Headline: Former MGA Executive Committee Member John Mineck Continues to Make Huge Impact on Boston Youth Through Support of The First Tee

More than 1,000 Boston-area youth participated in on-course programming in 2016 thanks to the support of the John D. Mineck Foundation.

For Immediate Release: May 22, 2017

Norton, MA — While the recent warm weather has signaled the start of golf season here in the Bay State, it’s not the only thing that has locals buzzing about golf.

In mid-April, The First Tee of Massachusetts program kicked off its season with the start of its junior golf program at its facilities in Norton, East Longmeadow, Cape Cod and Boston.

While The First Tee has 1,200 programming locations nationwide and served more than 5.3 million young people in 2016, The First Tee of Massachusetts has focused specifically on the local youth within its service area here in the Bay State.

Through its programs, The First Tee of Massachusetts chapter continues the mission 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.

The 2017 season marks the third year that The First Tee of Massachusetts has provided programs at the William J. Devine Golf Course at Franklin Park, a partnership created by the support of the John D. Mineck Foundation – a foundation named after the late John D. Mineck, a former MGA Executive Committee member and founder of Hingham’s Boston Golf Club.

This one green-grass program has reached nearly 1,000 youth from the city of Boston and provides participants with a chance to not only enjoy the great game of golf but to also learn key life skills such as honesty, integrity, sportsmanship and respect, just four of the nine core values that The First Tee program strives to teach through golf.

The program is further reinforced through The First Tee National School Program, which brings The First Tee programming into elementary school physical education classes. The First Tee of Massachusetts currently runs such programs in 50+ schools across the state.

Although the education of these positive values connected with the game of golf extends through Massachusetts, the Franklin Park site allows The First Tee program to connect with youth inside the city of Boston, a location where golf would otherwise likely not be an option as a recreational sport.

It’s through the work of the John D. Mineck Foundation, whose mission mirrors the namesake’s desire for helping others, that The First Tee of Massachusetts program at Franklin Park has found so much success.

“The Mineck Foundation has been a crucial part of helping us expand the reach of The First Tee program into the inner city of Boston” said Joe McCabe, executive director of The First Tee of Massachusetts . “In his years serving on the MGA Executive Committee, John knew the impact that golf can have on an individual’s development of key life skills and we are thankful that the foundation set up in his honor can still give back to game he cherished.”

Due to the commitment that the Mineck Foundation has taken with The First Tee of Massachusetts program, new and exciting opportunities have resulted that otherwise would not have been available.

The support of the Mineck Foundation has allowed The First Tee of Massachusetts to enroll their coaches in the national Coach Program put on by the organization, according to McCabe. It has also enabled the TFTMA’s ability to form relationships with many community centers in Boston in an effort to further extend its impact on city youth.

In its second year of a 4-year grant commitment by the Mineck Foundation to The First Tee of Massachusetts, coaches have been able to attend coaching programs put on by the national organization that focus on “empowering participants through decision-making and exploring options that helps foster positive relationships between coaches and young people, inspiring the golfers of tomorrow to look to the future, set goals and unlock their potential,” according to The First Tee website.

So far, 10 coaches from the Massachusetts chapter have achieved “Level-1” certification or higher through The First Tee national organization while at least 15-20 more volunteers will become certified as assistant coaches through online training in 2017. 

Additionally, because of the Mineck Foundation’s commitment, The First Tee of Massachusetts has been able to expand its work with the city of Boston’s many community centers and increase the number of boys and girls who have picked up golf clubs for the first time. As a result, it has not only led to the city’s youth learning the valuable lessons that the game teaches, but it has also created a high retention number, indicating that those who’ve picked up clubs for the first time are staying with the program.

The First Tee of Massachusetts has been able to work with the Boston Center for Youth and Families (BCYF) Cleveland, Ohrenberger, Hennigan, and Shelburne facilities as a result of the Mineck Foundation’s grant while it has also opened up doors with the Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center (Dorchester) and the Boston Public Schools.

It is those organizations that The First Tee of Massachusetts will continue to build on throughout the 2017 season and beyond.

The Massachusetts Golf Association and The First Tee of Massachusetts thank the John D. Mineck Foundation for their continued generosity in helping introducing golf to the Bay State’s youth and helping spread the mission set forth by the national TFT program.

For more information on The First Tee of Massachusetts, visit: http://www.thefirstteemass.org/.