 My student, Jayda Dookie, returned from her trip to San Francisco and her response is exactly why I chose to affiliate with First Tee: The John Deere event was very engaging and I learned a lot about the working world. Overall it was an eye opening experience, and I quite enjoyed it. The program had guest speakers, mostly women, to show us different skills and give us a little background on the different paths life might take you on. There were many great discussions on how to market ourselves for both college and the future. Of course, business isn't the only thing we discussed, we volunteered at the Pomeroy Center, which is aimed at rehabilitation and education for people with disabilities. We spent a couple hours teaching people how to play golf there and I was really proud that I was able to make a difference, even if it was small, in some of their lives. I will cherish the experience. Beyond that, I went sightseeing at Muir Woods and took a boat tour around the Bay. The area was much different than Florida and it was pretty cold in San Francisco. We played at The Olympic Club, home of the 2012 U.S Open and 2021 Women's Open. I loved the course, and I wish I could play there everyday. I am so grateful to the First Tee and John Deere for the opportunity, and I hope many more young women get to experience it next year. It really is life changing!  I am looking forward to seeing what lies ahead for Jayda and I am hopeful that more of my students will be selected for these opportunities in the future.
On Friday, several of my junior golf students participated in the local qualifier of Drive, Chip and Putt which is a free competition for junior golfers that is held each year. The finalists will be invited to compete in Augusta, GA to kick off Masters Week.
This particular qualifer was hosted by The Falls Club of the Palm Beaches. Tee times started at 8 am and continued through the afternoon. The overall top 3 point earners in each age group advanced to the Sub-regionals in August and the top 3 point earners in each skill received ribbons. 
When I first learned that so many were planning to compete I was incredibly humbled. I can only hope that my students are developing the confidence to step out of the comfort zone of class and play on some level and when they do I feel extremely blessed that I get to do what I do.
I was told that the golfers and their families enjoyed the experience and they were happy to stay after their tee time to cheer on one another. One Mom even commented that the event was a great way to give the golfers a taste of competition on a small stage. She is absolutely correct. Each of the golfers is deserving of congratulations for just trying.
Abriella Morrison Girls 7-9
Blake Mayer Boys 7-9 Luke Sterijevski Boys 7-9 Xander Trivlis Boys 7-9 Amelia Mayer Girls 10-11 Marina Sterijevksi Girls 10-11 Mateo Muñiz Boys 10-11 Sofia Mayer Girls 12-13 Vivian Sterijevski Girls 12-13 Blake Leon Boys 14-15 
Congratulations to Abriella Morrison, Amelia Mayer and Mateo Muñiz who will be moving on to the Sub-Regionals where they will compete against other golfers that advanced in their local qualifiers. I am very proud of them!!
Teaching in the Golf Learning Center at Commons Park is a complete joy for me so when I was asked to share a few tips that the Village of Royal Palm Beach could post on social media I was happy to help. The following are some simple tips that every golfer should keep in mind when they are practicing: Slow Take-a-way! Stay Grounded! Load the Wrist! If you have any questions feel free to contact me at 708-584-0887 or submit a request online. I look forward to hearing from you.
 Golf is a fun sport to play but it is also a business with many different career opportunities. I always encourage my students to think creatively about golf holes when I ask them to design a hole. I have received some rather unique and carefully thought out ideas over the last few years. When I was advised that a local golf course designer was willing to share his knowledge with my students I was more than happy to make that happen. Unfortunately, when the day came I had a personal conflict arise but my Junior Programming Manager, Mayda Muñiz was able to coordinate the event. Our guest speaker, Mr. Swanson was a big hit with the golfers: My kids loved the class and Shay is now on a mission to convince us to design at least a putting green in our backyard. (He’s even organizing a garage sale so he can start saving money for it.) -Jennifer Atkins, parent Annie said “Mr. Matt was reaaally good at drawing and I like that he gets to create things from his mind and make them become real. Also I didn’t know golf courses were so expensive!” Shay said “I really liked learning how putting greens were made. I didn’t know all that went into it and how many layers there were and why there needs to be that many layers to make it work.” “The golf course design class was super helpful by teaching me to understand the landscape shape no matter where you are. The fact that there are so many steps to a golf course is crazy! I didn’t know that underneath golf courses there were drainage with sand and pipes. The class was AWESOME!” -Emma Gard “Thank you so much for taking your time to show us all what you do for your job. You really encouraged me to do things you love.” - Olivia Gard  It was certainly a very productive and inspiring day!
The articles that follow are great examples of perseverance and vision:
Over the weekend Justin Thomas won the PGA Championship in dramatic fashion but he had to go through Will Zalatoris first. Zalatoris may have come in second but he persevered through some bad shots and continues to look toward the future with hope.
When you love golf, you play golf! What do you do when your health does not allow to do so? You create a vision that allows you to enjoy golf and persevere.
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AuthorGlen Beaver 
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