The incredible coaches and the meaningful relationships they foster have always been the heartbeat of First Tee. Our coaches help grow the game in a positive way!
The Unsung Hero
Our team of trusted, trained and caring coaches and staff develop meaningful relationships with participants that prepare them for what’s next – on the course, at school and in daily life. First Tee coaches and mentors set our program apart and change the landscape of their communities every day.
First Tee has 150 chapters across the globe, and they are celebrating First Tee Week with events, storytelling and programming. Find your nearest chapter to learn more about enrolling your child, volunteering as a coach and more!
Dear Coach, you taught me…
Click on the photos below and read the first-hand stories of how coaches have impacted our participants, alumni, staff and supporters.
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Dear Coach – That’s right — we’re talking to you!
Not just the coaches on the driving range or in the classroom. We mean the Board Member who shows up to every meeting and asks the hard questions. The donor who believes in a mission they may never see up close. The volunteer who gave a Saturday. The parent who signed up their child and said, “I want better for them.” The advocate who shared our story with one more person.
At First Tee – Delaware, coaching looks like a lot of different things — and every single one of them matters.
This First Tee Week, our theme is “Dear Coach,” and we want to start by honoring the coaches who often go unrecognized: our Board of Directors.
They coach our staff through challenges and triumphs, from a distance and up close, strategically and personally. Their guidance is the backbone of everything we do for young people across Delaware and Maryland.
Research shows the return on investing in a great coach is truly generational. Coached individuals are significantly more likely to pass that gift forward — 67% of adults who had coaches growing up say they wouldn’t be where they are today without them. (Source: Coaching in Sport and Physical Activity Research, referenced via First Tee National program research frameworks.)
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Meet Coach Charma
On any given day, Coach Charma Bell’s phone lights up with messages from former participants — young people who have since built lives of their own, started families, and are now raising children she knows by name. That is not a small thing. That is the mark of someone who made you feel seen, remembered, and valued — not just as a participant, but as a person.
To be in Charma’s presence is to feel as though you are the most important person in the room, whether it is your very first day on the course or your twentieth year as a friend.
Charma has been part of the First Tee – Delaware family for 30 years — arriving first as a volunteer and parent, growing into a staff member, coach, and national trainer, and now watching her own two granddaughters discover the game she has devoted her life to sharing. In three decades, she has worked with hundreds of young people — not simply teaching them how to grip a club or read a green, but how to stand back up after failure, lead with integrity, and believe in themselves when everything inside them says not to. She did not just shape golfers. She shaped people.
We’re sharing Charma’s story, because this is First Tee Week, a national celebration from May 23–30 honoring the coaches, chapters and communities making this kind of impact possible every day. Many other stories will be shared during this week! Stay tuned.
What a coach does extends far beyond the skills they teach. National research from The Harris Poll and First Tee makes this vivid: 90% of parents hope their child will have a coach they consider a role model. And among parents who were coached themselves growing up, 81% say they had exactly that — a coach who was a true role model in their life.
That kind of influence doesn’t stop when kids leave the golf course. Parents surveyed say they believe their child’s coach will have a positive impact on their ability to work well with others, their resilience in the face of challenges, their desire to do well in school and even their ability to lead and parent someday. Ninety percent of parents agree that coaches are “the unsung heroes of youth development.”
At First Tee – Delaware, we see this every day.
But the research also surfaces something that should concern all of us: 71% of parents say there is a shortage of high-caliber coaches today. And when it comes to girls, the gap is even wider. Parents rate coaching accessibility as six times higher for boys than for girls in their communities.
This matters. Because when young people don’t have access to trusted, trained coaches, they miss more than sports. They miss the adult who believes in them, challenges them and helps them develop the character they’ll carry for the rest of their lives.
Among parents whose children are now young adults who played youth sports, 88% say sports prepared their children for leadership and teamwork in their schooling or careers. Eighty-nine percent say the confidence built through sports continues to shape their child’s success today.
