “I see how he really loves this type of environment and flourishes in so many ways. I can’t take credit for that. It was First Tee. I’ve watched him grow from a little boy into an amazing young man. It’s all because of the village that helped raise and teach him. First Tee has been, and is, a huge part of our village.”

In addition to the 80 percent of chapters which provide opportunities specifically for females, more than 75 percent of chapters work with young people facing intellectual or developmental disabilities. Upwards of 35 percent place a focus on kids with physical disabilities.

In addition to the First Tee’s one-on-one work with kids, there are also many other programs that allow the organization to positively impact even more lives, from the First Tee College Scholarship Program, national opportunities and other school and community programs.

For 19 years, the PURE Insurance Championship Impacting First Tee at Pebble Beach has been – and continues to be – one of several national opportunities to motivate participants as they evolve through the program and seek higher education opportunities.

When 15-year-old Seth Damsgard was born, his dad was deeply into golf. As a little kid in Maple Grove, Minnesota, Seth recalls his dad taking him to the driving range. At about the age of five, he began using a set of three clubs to play on a short course with holes stretching anywhere from 50-90 yards.

“When I was seven, I began playing in the Minnesota Junior PGA tournaments,” Seth said. “That’s when I really got hooked on tournament golf. It made me want to get better, so I began taking lessons and practicing every day in the summers.”

Joining – and, steadfastly growing with – First Tee ensued.

“One of the biggest things I learned from First Tee was a tip I got from my coach,” Seth said. ”I was having a rough stretch in my golf game. As an example, in one tournament, I hit this shot that looked like it was going to be perfect. But, it bounced straight left and ended up in a terrible spot.”

His coach encouraged him to not worry about the bad bounces, but to just always give it his best shot.

“That’s a piece of advice I never forgot, and I always bring it with me through every golf game,” Seth said. “Now, every time I get a bad bounce, I know now that it’s out of my control and there’s nothing I can do about it. I’ve also applied that lesson to my everyday life. It has really helped me realize that I just need to put myself out there and do the best I can. It has really helped me do that and try my best without worrying about the result - on or off the course.”

When he began playing competitively around town years earlier, Seth realized there were a lot of distances on other courses he was unsure of. When he couldn’t afford a range finder, he and his dad took to satellite images of the various area courses as a way for him to actually make his own yardage books. What began as a last resort became the first choice for a number of fellow competitors, as well as professionals.

“After using those in my tournaments, I realized how valuable they were, so I started my own little business, called ‘Golf by Numbers’,” Seth said. It started with about 12 courses in and around Minnesota and Iowa.”

When he did a bit more digging, Seth happened upon an outlet, called ‘Precise Yardage Books’. After his initial FaceTime call with the founder of the company, Seth was offered a job on the spot to produce a large portion of the company’s yardage books.

“Over the past five years, he and I have been business partners and I’ve produced hundreds of yardage books for courses all over the country,” Seth said. “It has been really great.”

Seth is also an accomplished, self-taught jazz piano player.

“In a perfect world, I’d love to be playing golf professionally on the PGA TOUR,” he said. “I understand it takes a lot of work and is really hard to do. But, if I could, that’s the one thing I’d like to do more than anything.”

Something in the business world is Seth’s “Plan B.” He and his sister also have a voiceover business which, in the past year, has taken off. This endeavor comes on the heels of the successful yardage book business.

Seth also invests time with the Civil Air Patrol, an auxiliary of the Air Force. He is active with their cadet programs, which places most of its focus on leadership.

“The structure I’ve gained from that, as well as First Tee, have absolutely been huge factors in establishing myself as the person I am today,” said Seth. “First Tee really helped me build a base to become a person with good character. The attributes First Tee teaches were all built into me and have really helped me throughout life.”

In the past few years, Seth has also placed a focus on national opportunities with First Tee, which has helped him with structure and leadership skills, as well as a pretty cool place to tee it up.

“I’m super excited to have the opportunity to play Pebble Beach for the PURE Insurance Championship Impacting First Tee,” Seth said. “I have watched the course on TV so many times. Multiple friends have been here before, so I have heard so much about it and am so excited about the whole thing. I’ve never been to California before, so I can’t imagine a better way to be introduced to the state.”

The PURE Insurance Championship Impacting First Tee teams First Tee participants with PGA TOUR Champions players and amateurs as a form of mentoring for the teens.

