Danny Gans' Partee Fore Kids

This event celebrates its 14th year in 2008, and has helped raise more than $1 million for The First Tee of Southern Nevada and the Danny Gans Junior Golf Academy. Gans, an avid golfer, was the founder of his golf academy that is operated by the professionals of The First Tee of Southern Nevada, and is available at several area Las Vegas golf courses. In 2005 and 2006, Danny Gans' Partee Fore Kids was an official Pro-Celebrity/Am event for the PGA Tour's Las Vegas tournament, and Gans was the featured performer for the PGA Tour pros and amateurs. Gans is now an annual particpant in the PGA Tour's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and is featured extensively throughout the telecast on CBS. Gans is ending his highly successful run at The Mirage this year, and will move into the Danny Gans Theatre at the fabulous Wynn Las Vegas in 2009. Gans has donated his time and money to several Las Vegas charities including The First Tee of Southern Nevada, the Lili Claire Foundation, and area schools.

History

In 2002, The Southern Nevada Junior Golf Association, founded in 1979 (SNJGA) and the Southern Nevada Inner City Youth Golf Association, founded in 1996 (SNICYGA), together with the Las Vegas Founders and several other Las Vegas golf constituents, came to the realization that golf needed to be made affordable and accessible for ALL kids in Southern Nevada. By combining the strong tournament schedule of SNJGA and the strong development program of SNICYGA, one entity was created - The First Tee of Southern Nevada. With this union and becoming part of The First Tee, a national initiative, a much larger, more vibrant junior golf program was created. Through the Danny Gans Junior Golf Academy, Golf In Schools, Open Clinics and SNJGA Tour, The First Tee of Southern Nevada institutes education, golf, life skills and scholarship programs that are a model for the nation.

Our Mission

Our mission is to impact the lives of young people by providing learning facilities and educational programs that promote character development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf.

Our Focus

The First Tee of Southern Nevada, the leading youth golf organization that enriches lives and develops better citizens, ensures that participants learn the fundamentals of golf and its inherent values by providing accessible and affordable golf experiences including the life skills curriculum based Golf Fore Kids development program, the SNJGA Tour competitive tournament program, and the Driving the Dream scholarship program for higher education.

Our Vision

We believe that a sizable number of youth in our community are not being exposed to positive social influences, are harboring destructive behavior and are demonstrating a lack of respect, integrity and confidence that can lead them down the wrong path in life. By introducing kids to the game of golf, Life Skills, and the life-long values it teaches such as honesty, integrity and good sportsmanship, we open doors and give them a vision to achieve things they thought not possible, thus producing a more cultured leadership in our youth and stabilizing the future of Southern Nevada.

Based on results of a survey of First Tee participants, developed by The University of Florida and implemented by The University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Programming

The First Tee of Southern of Southern Nevada currently runs the following programs at five (5) Chapter Facilities and more than
40 partner golf courses:

• Danny Gans Jr. Golf Academy is a structured golf instruction and life skills program that runs for six week sessions year round.
• SNJGA Jr. Golf Tour - Since 1979, the tour allows junior golfers to test their skills at some of the finest golf courses in the area in addition to competing against all levels of competition with a long history of producing high quality players. Past alumni include PGA Tour players Craig Barlow and Robert Gamez, and LPGA Tour player Stephanie Louden.
• Danny Gans Jr. Golf Academy is a structured golf instruction and life skills program that runs for six week sessions year round.
• P.E. National Golf In-Schools Program in conjunction with the Clark County School District introduces the game of golf to elementary
  students as another avenue of sport.
• Golf Fore All Seasons transports participants from middle schools to a golf course to learn golf basics and learn valuable related life skills.
• Fore All Year Open Clinics is open session programming, operating year round open to all juniors.
• Adaptive Learning Program provides beginning level golf and life skills instruction for golfers with mental and physical disabilities.