“First Tee is a youth developmental organization that uses the game of golf as a way to teach life skills like perseverance, resilience and goal setting,” said Jim Triggs, CEO of First Tee Minnesota.
First Tee is a non-profit that has been around for 25 years and has 150 chapters located all throughout the country. The goal of the non-profit is to teach children life lessons and also give underprivileged youth a chance to try playing the game of golf.
The Golf 4 All event was a chance for children to learn the game of golf, but more importantly learn lessons taught by the game. Golf is a game of patience, etiquette and rules – all character building lessons for children to learn.
“Making them a golfer is not as important as making them good people,” said Jim Triggs.
For Jim Triggs it will never get old to see children get hyped up for the sport he loves.
“I was in North Minneapolis with a kid with a Stefon Diggs t-shirt on and he had never hit a golf club before. We set up an impromptu driving range and I could not tear him away. Igniting that passion at a young age is nice to see,” said Jim Triggs.
The event also hosted a couple familiar Minnesotan athletes like Adam Thielen (Vikings WR), Kyle Rudolph (Vikings TE), and Larry Fitzgerald Jr. (Minnesota Native, Cardinals WR). The three were seen signing autographs, showing children how to swing a golf club and took part in the First Tee Clinic charity event.
“I’ve been playing the game since I was four years old, so I’m always trying to give back where I can,” said Adam Thielen. “First Tee, its impacting these kids beyond the game of golf, more importantly it teaches them the game of life.”
Larry Fitzgerald Jr. teamed up with 3M and Insight Direct USA to present donation of 25 iPads to children in the Urban Ventures, a Minneapolis-based program that serves 1800 youth and families that offer cradle to career opportunities. Larry Fitzgerald Jr. presented the gifts to Urban Ventures at the 3M science dome in the PGA tour’s fan village area.
The 3M Open’s Science Dome featured “What’s Next” innovations, children could come and interact with innovations created by 3M and its partners.
