First Tee Aiken Branch Kicks Off Fall Programs With New Leaders at the Helm

The First Tee Aiken youth golf program welcomed Summer Watson and Andrew Grigsby to leadership roles this August. Watson steps in as CEO while Grigsby takes charge of programming.

Fall sign-ups hit 110 young players, as the program aims to draw more kids from across the region. "We want this to be a place for everyone. I don't ever want kids or anyone in this community to think, oh, I don't have the right clothes or I don't have a set of golf clubs, to not feel welcome here at First Tee," Watson said per The Post and Courier Aiken Standard.

Before joining First Tee, Watson spent four years guiding students at Horse Creek Academy. She brought marketing skills from her past work at a Subaru dealer.

With a decade at First Tee Northern Nevada, Grigsby climbed from volunteer to site leader. His background includes time in snack food sales.

As new leaders of First Tee, they've made plans to collaborate with the PGA and Oakwood-Windsor Elementary's golf club, and they've created special programming for homeschooled kids.

"This community seems small enough that we can make sure that we're reaching deep into the community and really make sure that we're providing the best experience for the youth for this community," Grigsby said. "Where we are now is not where I see us in a year, four years, five years, 10 years."

For three decades, First Tee has taught life wisdom through golf across the U.S. The local branch has been established at USC Aiken.