Meet Alexander! He joined The First Tee when he was in second grade, and is currently in the Eagle Level. Recently, Alexander has joined some of our classes as a Junior Coach, and his help and enthusiasm have been great. Read on to learn more about a great young man, our featured participant for the month of December!

 1. WHEN DID YOU START WITH THE FIRST TEE?

I started the first tee at Diablo Creek Golf Course when I was in second grade. I attended PLAYer class there with Coach Bob and Coach Jamie.

2. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CLUB IN YOUR BAG? YOUR LEAST FAVORITE CLUB?

My favorite club in my bag has to be my driver. It is my favorite club because I can hit it well, and far. It makes me feel good when I start off the hole with a great drive. My least favorite club in my bag is my putter because it is also the club I struggle with the most.

3. WHO WOULD BE YOUR DREAM FOURSOME (WHAT 4 PEOPLE WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY GOLF WITH?)

My dream foursome would be me, Jordan Spieth, Stephen Curry and last but not least Ricky Fowler.

4. WHAT IS THE BEST/FAVORITE THING YOUR COACH HAS TAUGHT YOU?

My favorite thing that my coach has taught me was how to hit my driver straighter and farther. He did not necessarily teach the whole class, he just taught me at the time. We were all just hitting clubs of our choice and I was hitting my driver. I wasn’t doing so hot, and my current Eagle coach, Coach Tom, noticed that. He told me to not take my backswing too far back; I tried it and boom! it worked.

5. WHAT WOULD YOU TELL A FRIEND WHO IS INTERESTED IN THE FIRST TEE OR GOLF IN GENERAL?

If a friend of mine was interested in golf I would encourage them to do so because it helps to develop determination and patience, at the same time your First Tee coach becomes not just a coach but a life coach and mentor as well.

6. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE GAME TO PLAY DURING CLASSES AT THE FIRST TEE?

My favorite game to play during First Tee classes is a game where you putt the ball as close to the hole as possible. I don’t know what it is called, but it is fun. You have three putts to get the ball as close to the hole as possible. The ball that gets closest to the hole without going in wins.

7. WHAT OTHER SPORTS (IF ANY) DO YOU LIKE TO PLAY?

Other sports I like to play are basketball and baseball. Baseball is my favorite sport, then golf, then basketball. I have made the intermediate gold team for baseball. I play pitcher, catcher and first base.

8. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE?

I would like to share that this past November I served at a pop-up shop called Community Napa Strong, which was founded by 5 amazing people, one of them named Stephani Stephenson, with whom I got to work. Once I got to the store I was amazed at how much stuff people donated. My mom’s friend Josie Natori, owner of the Natori Fashion Company donated about 100 robes to the store. I was tasked with hanging them up. A gentleman named Gabe (who works for AmeriCorp) and I finished doing that, and then our first fire victim named Sam walked into the store. I was happy to help her find shoes and socks, while my mom helped her out with clothing. We were offering her so much stuff that she was feeling guilty as she did not want to take too many items because she wanted the other fire victims to receive something as well. When she left all the helpers felt great because they had just helped someone. The whole time I was either feeling great or excited. I felt great because I knew that I just helped someone out. I felt excited because I wanted to help another person. I felt so blessed to be doing this, it was a great experience.

I also helped coach classes during the Summer. I joined as an Assistant Coach at a TARGET class with Coach Lucio and PLAYer class with Coach Sean. I had a lot of fun coaching the classes because it made me feel like a mentor. I would absolutely do it again!

Great answers Alexander, thank you for all your efforts and for giving back to the community!