The First Tee of Orange County 3rd Annual Pro-Am Tournament

It was a warm day August 31^st at Coto de Caza Golf & Racquet Club, but none paid much attention to the temperature as so much fun was going on at The First Tee of Orange County 2015. Both North and South courses were used on this day for a spectacular sold-out affair. You could see that all of the participants were taking part and feeling a sense of pride and satisfaction at supporting an organization where youth development programs help shape the lives of young people through golf.

The First Tee of Orange County, established in May 2013, is a youth-development organization that introduces golf and its inherent values to young people. Through their programs, the golfers help shape the lives of children and teens by reinforcing values like integrity, respect, and perseverance through the game of golf. After only 24 months, more than 3000 young lives have been impacted by TFTOC.

The organization is committed to making the game of golf and its inherent values affordable and accessible to all youth in the county, and it relies on fundraising events and private donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. The annual Pro-Am Golf Tournament is TFTOC's signature fundraising event, and it has steadily grown from its first year to its banner third year. 

Through the scramble format, the event offered amateur golfers the opportunity to experience the beautiful Coto de Caza courses alongside 44 Southern California golf professionals. The golf professionals were competing for a share of a $12,000 purse, with each professional paired with a foursome. All golfers received forecaddie services from TFTOC youth participants, allowing them to demonstrate firsthand what TFTOC has taught them.

Major events like this do not get done unless a lot of dedicated people take up the cause. The Pro-Am tournament committee consisted of tournament chairman Al Morris, ably assisted by Tim Casey, Lisa Getson Rich Mattern, Steve Plummer, Kevin Twer, Michael Uptegraff and Reni Vidovich. 

For information regarding The First Tee of Orange County, contact: Gail Krause at gail@thefirstteeoc.org or call (714) 833-8221