November 2025 - The Long Game: 25 Years of First Tee - Greater Chicago

How a grassroots start grew into a citywide force for youth development
This article appeared in the November 2025 edition of Chicago District Golfer.
To read more Chicago District Golfer stories, head to our article archive.

First Tee - Greater Chicago is headquartered at the Waveland Youth Facility, which is adjacent to Sydney R. Marovitz Golf Course. The facility also serves as a hub for programming.

At four years old, Jasmine McGhee was barely tall enough to carry the golf bag slung across her shoulders. Now a 17-year-old senior at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, McGhee laughs at the image of her young self during those formative First Tee lessons: shy, timid and thrust into a sport completely new to her and her family.

McGhee still remembers the instructors who called her “Jazzy” and gave her constant high-fives, the older kids who cheered her on every time she made contact, and the kids who tried to convince her that Gatorade was the “best drink ever.”

What stuck with McGhee most wasn’t her first perfect shot, but the way one instructor, Brandon White, would constantly encourage her to play with the older kids.

“Coach Brandon would say, ‘Jasmine, you need to push yourself. I got you,” she remembers. It was encouragement that turned practices into friendships and golf lessons into something much bigger.

McGhee grew up in First Tee, and First Tee – Greater Chicago grew with her.

What started as a single program on Chicago’s public golf courses has grown into a citywide network changing the lives of thousands of kids every year.

In 2000, First Tee – Greater Chicago launched through a partnership between KemperSports founder Steve Lesnik and then-Mayor Richard M. Daley, bringing the national youth golf and character-building program to Chicago for the very first time.

The earliest programs ran on borrowed practice areas at Chicago Park District courses with part-time staff, volunteer coaches and minimal funding. However, the mission was clear: use golf to teach life skills and open doors for kids across the city.

Over 25 years, the humble grassroots beginnings grew into one of the most impactful youth development programs in Chicago-area sports. First Tee – Greater Chicago now serves more than 8,300 youth annually across 11 program sites, including three year-round facilities, dozens of schools and 20 partner organizations - the CDGA among them.

 First Tee - Greater Chicago serves more than 8,300 youth annually.

The milestone carries personal weight for Josh Lesnik, First Tee – Greater Chicago board member and KemperSports Executive Vice President, who watched his father help launch the chapter in 2000.

“I remember my dad talking about how golf teaches honesty, perseverance and respect – qualities that matter long after a round ends,” Lesnik said. “The golf swing was always the vehicle. The real goal was to change lives.”

He points to the growth of the board itself as one of the chapter’s biggest strengths, noting how it has expanded to include influential leaders from golf and business.

“Having these leaders at the table has changed what we can do,” Lesnik said. “It’s why we’ve been able to raise millions of dollars, build facilities and bring this program to kids across Chicagoland.”

The transformation accelerated with the opening of the Waveland Youth Facility in 2021, the Harborside Youth Learning Center in 2023 and the 2025 First Tee Youth Campus, which is part of the $6 million course renovation at The Evans at Canal Shores in Evanston. Each site features practice areas and mentoring spaces for kids ages 4 to 18.

“Before, we fought for space on public courses,” said Brandon White, vice president of programming and operations. “Now kids have places that belong to them.”

At First Tee facilities, kids come early with homework, stay late with friends and use every corner of the space — not just for golf, but for learning, mentorship and personal growth.

“When a kid walks into a facility and sees their name on the board for ‘player of the week’ or gets help on their homework in the same place they practice golf, that’s what makes this more than a sport,” White added.

Funding for the Canal Shores project brought together the Western Golf Association, KemperSports, the Illinois PGA Foundation, the Lesnik family, the Wadsworth Foundation, the CDGA and other donors, creating a youth golf and caddie hub that also feeds into the Evans Scholarship program. Since 2020, more than 20 First Tee alumni across the region have earned Evans Scholarships or other college scholarships.

The program’s reach goes far beyond typical instruction. More than 5,600 students participate each year through First Tee’s school program, where staff deliver in-school lessons across 16 Chicago Public Schools. White expanded this model in 2023 so that every student receives multiple days of instruction and reduced-cost registration codes for follow-up classes at First Tee facilities, with scholarships available so that no child is turned away.

Impact data shows First Tee participants graduate high school and attend college at higher rates than their peers. More than half of the chapter’s 85 seasonal coaches are alumni returning to mentor the next generation.

Director of Development and Operations Jane Seder said that the shift has changed the program’s culture. “When kids come back as coaches, they become role models for the younger ones. It creates a cycle of mentorship,” she said.

For McGhee, the First Tee became a second family. She remembers learning fundamentals through games like “golf baseball” with tennis balls and how older kids encouraged her when she was little.

Many First Tee coaches went through programming themselves in previous years. Coaching can take place year-round thanks to indoor facilities.

“It was never just about golf,” McGhee said. “It was about confidence. I was shy as a kid. This game gave me friends, mentors and the belief that I could lead, too.”

Now a First Tee Scholar, McGhee plans to continue to give back as a Junior Coach throughout college to give younger kids the same experience.

White said stories like Jasmine’s happen often. He recalls a student who earned an Evans Scholarship after years in the program and came back to volunteer the very next summer.

“When kids see someone from their own neighborhood go to college because of golf, that’s powerful,” White said. “It tells them, ‘This can be you.’”

Interim CEO Jill Sylvester said the entire Chicago golf community now works in alignment behind First Tee’s mission, from the CDGA to the Illinois PGA to major donors.

“There’s never been a time when more people were pulling in the same direction,” she said. “Facilities, staing and organization have put us in a position to have long-term impact.”

Looking ahead, the chapter plans to strengthen its current footprint, explore opportunities to expand into Chicago’s West Side, continue building the Evans Scholarship pipeline and strengthen alumni involvement as coaches and mentors.

Lesnik said the mission hasn’t changed since day one.

“The most rewarding thing is seeing kids come full circle: starting here with no golf experience, then earning scholarships, going to college and coming back to coach,” he said.

“The real win is when kids leave here believing they can do big things in life,” White agreed. “Golf is just the hook.” 

Lauren Withrow is a play-by-play host, reporter and content creator for the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour on ESPN and Golf Channel. A graduate of Northwestern Medill, Withrow also serves as a sideline reporter for Big Ten football on Chicago's WGN Radio 720. Withrow is an ambassador for the IJGA, First Tee - Greater Chicago and PlayYellow.

25 Years of First Tee – Greater Chicago: A Timeline

2000: Chapter founded by KemperSports founder Steve Lesnik and Mayor Richard M. Daley; initial programs run on Chicago Park District courses.
2003–2005: Board expands to include Illinois PGA, KemperSports and community leaders, fueling early growth.
2017: Chicago Park District approves plans for the first dedicated youth golf facility at Waveland.
2021: Waveland Youth Facility opens on Chicago’s North Side, giving First Tee its first year-round home.
2023: Harborside Youth Learning Center opens on the South Side; programming expands to five days a week.
2024: Evans at Canal Shores Youth Campus opens in Evanston with new caddie program feeding into Evans Scholarship pipeline.
2025: First Tee – Greater Chicago marks 25th anniversary with 8,300 youth served annually, 11 program sites and 20 community partners.

25 Years of First Tee – Greater Chicago: By the Numbers

8,300 youth reached annually through 11 sites, including 3 year-round facilities.
5,600 students served in 16 schools annually through in-school programs.
85 part-time coaches hired each season, over half alumni.
$6 million raised for Canal Shores Youth Campus and caddie program.
20+ alumni have earned Evans or college scholarships since 2020.
20 community partner organizations providing wraparound services like tutoring and mentoring.