In February 2005, First Tee – Louisville became the 200th facility of First Tee at its Annual Meeting at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida. This was a day many of us had been waiting years to arrive. First Tee – Louisville was conceived as an umbrella organization for three existing junior golf programs at Shawnee Golf Course (Urban Youth Golf program, Tee Swingers and Shawnee Youth Golf Club). Today, these programs have been molded into First Tee – Louisville, which provides Golf Skills, Life Skills and Healthy Habits to our participants.
Over the years our programming has grown, as has the number of participants in the programs. This year we are conducting seven-week sessions on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings.
Shawnee Golf Course is our home course where we have built an office in the clubhouse, constructed a first-class short game practice facility along with a pavillion next to the practice green and bunker, and as of 2020 operate the course itself in partnership with the city of Louisville. We have also built a three-hole par 3 Justin Thomas Foundation Youth Golf Course on the other side of the range.
Our goal is to inspire as many young people as possible through the Five Key Commitments to Being a Game Changer: Pursuing Goals, Collaborating with Others, Growing through Challenge, Building Positive Self Identity, and Using Good Judgement.
First Tee – Louisville is a tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.