Evan Dunn & George Green
"The First Tee Scholars" Class of 2018/2019
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Evan Dunn and George Green have been selected as two of only 90 students nationwide to enter The First Tee Scholars Program. This is a distinction awarded to junior golfers of The First Tee who excel in academics, leadership, character development, and chapter & community involvement. Since 2003, more than $7 million in college scholarships have been awarded to teen participants of The First Tee.
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As an 18-year-old senior at Abingdon High School, I have a 3.8 GPA, and have been a team member of two VHSL Golf State Championship teams. Upon graduation, I plan to play golf for the King University Tornadoes while studying business with a focus on marketing.
For the past four years I have been a member of The First Tee. It has had a major impact on my life. From the lessons on perseverance that taught me to keep going, to planning for my future using goal ladders.
As a golfer, everyone will have ups and downs, with days of shanks and miss hits. Then, after pushing and struggling, everything will start to click. You’ll feel as if you could play any course or compete with anyone. The same is true for life.
I was humbled when one of my teammates inducted me into the National Honor Society. He wrote a congratulatory letter, saying: "Life is a lot like golf. Sometimes you will hit an amazing shot but get a bad break. Other times you will hit a terrible shot and get a great break." Life throws obstacles, but with perseverance and planning you will come out on top in the end.
I am honored to be one of 90 scholars in the nation because of what The First Tee has meant to me. From progressing through each level to mentoring younger students, I love having the opportunity to be a role model for future generations. It’s an example that no matter where you come from, even if it’s a secluded area on the line between Virginia and Tennessee, you can be recognized nationally for your accomplishments through perseverance and planning.
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My father grew up next to a golf course, and he and my grandfather played golf together every weekend.
My dad began playing golf with me when I was around the age of ten, but my grandfather was never well enough to play with us. After he passed away, the tradition of father-son weekend golf outings took on special significance, and we have been keeping the tradition alive ever since.
My favorite thing about golf is spending time with my father and my brother. The laughs we share when both good and bad shots are made provide some of the most enjoyable moments that I have experienced. Listening to my father recount stories of golf adventures with his own father makes me grateful that the game of golf has been passed on to me.
My coach has taught many valuable skills on and off the course. While the golf skills are invaluable to me during the course of play, it is the leadership skills and the instilling of values such as giving back to my community that have impacted me the most. As a result of Coach Adam's inspiration, I have volunteered with our local food bank and homeless shelter, as well as weekly at our local hospital assisting patients, visitors, and team members.
The self-management skills that I have learned at the First Tee are also invaluable to me as I have been taught to set reasonable goals and follow them through to completion. This has been useful to me throughout my high school years and will be of even greater use during my college career. I am appreciative of all that I have learned through The First Tee.
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PLAYer Fundamentals: Hold
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Everyone has a different way to hold the club, just as we all have different fingerprints. There are a few things in common amongst great players, though. They all place their dominant hand lowest on the club. Their hands are always close together. And their thumbs are somewhere on the top part of the grip, not wrapped around (as in baseball style).
For some juniors, baseball style may be best until their hands grow. As they get older, transition them to a more traditional approach for best results.
There are six basic ways to hold the club. A "strong grip" helps close the club face, while a "weak grip" tends to open it. The "overlap" grip is good for people with big hands, "interlock" for medium sized-hands, and "baseball" style for small hands.
Try them all and see which fits you best!
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PLAYer Yardage Book: Responsibility
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In most sports, the players try to break the rules and get away with it. Golf is different. The player is the ultimate rules official, and bears a big responsibility to be honest with him/herself, and other players. If you think about it, players who break the rules aren't even playing golf! Without the rule book, the game doesn't exist, so there is no point in cheating... just be honest!
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The First Tee of Tri-Cities has nine active Ace students, most of whom volunteer as student-coaches in order to mentor younger participants. This relationship is unique and provides future superstars with someone to look up to as they progress through The First Tee.
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2019 USGA Major Rule Changes
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New Rule: Rule 5.6 encourages prompt pace of play by recommending that:
Players should recognize that their pace of play affects others and they should play promptly throughout the round (such as by preparing in advance for each stroke and moving promptly between strokes and in going to the next tee), A player should make a stroke in no more than 40 seconds (and usually in less time) after the player is able to play without interference or distraction, and Committees should adopt a Pace of Play Policy (rather than only say they may do so).
In addition, Rule 6.4 expressly allows playing out of turn in match play by agreement, and for stroke play, affirmatively allows and encourages players to play out of turn in a safe and responsible way to save time or for convenience (also known as “ready golf”).
Reasons for Change: By giving players affirmative guidance, support and encouragement on prompt play, these Rule changes help in:
Setting expectations for both beginners and experienced players on what types of behavior are considered prompt play, including the maximum amount of time it should normally take to make a stroke, and encouraging players to play faster by confirming that it is proper to play out of turn in stroke play when it is safe and responsible to do so (that is, to play “ready golf”).
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