The SaddleBrooke volunteers
Bob Edelblut
The PGA and the LPGA are sponsors of the First Tee organization and the First Tee of Tucson is its regional affiliate. On Sunday, October 23 the MPMGA hosted at the MountainView Golf Course the First Tee of Tucson annual golf day. Tim Koch has masterminded this event for the past six or seven years and admits that they just keep getting better and better. This year the MPMGA, the MPWGA and the Lady Niners provided over 30 volunteers who enthusiastically made this a special day for all the young players. Tim’s only advice to his volunteers was to have fun and enjoy the experience. Many thanks to you, Tim, for another job well done!
Vicky Gonzalez, program coordinator for First Tee, told all her young players to be at MountainView by 1:00 p.m. so they could be checked in, introduced to their hosts, receive their gifts and instructions and have ample time to warm up. Let me tell you—some were early, some were very early, some were late and a few were very late but all were at their assigned tee for the 2:00 p.m. shotgun start. It was quite a sight. As in years past the course was designed to accommodate the skill level of every player. The younger players, usually beginners, could play holes that were 100 or 150 yards long. The older, experienced players could play holes from some of the regular tees. All the kids knew the game and performed well. One volunteer stated that his guest was a senior in high school, on the ladies’ golf team and had been to every First Tee event held at MountainView. How wonderful can it get? Keeping score was not required but special chipping and sand trap competitions were part of the event and all players had the opportunity to win a special prize.
At the end of the day pizza was served on the patio at the Bistro, pictures of everyone were taken over and over again and Tim once again thanked all who had worked so hard to make this event a success. We offer our special thanks to Robson Communities and Mike Jahaske for their continued generous support of First Tee, to Jim Handrigan for his donation of golf balls, to Bill George for all the wonderful pictures he took and to all the golf course staff who helped to make the day run smoothly. The day ended with Bob Eder, president of the MPMGA, presenting to the First Tee a donation of $650. Thanks again to all who made this day super.