The mission of The First Tee of Coastal Carolinas is to impact, influence, and inspire the lives of young people by providing learning facilities and educational programs that build character, instill life-enhancing values, and promote healthy choices through the game of golf and other enduring character-building activities. All of our golf and youth-development programs focus on The First Tee Nine Core Values™ – Honesty, Integrity, Sportsmanship, Respect, Responsibility, Courtesy, Confidence, Judgment and Perseverance – using golf and golf etiquette as the context.
In 2018, The Carol S. Petrea Youth Golf Foundation – parent organization of three chapters of The First Tee spanning the coastal Carolinas region – launched a new initiative, “Drive the Future,” to enable sustained growth as it seeks to expand access for its programs and services for young people. As part of this initiative, we integrated our three Branded Program Affiliates (BPAs) – The First Tee of Eastern North Carolina, The First Tee of Brunswick County, and The First Tee of the Grand Strand – into a single, unified organization, The First Tee of Coastal Carolinas. The change was completed on Jan. 1, 2018. The new organization, The First Tee of Coastal Carolinas, retains all existing The First Tee programs and services while designing ways to expand the scope and quality of those programs going forward. The operating territory for The First Tee of Coastal Carolinas includes six coastal North and South Carolina counties of Brunswick, Horry, Georgetown, Craven, Pamlico, and Carteret with a total primary school population of roughly 90,000 youth.
We are primarily a volunteer organization serving 6 counties in Coastal North and South Carolinas. Our 5 full time and 2 part time employees direct the efforts of over 350 volunteers working with over 38,000 participants in our National School Program, School Day Program, and After School Programs. Always The First Tee Nine Core ValuesTM are stressed using golf as the medium.
The First Tee of Coastal Carolinas impacts over 40,000 youth via our various golf and youth development programs:
The First Tee National School Program is active in 54 elementary schools in The First Tee of Coastal Carolinas territory, impacting more than 30,000 students in 2018. NSP is taught by Physical Education teachers as a part of their curriculum with equipment, guidelines and online training provided by The First Tee.
Under the banner of Life Skills Experience Certifying Programs, First Tee of Coastal Carolinas offers over 20 After School & Saturday programs to provide access to golf, fun and the First Tee Nine Core Values™ for all interested youth, ages 4 to 17 years of age. After School & Saturday programs are now offered at 16 locations with roughly 500 youth attending the Spring and Fall sessions across the territory.
The First Tee of Coastal Carolinas also conducts two DRIVE programs (Develop Rewarding, Inspiring Values for Everyone) for Special Needs participants: Special Olympics and Buddy Tee in Brunswick County and a golf program in partnership with the Grand Strand Miracle Leagues.