Jeff Keyser (shown with club president Kathy) grew up in northern Michigan, earned a business degree at Hope College, worked for Herman Miller, and became aware of the First Tee Program. He became the first Holland area director. First Tee has just hired its second employee to support the growing program. In 2024, they had 365 students participating in the program. 150 of these were given full scholarships. 37% were female and 40% were students of color.

 

First Tee collaborates with several other youth organizations in the area to offer special outings for their students. The game of golf (including mini-golf and other creative forms like soccer golf, target golf, cornhole golf) influences students toward the following goals.

First Tee employs junior coaches, who are 14-17 years old. They must create a resume, go through a job interview, and receive financial counseling if hired. In addition to the approximately 10 junior coaches, there are 65 adult volunteers in the program. Each class is 6 weeks in length and costs $90. Globally, there are 150 chapters of First Tee, mostly in North America.