Polar Bear Outing Helps First Tee; Donate Before Jan. 1

The First Tee of Raritan Valley recently put the exclamation point on one of its greatest years ever with its 12th annual Polar Bear Golf Classic conducted for the second year in a row at Galloping Hill Golf Course in Kenilworth.

Donations are being accepted until the end of 2014 as a part of a one-for-two dollar matching grant by Johnson & Johnson. Donate through the New Jersey Youth Golf Foundation: DONATE HERE

“Our growth in terms of fund-raising and participation has been phenomenal this year,” said Mike Blackwell, executive director of First Tee of Raritan Valley. “There’s no doubt it’s been one of our greatest years all around.”

The Polar Bear Classic attracted 64 hardy golfers, up 20 from the previous year, who each donate $125 and receive greens fee, cart, breakfast and lunch. At the end of the day, some $2,500 was donated to First Tee.

“It’s a fun tradition. There’s not much going on in golf at that time of year. Guys meet for breakfast, dress up in funky hats and outfits and understand you don’t need a whole lot of clubs in your bag to play winter golf,” Blackwell said.

“They have a lot of fun out there. Galloping Hill is a perfect venue. I could see us getting up to 100 or 120 golfers participating in coming years. The Polar Bear Classic is a good public relations day for First Tee of Raritan Valley.”

Before coming to Galloping Hill, site of the 2016 NJSGA State Open, the Polar Bear Classic was played around the Central Jersey area at venues such as Tamarack, Architect’s and Meadows in Middlesex.

The First Tee National School Program curriculum has expanded this year to be present at 96 schools in the Raritan Valley area (Middlesex, Union, Morris, Warren, Hunterdon and Somerset counties) affecting 40,000 mostly inner city K-fifth-graders who are being introduced to the game of golf.

The National School Program has been introduced into such cities as New Brunswick, Elizabeth, Perth Amboy, Newark, Piainfield, Bound Brook and Somerville.

The First Tee DRIVE afterschool program reaches 3,000 youth in Central Jersey. In 2014, three YMCAs located in the Raritan Valley are now hosting the program in 2014