It’s a beautiful day in Myrtle Beach! It’s the last week of 2011 and the golf instructors at Classic Swing Golf School wish you a Happy and Prosperous New Year!
The future is bright and Classic Swing will continue to help lower the handicaps of weekend players, fine tune the skills of advanced players, and give beginners the fundamentals necessary for a future of enjoyable golf. Speaking of the future, please read these excerpts from today’s Sun News:
"The future for The First Tee of Myrtle Beach has never looked more promising, and it includes a new name, broader reach and new leadership.The local chapter of the youth development organization will merge Sunday with The First Tee of Brunswick County, which will take over operational control of its southern neighbor.
First Tee of Brunswick County has become a model of success for the 200-chapter First Tee organization in less than six years of existence. Carol and Rusty Petrea founded the First Tee of Brunswick County in February 2006. Both that chapter and the newly named First Tee of The Grand Strand – a title that reflects the expanded targeting of youth in both Horry and Georgetown counties – will be under the umbrella of the nonprofit Carol S. Petrea Youth Golf Foundation based in Ocean Isle Beach, N.C..
The First Tee is a youth development program created in 1997 that teaches life skills as well as golf skills, stressing nine core values.
First Tee Myrtle Beach chairman of the board Robert Harper thinks the Petreas are great leaders who will do right in assisting his chapter as it aligns and merges with Brunswick County.
Myrtle Beach program director Ryan Hart, who has largely been responsible for any gains made by the chapter in the past couple years. Hart said the Myrtle Beach chapter has about 30 volunteers, though most are students at The Golf Academy of America’s local campus and only about a dozen are long-term mentors.The Brunswick County chapter has approximately 400 volunteers.Harper said about 700 volunteers will be needed by 2017 if the Grand Strand chapter is to achieve its stated goal of reaching at least 25,000 kids per year by then.
In addition to after-school, weekend and summer sessions, the Myrtle Beach and Brunswick County chapters each teach The First Tee curriculum in physical education classes in 10 public schools through The First Tee National Schools Program.
Hart will be focusing on volunteer recruitment, with an emphasis on the Strand’s large retired population. “We want to see locals serving locals,” Hart said.Martin’s PGA Tour Superstore in North Myrtle Beach has donated office space for The First Tee of The Grand Strand’s headquarters, and the stores have committed to further help the organization.
Read more about this amazing project in later posts. Again, Ted and the gang at Classic Swing give you all sincere hopes for the New Year. The "Winter Special" runs through February. Every Monday and Thursday from 8:20am to 12:30pm, three day school sessions are $199. and a one day session is $75. Gift certificates are also available.
Visit www.classicswing.com for more information on golf instruction, courses and the school.