Franklin D. Roosevelt Golf Club is about to undergo a major facelift that will introduce Philadelphia-area youths to the leisure sport.
On Monday afternoon, representatives from the Greater Philadelphia Scholastic Golf Association (GPSGA), City Council President Anna Verna’s office, the Fairmount Park Commission and the Meadowbrook Golf Group Inc. gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony.
The 3,200-square-foot First Tee Learning Center, which is being built adjacent to the golf club, will serve as the inaugural site for First Tee of Greater Philadelphia. The program — an initiative of the World Golf Foundation — gives youths of various backgrounds the opportunity to play golf while building character and sportsmanship. Since its inception in 1997, First Tee has opened more than 100 facilities and introduced more than 170,000 youngsters to the game.
John MacDonald, the executive director for the nonprofit GPSGA, started developing plans for the Philadelphia location four years ago, and on Monday, after several delays, he finally announced it was on its way.
"With the help of everybody here, we can give this city an exemplary program that ranks up there with the top programs in the country," MacDonald said.
The facility, which should be open by early November, will include a computer lab, state-of-the-art teaching equipment, golf instruction stalls, a putting green and a teaching lounge. The plan is to staff the facility with a golf coordinator, golf professionals and development specialists. More importantly, the program will give local youths the chance to learn more about the game. MacDonald said the goal is for the program to reach 1,200 children in the course of a year.
The United States Golf Association and First Tee’s national body are contributing $100,000 each to the project, while Impact Services Corp. has approved a $150,000 construction loan. A fundraising golf tournament will be held at the Ace Club in Lafayette Hill on Sept. 29 to support the GPSGA/First Tee of Philadelphia organization.
Initially, the Golf Association looked into starting the Philadelphia First Tee chapter at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport, but those plans were nixed. MacDonald said the organization then considered buying a driving range in Juniata, but that location got too pricey. The South Philadelphia site turned out to be ideal.
"The opportunity to work with the Fairmount Park Commission and the city made all the sense in the world," MacDonald said. "This has been a blessing. It’s a kid-friendly course."
The Fairmount Park Commission was equally as enthusiastic about the program. Robert N.C. Nix 3d, president of the commission, said the park agency fields many proposals, but the First Tee Program was among the best.
"We try to create as many entertainment opportunities as we can," Nix said. "The youth-oriented opportunities are even better."
The commission also oversees youth-oriented community rowing and tennis sessions. Before the body could move forward with the golf program, it needed the approval from Meadowbrook Golf, a Florida-based, full-service golf management and development company. Meadowbrook oversees more than 100 golf courses in the United States, including the FDR Golf Club, Cobbs Creek Golf Club, John F. Byrne Golf Course and Juniata Golf Course.
"When we all came down here to take a look at this facility, we figured this was perfect for [First Tee]," said Bud Connors, vice president of the Meadowbrook Golf Group Inc.
Nix said the eventual goal is to have a First Tee center in each area of the city. While the Cobbs Creek Parkway course was seriously considered, Nix said FDR Park was a good place to start.
"The available land we need to do the addition is right there, and the public transportation is pretty good here so kids from all over the city can get here pretty easy," he said.
The South Philly site will help the First Tee reach its objectives of serving 500,000 youths by 2005. Once the local center opens, young athletes will be able to take advantage of golf-related educational opportunities.
"What First Tee is about is not necessarily just a golf program," MacDonald said. "It’s to build character and build kids."