The return on investing in a great coach is generational. Research shows that parents who were coached themselves are significantly more likely to enroll their own children in sports and under the guidance of a coach, passing the gift forward. Sixty-seven percent of coached parents say they wouldn’t be where they are today without the coaches they had growing up.
We’re saying thank you to all our First Tee – Delaware Coaches and to every coach who shows up, day after day, to build the next generation of character.
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Meet Coach Dave Clapp
If you’ve participated in First Tee – Delaware programming in Sussex County, chances are you’ve crossed paths with Coach Dave Clapp — because, as many say, “Coach Dave is everywhere!”
Now in his 4th year re-engaged as a First Tee – Delaware coach, Dave first connected with our organization back in 2019 through the Boys & Girls Clubs in Rehoboth Beach, where he was teaching boxing and life skills classes. When Coach Charma joined his class to introduce golf and First Tee life skills, Dave quickly realized the mission was a perfect fit with his own passion for helping kids grow both on and off the course.
Today, Coach Dave brings his energy and enthusiasm to programs at the Boys & Girls Clubs, Sussex Family YMCA, Rehoboth Beach Country Club, Kings Creek Country Club, The Rookery Golf Course, and more — often alongside our Sussex County Director of Programs & Development, Coach Scott Allen, who Dave credits as a huge part of the organization’s growth in southern Delaware.
What keeps Dave coming back? The kids.
“One of the best feelings,” Dave shares, “is when a participant comes back the next session and tells you how they remembered a life skill lesson and used it somewhere outside of golf.”
Dave says he’s constantly inspired by how engaged and thoughtful the participants are, and how willing they are to learn, share, and support one another.
A retired business owner, husband, father of two, and proud grandfather of two, Coach Dave is now enjoying life by giving back through the game he loves — and maybe someday sharing golf with his grandchildren too.
And for any parent hesitant about signing their child up for First Tee – Delaware, Coach Dave has a simple message: “Just give it a try. Golf can seem intimidating at first, but First Tee – Delaware is welcoming, fun, and supportive for kids of all ages. Plus, what’s better than being outdoors, surrounded by nature, with great people?”
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Meet Coach Scott:
On Sunday, May 24th and again on Tuesday, May 26th, NBC Sports Philadelphia’s popular Inside Golf TV segment — hosted by veteran golf broadcaster Jack Flanagan — shined a spotlight on two incredible advocates for the game of golf and the First Tee mission.
The segment opens with a feature on John Riley, co-author of The Last Amateur, written alongside the legendary Jay Sigel.
But the second half of the story? That’s all Delaware.
Our very own Scott Allen, PGA Teaching Professional and Director of Development & Programs for First Tee – Delaware, sat down with Jack for an in-depth conversation about everything we do — from our On-Course Classes and Community & School Programs to our Girls Golf Instruction initiative. Scott brought the energy, the passion, and the heart that makes First Tee – Delaware so special.
This is what it looks like when our coaches show up and show out. Click the link below!
Earlier this week, we shared that coaches come in many forms — and at First Tee – Delaware, some of our most impactful coaches are our Junior Coaches.
Our Junior Coach program helps teens stay connected, build confidence, develop responsibility, and become mentors for the next generation of participants. They lead by example every day, showing perseverance, leadership, and heart both on and off the course.
We’re proud to celebrate Junior Coach Joseph Kelly, a junior in high school, on an incredible accomplishment — winning the 2026 Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association (DIAA) Boys Individual Golf Championship!
Joseph brings true grit, commitment, and positivity to our classes at Rock Manor, and our younger participants connect with him in such a meaningful way. He’s proof that leadership isn’t just about performance — it’s about inspiring others through your actions.
Parents believe coaches are essential to youth development
A finding with The Harris Poll shows parents turn to coaches to help teach their kids character, self-confidence, determination and leadership.
Ninety-one percent of parents agree that sports coaching should inspire their child to excel both on and off the field.
