July 2024 - First Tee

Alumna Srishti Dhurandhar reflects on how Leadership Summit has impacted her journey

First Tee – Metropolitan New York alumna and 2022 First Tee Scholar, Srishti Dhurandhar, has been involved with First Tee for more than 10 years. She made the most out of her experience by completing the First Tee Leadership Series, attending Leadership Summit and going on to work at her local PGA TOUR Superstore.

During her junior year of high school, Srishti completed five Leadership Series sessions, where she learned about personal values, leadership skills and exploring career fields. “The series planted little seeds of these ideas and then Montana really grew those ideas,” she said.

Following the Series, she was accepted to Leadership Summit in partnership with PGA TOUR Superstore in Montana. Participants at the annual event are encouraged to try new things like horseback riding and whitewater rafting. They learn about their own strengths and weaknesses, how to work as part of a team and how to build authentic relationships.

“Summit was a life changing week for me. I came back feeling like a whole new person,” she said. Srishti spent the week reflecting on and learning about herself.

The week allowed her to get comfortable being uncomfortable, with Srishti saying that she did things that she would normally never do thanks to the event’s focus on positive risk taking,. “The environment was so safe and supportive that I felt comfortable enough to do that,” she said.

Session 1 of the 2024 Leadership Summit will be from August 5 – 9 and session 2 will be from August 12 – 16 at West Creek Ranch in Montana.

Leadership Summit provided Srishti with the opportunity to talk to PGA TOUR Superstore executives and eventually go on to work as a club fitter at the store in East Hanover, New Jersey. There she learned a lot about customer service, clubs, shafts and how to use statistics to get people the clubs that fit them best.

Now as an alumna, Srishti jumped at the chance to go back to Montana as a chaperone.

“It was a full circle moment for me, standing in the same place that those participants were in and feeling the same emotions that they were going through,” she said. “Now becoming a mentor to those participants was emotional for me also.”

Not only did chaperoning provide Srishti with a valuable experience as a mentor but it opened doors for networking opportunities that made her aware of the First Tee headquarters internship that she is completing now.

“Working here has shown me how it starts at the root. You can tell that people are here because they want to be here, and they want to help the participants,” she said.

Both the Leadership Series and Leadership Summit culminate with final presentations in which Srishti talked about her desire to work in the golf industry and combine her passion of technology and data with her passion for sports.

“Going from the speeches I gave at the end of Series and Summit, to now living out those aspirations in this internship has been so rewarding and I absolutely love what I am doing,” she said.

Srishti will complete her internship in August and begin her junior year at New York University, majoring in business and technology management and member of the collegiate golf team.

Congrats Senior Scholars

Three longtime First Tee-Indiana participants were awarded scholarships to support them in their future endeavors. Funds for these scholarships are part of a grant from the PGA TOUR Superstore promoting teen retention in our programs. Congratulations Ben, Nick and Sam! Below are their reflections on their time with First Tee.

Ben is from our Northwest location and will be attending Purdue University with a double major in Profession Flight Technology and Aviation Management.

“One thing that was stressed frequently to me throughout my time with First Tee was not the mechanics of the game, but the mental side of the game. First Tee taught me perseverance, sportsmanship, and confidence, all of which play a heavy role in my character today, both inside and outside of the golf world.”

Nick is also from our Northwest location and will be attending Trine University to study Golf Management, possibly play golf for their team, and also continue to grow my personal company with their tools and resources on campus.

“I would tell someone who is new to golf that First Tee is a great place to start. It’s an amazing overview of the game of golf and the people are very well rounded in the game of golf. Learning quickly from these people is obtainable at any age level and it really is the perfect start. I started my golf journey with a few of the First Tee high school sessions and it helped me quickly learn the basics of the game and I’ll always be thankful for that.”

Sam is from our Indianapolis location and will be attending Purdue for Computer Engineering.

“First Tee coaches have taught me patience and respect to people who have trouble fitting in with their environment. Golf is a great sport but it is slow and you need to learn to wait with others and participate as a team. Being uplifting is important even if it was a bad play, you should not be negative in any scenario even if they are not your friend or teammate. Communicate well with others, don’t be quiet, approach people and ask them questions or try to start conversation because its a lot of walking around the green and you will be spending a lot of time with them, might as well try to make friends.”

Roger Lundy Memorial State Championship

It was a beautiful afternoon at Eagle Creek Golf Club as First Tee middle school and high school participants teed up for the third annual State Championship, this year in honor of beloved First Tee Coach Roger Lundy. “His passion for golf and for kids was one that exceeded all expectations. Everything he did he always put kids first. He always wanted the best for all. We know that continuing his ideas and his traditions would make him proud,” said Ali Beam, Senior Director of Programming. “He was cheering all of you on during your good shots and your not so great shots. Keep your head held high. Each day on the golf course is a new day. Just learn for each day and reflect on the positive.”

