“Team First Tee,” is a benefit for the most dedicated and proficient participants in the program.
Participating on Team First Tee will give First Tee — Greater Austin participants additional opportunities
beyond our traditional class offerings but require a higher level of commitment from the youth and their families.

In order to be a member of Team First Tee participants MUST:

  • Be actively enrolled in the program and attending classes
  • Be at least Birdie level
  • Volunteer at least three hours a month at FTGA & A/B Honor Roll or the equivalent
  • Participate in the Youth Forums
  • Have participated in either the Foundation Tour; PGA Junior League; Southern Texas PGA Little Linksters, Junior Links or Junior Tour; or City of Austin Junior Events
  • Serve as a role model to younger/newer participants in the program

As a member of Team First Tee, participants will have the following opportunities:
(note that throughout the year opportunities may be added, changed or eliminated)

  • Represent FTGA and the HPGC in PGA Junior League matches around the area
  • Participate in Member Play-days, where members of various clubs will host FTGA youth for the day at their golf course for a round of golf
  • Be eligible for the Billy Clagett Scholarship, which provides funding for FTGA youth to play the Southern Texas PGA Summer Junior Golf Tour events
  • Serve as a “Program Ambassador” at various FTGA fundraising events: 9 Core Values Luncheon, More Than a Game, and possibly others.
  • Attend the Valero Texas Open.
  • Serve as a “Standard Bearer” at the World Golf Championship Dell Technologies Match Play event at Austin C.C. (PGA TOUR requires Standard Bearers to be at least 13 years old at the time of the event)

Since many of these opportunities will have more youth interested in participating than spots available,
we have created a POINTS SYSTEM, to help with the qualifying processes
and at times may host QUALIFYING ROUNDS as part of the process.

The points list will be updated once per month.

How to Earn Points: 

  • Demonstrating Proficiency
    • 5 points for ACE Level
    • 3 points for Eagle Level
    • 2 points for Birdie Level
  • Volunteering
    • 1 point for every volunteer hour per month at FTGA (no maximum, but a minimum of 3 per month)
  • Work Hard in the Classroom
    • 1 point for submitting A/B Honor Roll (each semester)
  • Attending Class for Birdie, Eagle or Ace Level
    • 1 point for each class attended (minimum 75% attendance so therefore if you only attend half of your classes you will not receive any points in this category)
  • Taking Part in Other FTGA programs
    • 3 points for each Youth Forum attended
    • 3 points for each Foundation Tour Event
    • 3 points for volunteering at a Foundation Tour Event
    • 3 points for completing at least 50% of FTGA Birdie or Eagle/Ace Scorecard
    • 3 points for attending Special First Tee Events

To better understand the points system, below is a breakdown or explanation of each category:

Proficiency:

  • Based on your level of proficiency you will receive points, if you change levels during the course of the year you will receive the additional points.

Volunteering:

  • Opportunities:
    • Mentor FT classes (Mon-Sat)
    • Mentor No School Golf School and various camps
    • Foundation Tour “Caddie”
    • Projects in office
    • Projects on the golf course

NOTE: TIME CARDS for volunteer hours are located in THE GOLF SHOP. Students are expected to fill out their time cards accurately with the number of volunteer hours, as well as dates and times.  There is also a SIGN-IN SHEET for volunteers for all Saturday Classes and activities that have volunteers come out.  You may opt to use the SIGN-IN SHEETS over the TIME CARDS to keep track of volunteer hours.  Remember, it’s your RESPONSIBILITY to sign-in and record your hours.

Work Hard in the Classroom:

  • Team First Tee members need to be a part of our AB Honor Roll – a national and local program that celebrates the efforts of our students in the class.
  • At the end of each semester, please submit a copy of your report card to Derrick Elstob prior to the stated deadline. Reminders are sent out in monthly newsletters and mentioned in class. You must submit prior to the chapter deadline to receive points.

Class Attendance:

  • To be eligible for these points a student must attend 75% of the class he/she is enrolled in NOT including excused absences. All absences are considered UNEXCUSED until a parent informs us that it should be excused (an email or call is fine).
  • Signing in and out: Parents please make sure to sign-in your son/daughter on the sign-in sheet before every class and please double-check to make sure the previous classes are correct. The sign-in sheets are used for the attendance.

Take part in other FTGA programs:

  • Youth Forums: Youth Forums exist to help FTGA participants qualify for more FT National Opportunities by creating a dedicated time to review and work on national applications. We also use the Youth Forums as a platform to bring guest speakers to the campus to share relevant topics. The Forums will be hosted on the last Wednesday of each month from 6:00pm – 7:00pm in the office at FTGA. Pizza will be provided. RSVP is mandatory: [email protected].
  • Foundation Tour: The Foundation Tour exists to provide an opportunity for young players (in elementary school and middle school) to experience tournament golf. Each season features three events and a point system. To learn more visit the Foundation Tour page
  • Birdie or Eagle/Ace Scorecard: Starting Fall of 2017; Birdie, Eagle and Ace student have an opportunity to earn extra points towards Team First Tee by completing at least 50% of their respective “scorecards.” The scorecards were designed to encourage the students to challenge themselves in the areas of; golf skills, healthy habits, and class participation. Parents can also help their child earn points with a couple activities too.