Background & Mission
Established in 2003, First Tee – Greater Charlotte is a 501(c)3 serving kids and teens, ages 5-18, from all walks of life. We utilize on-course, in-school, and community programs to teach the game of golf and its inherent values to young people within the Greater Charlotte area.
We serve more than 2,000 young people annually at eight different facilities in the Greater Charlotte area. We also partner with more than 200 local elementary schools to bring the game of golf and core values to more than 120,000 students during the school day.
Through our partnership with Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation we opened our Learning Center that is adjacent to the Dr. Charles L. Sifford Golf Course at Revolution Park in April 2009, with renovations in 2016, and our Learning Center at Pineville opened in April 2021.
Our mission is to impact the lives of young people by providing educational programs that build character, instill life-enhancing values, and promote healthy choices through the game of golf.
We support our mission through three tiers:
On-Course Programs: There are 8 sites across the Greater Charlotte area where we offer after school and summer programming.
School Program: We integrate our program into PE classes at over 200 elementary schools in the Greater Charlotte area. We provide the training, equipment, and lesson plans.
Community Program: Brings the curriculum to other youth serving facilities. The youth leaders of these organizations are given the equipment and trained to teach the curriculum.