Fifty-six players hits the links on Eagle Creek’s Pine Course with the High Schoolers playing 18 holes and the middle schoolers 9 holes. Each player received a First Tee-Indiana umbrella, water bottle and bracelet. Indianapolis’ Demi Bolin led the way with a hot three-under par on her first nine and an 18 hole score of 73. Bolin, a soon to be high school senior, is a nine year participant of First Tee. She is committed to play golf at University of Mary in North Dakota.

Levi Simms from our Northwest location edged out Sullivan Mammolenti from Michiana and Brody Haaf from South Central by a stroke with a three-over 39. The low girls round for middle school competitors came from Laila Abriani from our East Central location with a 44.

See a list of full results below and enjoy an album of photos from the day. PHOTOS

Roger Lundy Memorial State Championship

High School Boys Results			High School Girls Results
Player Name	Location	Score	Player Name	Location	Score
Michael Broida	Indy	81	Demi Bolin	Indy	73
Jackson Payne	East Central	82	Celia Florkowski	Michiana	78
Blayze Chapman	Indy	83	Aleah Miller	East Central	90
Edison Armbrester	Indy	86	Lauren Lacey	Richmond	90
Levi Gustine	Michiana	86	Alivia Carlisle	Indy	91
Owen McNally	Michiana	94	Ashlynn Sessler	Michiana	98
Nicholas Gruber	Michiana	95	Izzy Kornmeyer	Indy	100
Dallas Byerly	South Central	97	Maureen Smith	Indy	106
Tatsu Gravender	Michiana	100	Zoe King	Indy	111
Dane Bolin	Indy	106	Alice Stockwell	Michiana	125
Ethan Reynolds	Columbus	121
Connor Jarrett	Indy	131
Liam Lawyer	Indy	133

Middle School Boys Results			Middle School Girls Results
Player Name	Location	Score	Player Name	Location	Score
Levi Simms	Northwest	39	Laila Abriani	East Central	44
Sullivan Mammolenti	Michiana	40*	Camley Whitfield	Orange County	48
Brody Haaff	South Central	40	London Smith	Indy	51
Gavin Acord	Terre Haute	41	Paige Lautenslager	Fort Wayne	55
Charles Bowman	Michiana	46	Carli Kaminskis	Michiana	63
Rowan Evrard	Richmond	46	Aubree Amback	Indy	65
Finn Massoth	East Central	46	Jaidyn Virvani	Indy	67
Gavyn Guthrie	Richmond	47	Camille Powell	Indy	68
Aiden Coates	Michiana	48
Evan Gann	Indy	51
Rockford Brovont	Indy	52
Aiden Chapin	Indy	53
Nolan Jahn	South Central	53
Hudson Brown	Richmond	55
Logan Hall	Indy	63
Lincoln Nesbit	Indy	64
Donevan Cunningham	Indy	65
Elmer Kelly	Indy	65
Jamison Linn	Indy	67
Charlie Webber	Indy	69
Emmett Weintraut	Indy	68
* Won in Scorecard Playoff

High School Team Results
Indy HS #2			East Central – Richmond – South Central – Columbus
Player Name	Total Team Score		Player Name	Total Team Score
Blayze Chapman	255		Jackson Payne	262
Dane Bolin			Aleah Miller
Alivia Carlisle			Lauren Lacey
Michael Broida			Dallas Byerly
			Ethan Reynolds

Indy HS #1			Michiana HS #1
Player Name	Total Team Score		Player Name	Total Team Score
Edison Armbrester	265		Levi Gustine	275
Maureen Smith			Owen McNally
Demi Bolin			Tatsu Gravender
			Nicholas Gruber

Michiana HS #2			Indy HS #3
Player Name	Total Team Score		Player Name	Total Team Score
Alice Stockwell	301		Izzy Kornmeyer	342
Ashlynn Sessler			Connor Jarrett
Celia Florkowski			Liam Lawyer
			Zoe King

Middle School Team Results
South Central – Orange County			Richmond – Northwest
Player Name	Total Team Score		Player Name	Total Team Score
Brody Haaff	132*		Rowan Evrard	132
Nolan Jahn			Gavyn Guthrie
Camley Whitfield			Hudson Brown
Laila Abriani			Levi Simms
*Won by 4th score
Michiana			Fort Wayne – Terre Haute – East Central
Player Name	Total Team Score		Player Name	Total Team Score
Aiden Coates	134		Paige Lautenslager	142
Sullivan Mammolenti			Finn Massoth
Carli Kaminskis			Gavin Acord
Charles Bowman

