Congratulations to Rye Tifft on his selection as this month’s Participant of the Month! Rye has been a member of the Greater Charleston chapter of The First Tee for more than four years, since his family moved to Mount Pleasant from Maine. Before arriving in Charleston, he was already an accomplished member of The First Tee of Maine at the Birdie level. Since moving to Charleston, he completed certifications at the Birdie and Eagle level, and is now an Ace participant.
Rye is one of our most active participants as he is also a volunteer each season with PLAYer and Advanced PLAYer classes at RiverTowne as well as a member of the Teen Advisory Council.
Rye has had some amazing experiences as a junior golfer, including playing in the Beth Daniel Junior Azalea Golf Tournament at the Country Club of Charleston, the St. Augustine Amateur through a First Tee exemption at St. John’s Golf Club in Florida, and helping the United States team defeat Scotland in the inaugural Watson Cup this fall at The Ocean Course on Kiawah Island.
One of his most accomplished experiences to date was his selection into the Congaree Global Golf Initiative this summer. He spent a full week living at Congaree Golf Club, learning about life as a college golfer, perfecting his game, and making friendships and mentorships that will last a lifetime.
“From the first moment we entered the gates to Congaree, I knew this was going to be something special. The entrance itself was what I’d image Augusta to be like, trees overhanging and all. Everything was top of the line from our rooms to the food, and, of course, the golf course and practice facility itself. In the first hour of arriving for CGGI, it had already exceeded way beyond my expectations.
The overall experience really gave me a boost of confidence in myself, my studies, and my game. Being able to work with experienced and world-renowned teachers like Mike Harmon, Jason Baile, and Bruce Davidson, as well as working with other experts in their field whether it be fitness, medicine, mental game, education, even table manners made me feel equipped for not only college, but the rest of my future whether that be in golf or something else that I enjoy.
I really enjoyed meeting everyone who made the Congaree Global Golf Initiative such an incredible experience for all of the junior golfers like me who participated. I felt like I was able to step out of my shell a little and make life long connections with not only the kids that we spent the week with, but the coaches, mentors, and ambassadors that were at CGGI and were there to help us and tell us their story.”
Rye says that his favorite core value is perseverance because it helps him not only in golf, but also in his studies. He will graduate from Oceanside Collegiate Academy Charter School in Mount Pleasant this spring and looks forward to playing golf in college next year. Keep up the great work, Rye!
Kharynton was paired with fellow South Carolinian, Jay Haas, who has 33 professional victories. The two played their first round at Poppy Hills on Friday and finished at -4. Saturday’s round was at Pebble Beach, and after two days, the duo were at -1. Unfortunately, they did not make the cut, but their played fantastic golf, and The First Tee of Greater Charleston is so proud to have Kharynton as our first ever representative to this national event.
Kharynton had this to say about the event: “This experience was absolutely nothing like I possibly could have imagined – it was better! From the first day I arrived, I felt so confident and ready for the week, seeing familiar faces from other national opportunities through The First Tee like the Life Skills & Leadership Academy and Perfect Sense Challenge as well as adults like Mr. Dennis Kirwin from Pure Insurance and Mr. Matt Ginella from Golf Channel. I met so many new friends this week and am so grateful to Mr. Jay Haas and his family for their kindness. Mr. Haas even helped me on the range after the first day at Poppy Hills and taught me a lot. It was so cool to even take part in special events like the Train concert on Friday night and meet awesome people like Tom Watson and Alfonso Ribeiro! Thank you to Pure Insurance, PGA TOUR Champions, Pebble Beach Golf Resort, all the sponsors, and each member of the committee who selected me for this opportunity this week.”
To see even more photos from Kharynton’s week, please visit our 
For the last three summers, The First Tee of Greater Charleston has participated as its own team in the Charleston region, competing against teams from area public and private golf courses. Our team is open to participants at the Advanced PLAYer, Par, and Birdie levels, who are between the ages of 8 and 13. This summer, we had so much demand for the PGA Jr League that we created two teams who each competed in matches at fantastic courses like the Country Club of Charleston and Kiawah’s River Course. Participants earned flags for winning their 3-hole matches as well as showing teamwork, respect, and responsibility.
Thank you to all of families who sent in photos from this season’s matches and practices!
To end the season, PGA Jr League players had the chance to attend a Riverdogs game with their families earlier this month. All players were even down on the field, high-fiving players before the game!
If your child is at the Advanced PLAYer, Par, or Birdie level and interested in joining PGA Jr League, be on the lookout for registration information in the spring of 2019! 
