First Tee starts fall program

The First Tee of Greater Charleston will open registration Monday for its inaugural fall program at Patriots Point Golf Links.

"It's for anybody ages 8 to 18. We will have three classes, all from 4:30-6 p.m., on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, and it's an eight-week program," said Ben Grandy, program director for the First Tee of Greater Charleston.

There is a one-time $25 membership fee, then a $40 registration fee. Scholarships are available. Register online at www.TheFirstTeeGreaterCharleston.org, or call (843) 352-4513. Grandy said classes will be broken into age groups, and participants will not need their own clubs.

"We'll start with the very basics, especially with the younger ones," Grandy said. "We'll show them around the golf course and around the driving range. We'll work on grips and setup. We'll also incorporate our core values in there. We'll start with proper meet and greet, how to show courtesy on the golf course, and other things that go with being on a golf course."

Grandy said First Tee did a closed summer program, working with the YMCA and the Boys and Girls Club from Charleston. Approximately 120 youngsters went through the three-week program.

"The majority of them ate it up. We had different age groups, with the 7-, 8- and 9-year-olds hitting tennis balls with plastic clubs, and we had teenagers out there working their way through the different clubs."

"We have about 35 volunteers, who range from Class A PGA professionals who have been teaching for 30 years to retired school teachers who know nothing about the game," he said. "We have such a diverse group of kids, that having a diverse group of volunteers is working really well for us."

Ocean Course fourth

Kiawah Island's Ocean Course is No. 4 in Golf Magazine's 2008 "Top 100 Courses You Can Play," which appears in the September issue. That's one spot down from the 2006 ratings, behind Pacific Dunes, Pebble Beach and Whistling Straits.

Harbour Town moved up a spot to No. 14; Caledonia Golf and Fish Club remained No. 25; The Dunes Club dropped one position to No. 46; May River is up a spot to No. 52; the Barefoot Resort Love Course jumped nine spots to No. 86; and Tidewater reentered the ratings at No. 100.

Upcoming ...

The Quoizel Charity Golf Classic to benefit Berkeley County Habitat for Humanity is Saturday at Dunes West Golf Club. The entry fee is $400 per foursome or $125 per individual. Register at www.quoizel.com, or contact Debbie Spitzmiller at (843) 574-3417. Registration deadline is Wednesday.

The inaugural First Tee of Greater Charleston Lowcountry Scramble is Sept. 8 at Kiawah Island Club's River Course. Contact Ben Grandy at (843) 352-4513, or bgrandy@thefirstteegreatercharleston.org.

The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour will play the Charleston National Junior Open Sept. 13-14. The entry deadline is Sept. 5. Contact www.hjgt.org or call (904) 379-2697.

Hospice of Charleston's fourth annual charity tournament will be played Sept. 18 at the Harbor Course at Wild Dunes. Call (843) 529-3100 or e-mail Jillian Hollingsworth at jhollingsworth@hospiceofcharleston.org.

The 10th annual Outback Steakhouse Charity Classic, benefitting East Cooper Meals on Wheels, will be played Sept. 23 at RiverTowne Country Club. Call (843) 881-9350 or e-mail lbrantley@ecmow.org.