The First Tee of Fort Worth is planning to expand to Parker County, hoping to break ground there in January 2019 for a Ben Hogan Learning Center, the organization announced today.
First Tee said it is joining forces with the Ben Hogan Foundation and Squaw Creek Golf Course to expand its youth programming. First Tee, the local chapter of a worldwide organization devoted to helping young people develop values through the game of golf, said the 18 months prior to the groundbreaking will be used for fundraising.
The program at Squaw Creek is an expansion of the Fort Worth chapter which launched in the mid-2000s and has grown from a few hundred participants to almost 29,000 at the end of 2016.
Squaw Creek, located at 1605 Ranch House Road in Willow Park, has hosted a First Tee satellite chapter since 2016, attracting more than 300 youth. The Ben Hogan Foundation will donate funds to build the second Ben Hogan Learning Center, much like the one in Fort Worth, that will include staff offices, a library, a youth hangout and a Ben Hogan museum. Dozens of corporate sponsors and hundreds of supporters are in line to donate funding for the program and facility as well, according to the group. But additional support is needed, according to Kevin Long, executive director of The First Tee of Fort Worth.
“We are pleased and honored to once again partner with the Ben Hogan Foundation on a new satellite Ben Hogan Learning Center at Squaw Creek Golf Course. This collaboration of three amazing organizations will provide the opportunity for The First Tee of Fort Worth to serve countless young people in Parker County, continue to support the legacy of Mr. Hogan and be part of an exceptional golf and recreation facility,” said Long.
Founded in 2004, First Tee operates programming in six locations, including Rockwood Golf Course, Squaw Creek Golf Club, Benbrook Par 3, Benbrook Driving Range and Briscoe Elementary.
www.thefirstteeftworth.org/