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Barrow previews landmark facility at Houston Oaks
Joe Louis Barrow, CEO of The First Tee ®, previewed the facilities at The First Tee of Greater Houston’s campus at Houston Oaks and commended the club’s owners for their landmark vision.
Houston Oaks is the first private club in the worldwide 200-plus facility network to open its doors to The First Tee program and construct a facility on its property.
“At the home office we are very excited about the dedication to this landmark project shown by the ownership of Houston Oaks and the boundless energy The First Tee of Greater Houston and Houston Golf Association have put behind their effort to continue to expand,” said Louis.
The First Tee of Greater Houston now reaches more than 60,000 youngsters annually, the largest number of any chapter in the world. In addition to the youngsters who participate at the green grass facilities, The First Tee of Greater Houston sets the pace in the National School Program. This program brings The First Tee instruction into physical education classes for K-5th grade in eight school districts and more than 120 schools.
“The owners of Houston Oaks – Marci and Steve Alvis, Kim and Chuck Watson, Terri and John Havens – are making a huge investment in the program,” said Steve Timms, president/CEO of Houston Golf Association. “They have put together a group to help get this started and are still seeking others to be a part of this wonderful project.”
The addition of the Houston Oaks campus now gives The First Tee of Greater Houston two state-of-the-art facilities. In April of 2004 the Houston Golf Association was awarded the original charter for its facility at Redstone Golf Club, site of the Shell Houston Open PGA TOUR event. With the addition of the Houston Oaks campus, the chapter was re-branded The First Tee of Greater Houston in December, 2009.
Both Houston Oaks and Redstone offer trend-setting facilities youngsters between the ages of 7-18 who participate in The First Tee program.
Facilities at the Houston Oaks campus include: An 8-acre practice area consisting of a driving range, practice putting greens, puttable target greens, multiple teeing areas, bunkers and a 5-hole loop. Youngsters also have access to a 9-hole executive course. Class rooms are adjacent to the practice tee.
Redstone’s facilities include: The Dick Harmon Learning Center, an air-conditioned 6,500-square foot multi-use building, a 6,000-square foot practice putting green, and a three-hole short course designed by renowned architect Rees Jones.
“We have an eight-month waiting list at Redstone,” said Dianne Overstreet, program coordinator for The First Tee of Greater Houston. “We were elated when the leadership at Houston Oaks elected to step up and add another campus to our chapter.”
Chapters of The First Tee strive to provide a place where youngsters not only learn to play golf, but also learn invaluable life skills. Research has proven that program participants learn and now use life skills such as goal setting, interpersonal communication, self-management and resistance skills in their daily lives.