The Young Ambassadors Council, under the project leadership of Tyson Marlow and Brittain Cherry, set a goal of upping their past donation numbers from 30 backpacks to 200. When that goal was reached, they increased the goal again and collected enough money to pack 250 backpacks this year. With 50 of the backpacks going to Core Program participants, we were left with 200 in need of good homes. Last year, we began partnering with Charleston Promise Neighborhood to provide after school programming at one of their sites, Mary Ford Elementary. We even transported some of their students to Patriots Point this spring to take part in our PLAYer Core Program this spring. On Friday night, we took part in Mary Ford Elementary’s Back to School Bash where we handed out all 200 of the backpacks to families with pre-school through fifth grade-age children!
We wish all of our participants a successful and fun back to school season! For our next Participant Spotlight, we would like to share all of your “first day of school” photos, so please email photos of your children to Program Director, Meghan Taylor: 
SarahAnne takes part in the Core Golf & Life Skills Program at Patriots Point Golf Links with Coach Wayne. Last month, she successfully certified from the Par level to the Birdie level through our assessment process. 
(fourth from left, top row)
SarahAnne exemplifies each of the Nine Core Values, and her favorite is judgment. “I have to use my own judgment to make decisions on the golf course. When I first started, my coach helped choose what clubs I would use, but now I use judgment on what club to use by myself.”
(far right, bottom row)
She says that she most enjoys golf because, “I like to challenge myself. Golf is a good sport for that. Golf also helps me meet new people!” In addition to her participation in Core Golf & Life Skills Programs through The First Tee, SarahAnne also attends our LPGA-USGA Girls Nights Out at Patriots Point and is also a member of The First Tee’s PGA Junior League team.
(second from right, top row)
Off the golf course, SarahAnne also enjoys basketball, reading, beach volleyball, and spending time with her dog. If you see SarahAnne this month, please make sure you also wish her a happy birthday – she turned 13 on May 25th! 
She is 13 years old and lives in Moncks Corner. She is home schooled and in seventh grade. In addition to playing golf, she enjoys playing guitar, soccer, drawing, singing, reading, and going to see her favorite bands live! She even hopes to do something with music when she gets older.
She is a student of Coach Wayne at Patriots Point Golf Links in Mount Pleasant and says that perseverance is her favorite Core Value. “There are many times it would be easier to just quit, but making myself keep trying gets me through,” says Lilian. She has persevered all the way to the Birdie level, many times even being the only girl in her Par or Birdie level class!
Lilian also attends all of our LPGA-USGA Girls Golf events at Patriots Point Golf Links, and she loves that at The First Tee she gets “to play golf and meet new people!”
Congratulations on your selection as Participant of the Month, Lilian! If you have a child who would like to enroll in our summer programs, 
The Conover Family lives in Summerville and started their classes with The First Tee at The Club at Pine Forest. For the past year, they have been with Coach Meghan and Coach Charlie at Shadowmoss Plantation in West Ashley. The Conovers were also recipients of our Pick Up Stix Program where participants who reach the Advanced PLAYer level are given sets of golf clubs to use as long as they are respectful with them as members of The First Tee Program!
Thank you to the Conover Family for being members of The First Tee program! If you would like to nominate a child for next month’s Participant Spotlight, please 
Dad, Kris, began teaching The First Tee curriculum in his physical education classes at Burns Elementary through The First Tee National School Program in 2014.A year later, the Wilbers’ son, Jackson started participating in Core Golf & Life Skills programming at Patriots Point Golf Links. Since then, Jackson has fallen in love with golf and has assessed through the PLAYer and Advanced PLAYer levels, now participating at the Par level. In addition to classes with The First Tee, he also participates on the PGA Junior League team through Joint Base Charleston. Jackson’s coach at Patriots Point, Wayne Nance, says, “Jackson has always been a joy to have in any of my First Tee classes. I call him Action Jackson, but Captain Laid-Back fits him better, because he is so low-key. He enjoys all we do, and goes with the flow, always following instruction. He is very competitive, but in a very positive and fun way. He shows sportsmanship, courtesy, and respect while winning or losing!”
Even their whole family is now getting involved in golf! Mom, Shawna, and younger sister, Reese, participated with Kris and Jackson in last year’s Winter Scavenger Hunt (and won!!) and SNAG Some Supplies, where participants took part in a SNAG baseball game and received school supplies to start the year. They also attended in this year’s Family Golf Day at Daniel Island Club (
In addition to joining The First Tee’s Program Committee this year, Kris is now the physical education teacher at the new Mevers School of Excellence in Goose Creek and will be bringing students from his new school to next month’s National School Program Champions Cup.
Thank you to the Wilber family for all of their support of The First Tee! Congratulations on being our “family” of the month!
