The Overland Park Golf Club is proud to be a programming facility of The First Tee of Greater Kansas City, a program that impacts the lives of young people by providing learning facilities and educational programs that promote character development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf.

In 1989, the late Al Hoffman, a dedicated golfer and local businessman, founded the Junior Golf Foundation of Greater Kansas City (JGFGKC). His goal was to teach children the lessons of life through the game of golf.

In 1995, champion golfer, Tom Watson, was named Chairman of the Advisory Board of the JGFGKC, and two years later, The First Tee program was created. That organization used Kansas City's own Junior Golf Foundation as a chapter model.

In late 2003, Hoffman and Sandy Queen, manager of golf course operations, began working together to determine the best approach for introducing young golfers in the Overland Park junior programs to The First Tee Life Skills Experience™.

A year after the OP City Council approved a rate structure for First Tee participants, The First Tee curriculum, TARGET, was introduced into the lesson plans for children in the instructional programs and Par 3 League at the Overland Park golf course.

In 2006, the full curriculum of The First Tee Life Skills Experience™ (self-management, interpersonal communications, goal setting, mentoring and effective conflict resolution) became a part of the junior lessons and Par 3 League. This curriculum will be incorporated into the 9 and 18-Hole junior leagues in the future.

The Life Skills Experience sets The First Tee apart from other junior golf programs and youth initiatives, and ultimately strives to instill in participants The First Tee Nine Core Values™: confidence, courtesy, honesty, integrity, judgment, perseverance, respect, responsibility and sportsmanship.

An extremely important segment of this program is The First Tee Scholars Program which provides qualified participants in The First Tee a gateway to a successful future through higher education. More than 25 colleges and universities throughout the United States have partnered with The First Tee, offering a range of merit-based and general scholarships that provide assistance with the expense of attending a college or university:

Annual Junior Golf Day
June 14, 2008
Membership solicitation for The Junior Golf Foundation
of Greater Kansas City The First Tee

Funds collected are used to support junior golf programs at the Overland Park Golf Club.