Coachella Valley Youth Golf Foundation

First Tee of Coachella Valley (FTCV) is one of 150 chapters across the United States dedicated to teaching golf and essential life values to children aged 4 to 18. Our Coachella Valley chapter was founded in 2007 and currently provides golf and life lessons to over 23,000 young people each year, which represents approximately one-third of the total youth population in our region. We operate as a program of the Desert Recreation District.

FTCV fulfills its mission in three primary ways: 1) More than 3,000 boys and girls participate annually in six-week sessions and camps at our Golf Center in Palm Desert; 2) Over 23,000 elementary school students from 32 desert schools receive First Tee instruction through their physical education courses each year (First Tee trains P.E. instructors and provides golf equipment to the schools at no cost to either the schools or the children); and 3) FTCV serves the community by offering opportunities for hundreds of participants to engage in local programs that benefit mentally and physically challenged children, as well as Boys & Girls Clubs and other youth organizations across the valley.

We are also expanding into the East Coachella Valley with our new modular classroom at The Lights at Indio, which is set to open over the summer. This classroom/office will enable us to expand programming in Indio and transport East Valley kids to a green grass facility more easily and efficiently.

Funds from the Anderson Children’s Foundation continue to support First Tee – Coachella Valley’s in-school and after-school golf programs across the valley.

Funds from the Anderson Children’s Foundation will help support First Tee – Coachella Valley’s in-school and after-school golf programs across the valley in Desert Sands and Palm Springs Unified elementary schools. We also operate six green grass golf facilities with 9-Week Programs in Palm Desert, Palm Springs, and Indio impacting some 12,945 children. After school programs, operated by Desert Recreation District team members, currently have 13 active sites reaching 2,400 children. Golf is a part of the fabric of Coachella Valley’s lifestyle, and we believe all local children should experience the life skills and core values inherent in the game and to have the opportunity whether they have access to a golf course. Our purpose is to enable kids to build the strength of character that empowers them through a lifetime of new challenges. By teaching kids First Tee’s Nine Core Values, we aim to put them on course to a healthy, active lifestyle. No child is turned away because of financial circumstances.