Jaycees hope to bring many area youths to The First Tee

To say that Greg Choate has been bitten by the golf bug is an understatement.

Not only does he have a bad case of golf fever, he's downright infectious.

And he's not only wanting to spread the fever to your children, he's looking at a 50-mile radius of Cape, reaching as far north as Ste. Genevieve and south to Poplar Bluff.

And his plan is for The First Tee to spread the epidemic.

Less than three years ago, Choate, now 40, had never played the game of golf. His son Jared, then 15, took up the sport and naturally got his hunting and fishing buddy, Dad, involved.

It's been all downhill since for Choate, who is the vice president of community development with the Cape Girardeau Jaycees

"I was watching the Masters last year, and I saw a commercial for First Tee and thought, 'This would be great.'

"I presented it to the Jaycees, and they liked it, and it's just grown from there."

The wheels are in motion for the booming organization to open a chapter in Cape Girardeau.

The World Golf Foundation created the First Tee in 1997, and in less than nine years the organization has transformed its clout, in golf terms, from persimmon to titanium.

The financial power comes from the likes of the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, Champions Tour, USGA, Titleist, Nike and Wal-Mart.

Local organizations, like the Cape Girardeau Jaycees, also are throwing their fund-raising powers behind the effort.

The First Tee's initial goal was to impart golf, hoping the positive influences of the game would help disadvantaged children of the inner-city.

It's vision, goals and reach have evolved.

Along with planting the game of golf in areas where it never would have sprouted naturally, The First Tee has incorporated values and character development into its soul. With a home office in St. Augustine, Fla., it now reaches out to youths of all races in approximately 300 chapters in the United States. It stresses nine core values that are at the heart of golf -- honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, courtesy and judgment.

The organization has adopted ranks, much like the Boy Scouts, that participants move up as they grow in citizenship and golf ability.

"Behavior, communication skills and grades have all improved with the children dramatically across the board," Choate said.

Kansas City and Branson have chapters in Missouri, and there are more than a few cartloads of local golfers that want a third chapter in Cape Girardeau.

The First Tee has detailed steps to follow before it awards a chapter. It wants financial planning in place, course availability, practice times set, detailed budgets, manpower and everything else associated with a business.

"We have everything working for us," Choate said of the Jaycees. "We have a master business plan we're drawing up."

The Cape Youth Development Program was formed several months back, which will serve as an early version of The First Tee. It will perform many of the functions of a chapter, with a plan of eventually evolving into a chapter for the national program.

Chris and Karen Schneider, who run an independent golf instruction service at Arena Golf, will be instructors for the program.

"Chris and Karen were both eager to join our efforts from the get-go," Choate said. "They will be our main teaching staff. It's wonderful working with Chris and Karen. Talk about a godsend."

The immediate plan calls for a "soft start" this fall, with after-school instruction at Central Middle School.

Choate hopes to one day incorporate golf instruction and the values into the physical education curriculum, which The First Tee has done in schools across the nation.

"We'll talk to the school board eventually, and to the city council," Choate said.

The First Tee program provides all equipment and green fees for youths, who can range from age 6 to 21.

"No child can be turned down," Choate said. "If want to be part of the program, you just show up."

There are a few more benefits and perks to The First Tee than just free golf and swing instruction.

Twenty-five colleges and universities have partnered with The First Tee, offering a range of merit-based scholarships. General scholarships, donated by individuals and corporations, are awarded annually.

Choate said the local efforts are being modeled after a chapter in Blytheville, Ark., which has 2,500 youths enrolled for 2007.

One of those members, from Caruthersville, Mo., was awarded a full four-year college scholarship.

Choate looks to eventually have at least the number involved in Blytheville and have it 11 months out of the year.

The Jaycees are accepting donations and plan to raise money through golf tournaments. Club donations are also welcome.

"It's a large effort, but it's worth it," Choate said. "The kids, it doesn't matter where they come from, they're worth it. They are our future. They're the ones that are going to be running Cape later. Any thing we can do to help a life, so be it."

Jeff Breer is a sportswriter for the Southeast Missourian. His golf column appears every other Friday.