Country Club Living - Palm Beach North - March 2025

14 | C O U N T R Y C L U B L I V I N G - PA L M B E A C H N O R T H | M A R C H 2 0 2 5 FIRST TEE Impacting Our Community Impacting Our Community REGISTER YOUR CHILDREN FOR CLASSES Enroll your children at one of our 10 Palm Beach County Program Locations. Please visit www. firstteepalmbeaches.org t o register. MISS YOU DAN BAKER Our game lost a great friend way too early. The late Dan Baker, PGA, serves as an inspiring reminder of what it means to truly dedicate oneself to a passion. His impact on the PGA of America and the broader golf community was profound and far-reaching, marked by his kindness and commitment to uplifting those around him. Dan didn’t just love the game; he devoted his life to ensuring it was accessible to everyone. To honor Dan’s life, the PGA of America REACH Foundation and the South Florida PGA Section are pleased to share the establishment of a PGA Jr. League Opportunity League endowed in Dan’s name at The Park in West Palm Beach, Florida. Please visit https://www.pgareach.org/pgajrleague fo r more information. THAT’S US AT TGL! For the inaugural TGL season, our students have stepped onto the TGL stage as official ball runners, embodying the values of teamwork, perseverance, and fun in every match. Each match features eight First Tee students and two staff members working the entire live broadcast. Check them out dressed in all dark blue. Six TGL teams representing six different cities are going head-to- head in a season-long competition at SoFi Center, a first-of-its-kind venue built specifically for TGL on the campus of Palm Beach State College. Matches air on ESPN and ESPN+ in the U.S. with every shot live and all the players mic’d up, bringing unprecedented access to the competition for golf fans. CHAPTER DONATES GOLF CLUBS TO NIGERIA Professional caddie Abimbola ‘Bebe’ Olakanye recently visited our chapter and asked if we could help out by donating some of our golf club inventory. Of course, the answer was “Yes!” and many of our donated clubs are on their way to Nigeria. BeBe Golf Academy is dedicated to the growth and development of kids and adults by providing educational programs that introduce them to golf in Nigeria. The driving force behind Bebe Golf Academy is to provide an avenue to help introduce kids and adults to golf in West Africa. Core values such as integrity, honesty, courtesy, respect, and good sportsmanship will be the foundation for students at Bebe Golf Academy. SPECIAL NEEDS SPOTLIGHT: MARK SUSSKIND Near the end of 2024, Mark Susskind (pictured 2nd from the left) reached out to us to start a new golf program for people affected by Parkinson’s. Mark is affected by the disease himself, and, as a fan of golf, he wanted to create a program to help others learn the sport and establish camaraderie with new people. Mark enrolled in our coach training, spread the word about the program, and helped Newell Golf hold the first two classes. With the help of Newell Golf and Boca Raton Golf and Racquet Club, Mark has now started PARS for Parkinson’s and will be holding two classes every month. – Submitted By Carl J. Mistretta Jr., Executive Director – First Tee - Palm Beaches