Indy MS #4			Indy MS #1
Player Name	Total Team Score		Player Name	Total Team Score
Emmett Weintraut	173		Evan Gann	183
Camille Powell			Aubree Amback
Rockford Brovont			Jamison Linn
Aiden Chapin

Indy MS #2			Indy MS #3
Player Name	Total Team Score		Player Name	Total Team Score
Donevan Cunningham	185		Logan Hall	192
London Smith			Jaidyn Virvani
Charlie Webber			Elmer Kelly
			Lincoln Nesbit

Alum Reising Returns to Game Changers

First Tee-Indiana alumni Sam Reising had the unique opportunity to return to the Game Changers Academy, a First Tee National Opportunity, recently held in Minneapolis, Minn. He joined current participant Jacob Tellez from our Michiana location. During this event teens will participate in important conversations embracing topics of self-awareness, inclusivity, and community building. Reising has the honor of attending this opportunity as a participant himself. Here are his reflections of returning in a new role:

Becoming a leader within the First Tee program has been the cornerstone of who I am as a leader, instilling values that transcend the golf course. As a participant, I learned the importance of inclusive leadership, which emphasizes promoting all voices and ensuring everyone has a seat at the table. This approach taught me that effective leadership isn’t about being the loudest in the room but about being the person who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. Inclusive leadership involves listening actively, valuing diverse perspectives, and promoting an environment where everyone feels respected and heard.

Transitioning from a participant to a chaperone, I continued to apply these leadership skills. My role shifted from receiving guidance to providing it, ensuring the participants felt supported and valued. I strived to create an inclusive atmosphere where every participant, regardless of background or skill level, felt they belonged and could contribute meaningfully. I feel like being only one year removed as a participant I truly was able to connect and relate to what the participants needed to have the best and most meaningful experience.

Continuing in the First Tee program is crucial because it reinforces these leadership principles and allows for ongoing personal growth. The program’s focus on character development, resilience, and integrity is invaluable. It provides a platform for me to continuously practice and refine leadership skills, ensuring they are applied not only within the program but in everyday life. By staying involved, I aim to help support the next generation of leaders, giving my touch on some of the things I gained through the program. Showing them that true leadership is about empathy, inclusivity, and guiding others with integrity and compassion is the way to create a positive work, learning, and even social environment!

-Sam Reising, Richmond

Mackenzie Mack talks about the lasting impact of First Tee

“I wouldn’t be where I am now without First Tee.”

For Mackenzie Mack, the impact of First Tee goes beyond the golf course. The skills, access and values she learned play an integral part in her life to this day.

With her mom looking for opportunities to help her gain college scholarships, Mackenzie began taking golf lessons. Little did she know she’d end up working in the industry.

The golf course became a safe place where she would hang out, create a family atmosphere and build a community while growing up, as an alumna of former chapter First Tee – Southern Nevada.

First Tee gave Mackenzie her first job, the opportunity to play different courses and her current network and friends, crediting a lot of her achievements and her impact to the program.

“Had I not had such a good program director and such a good program, I would not have felt inclined to pass it forward,” she said. “All of that came from my experience and time with First Tee.”

Through her current role as the director of DE&I and engagement at Topgolf Callaway Brands, Mackenzie follows her passions by working with employees – an aspect of her job that comes naturally after years coaching with First Tee, she said – as well as the larger golf community.

Topgolf Callaway Brand has become a major supporter of First Tee, and when talking about the relationship between her employer and First Tee she said, “I am happy and lucky to be at a company that is just as passionate about the program as I am.”

Now as a First Tee alumna representing her company as a Trustee of First Tee, she provides unique insights based on her own experience.

Inclusivity is baked into First Tee’s DNA, and First Tee and Topgolf Callaway Brands are partnering on the Game Changers Academy this July. The weeklong event brings together 72 First Tee teens from across the country to facilitate important conversations around issues of identity, diversity and equity. Mackenzie sat on the opening night panel with NFL legends John Randle and Eric Enron, Dr. Shelby Johnson of Mayo Clinic and Ebony Taylor or AWS.

“The world is changing,” said Mackenzie. “We are a leader in changing with it, especially in the golf industry, and as the global leader in modern golf we strive to make golf more welcoming and providing options so that everyone can enjoy the game in the way they choose to enjoy it.”

She included that there is much more to golf than the competition. This sport gives individuals valuable networking opportunities, physical and health benefits, and can help you navigate career paths in the future.

Mackenzie will be a panelist at the Game Changers Academy. Learn more about the event.