The 78 First Tee members, aged 14 to 18, were determined by national judges who considered the personal growth and life skills learned through First Tee’s programs, as well as playing ability. Of those 78 in 2022, 49 percent were female, while 49 percent were ethnically diverse. One hundred percent of the kids, though, remain deeply devoted to character refinement and personal growth as they rise above the mundane and stand out, beginning in their local community – beginning in their local community.

In this year’s PURE Insurance Championship Impacting First Tee, 54 First Tee chapters represented the young plyers vying for the Pro-Junior Male and Female titles. The final round featured the top 23 First Tee players who scored best through the first two rounds.

High school senior Theresa Shaw began life in Mexico and spent many of her youngest years at Mexico’s Bajamar Golf Resort, where her father was a PGA Head Pro.

“It’s Mexico’s Pebble Beach,” the now 17-year-old California resident laughed.

The result of a job change, Theresa’s family moved to the United States in 2014. When they arrived in California, she was still unable to speak English. Despite starting eighth grade three months late, not only did Theresa master the language quickly, but she also went on to earn the distinctions of Valedictorian and class president.

“At my school in Mexico, called Leaders in Mexico, we were taught to work hard and succeed,” she said. “When I came to the States, I kept those same principles and, even though it wasn’t easy, I worked and worked. Not being able to speak English was difficult, but I learned. I was raised to be a leader.”

Beginning next fall, Theresa will realize a dream by going to college and playing golf at Biola University in La Mirada, California.

“I started First Tee when I was 11 years old,” Theresa said. “In fact, I still remember my first round because of the wonderful volunteer I had teaching me. But First Tee also taught me so much about giving back to my community. I learned a lot from that and am so grateful. Volunteering feels good, but it feels great to help others.”

Donations of everything from clothing to toys and clubs was always top-of-mind with Theresa’s Head Pro father. When they moved to California, Theresa and her family began collecting to donate most anything of use back to the underprivileged in Mexico.

Theresa and her family became involved with Doors of Faith, an orphanage organization near their hometown in Mexico.

“I’ve been fortunate to be able to play golf all my life,” said Theresa, who is at the Ace level in the First Tee program (highest level of achievement). “That started in Mexico. But, when we moved to California, it was different. There were a lot of people and there was a lot of competition. I joined First Tee Sacramento. I loved it from the beginning, because it really gave me a sense of community and taught me so many skills.”

First Tee also taught Theresa the importance of honesty, to have good judgement and be respectful.

“There is a time and place for everything, but honesty and respect for others are at the core of it all,” she said. “Even if someone doesn’t have much money, they deserve to be helped out. They deserve an opportunity to be able to work hard, be successful.”

Above all else, honesty is the biggest takeaway from what Theresa has learned at First Tee. In her mind, honesty says everything about a person’s character and ability to thrive with First Tee’s other core values.

“You cannot have courtesy or integrity without honesty,” Theresa said. “That is the foundation for everything, and First Tee really helped me understand and appreciate that.”

“First Tee gets so excited for us when we qualify for these tournaments or achieve anything good in life,” she said. “They supported me and believed in me through all the years.”

“First Tee is a fantastic program,” said Theresa’s father, Pat Shaw. “Plus, there are scholarships, which my other daughter got. It’s just incredible how well they treat everyone. The volunteers are such good leaders, too. I just cannot say enough about all the wonderful things First Tee have given my daughters.”

Seventy-eight unique individuals began the PURE Insurance Championship Impacting First Tee by way of having proven themselves worthy and reputable. Every one of them is on their own journey through a life bettered by way of First Tee experiences.

While each will go and grow into their own future, common ground for a week of their young lives is golf at Pebble Beach and the PURE Insurance Championship Impacting First Tee.

“It just doesn’t even feel real to me to be here at a place like Pebble Beach,” added Marcus Leonard. “I was telling everyone that pictures just don’t do this place justice. You have to see it in person. Looking out at the mountains and water….it seems like more of a picture backdrop than anything real. But it is real, and it’s all real for me because of golf and First Tee.”

Golf, a cherished, time-tested sport joined by First Tee. It’s a lifelong union that helps transform the heart, spirit and mind of youth into cherished men and women. One may even go as far as calling it the greatest meeting of work and play in the world.

And, at Pebble Beach each year with – and, because of – First Tee juniors, the views are pretty remarkable, too, much like the prospects for many beautiful days ahead.