The First Tee of Aiken and USC Aiken are joining forces to build a Golf Practice Facility that will serve as The First Tee of Aiken’s home and as a practice facility for the USC Aiken Men’s Golf Team. Once the facility is completed, USC Aiken will add a women’s golf program.
The planned facility will be located on a 60-acre parcel of land on the USC Aiken campus, just west of the convocation center and baseball field. The entire project will cost approximately $3.3 million, however, the first phase, which will cost approximately $1.5 million, will allow us to break ground sooner. Some of you reading this article may have already made generous gifts to help us make it all happen. Thank you for your incredible support, but we still have work to do.
This project truly is an “Aiken Field of Dreams”!
It will be a place where young people age 5-18 will be welcome and safe and will learn life skills and healthy habits to serve them throughout their entire lives. It will be available to all members of The First Tee of Aiken regardless of ability to pay. The First Tee of Aiken is a local nonprofit, affiliated with an international program that has impacted millions of young people around the world.
The canvas of this dream already exists. The university is providing 60 acres of beautiful land on the campus. The architectural plans include a safe and highly useful golf facility with a lighted driving range and practice areas in addition to practice holes. Children in the program will have access to The First Tee’s professionally developed programs, tutoring from USC Aiken students majoring in Education, and mentoring. The First Tee of Aiken participants will learn how to play golf, a proven “game for life” that can keep our young people off the couch and help them avoid bad and unhealthy habits. There are also programs for special needs children, including “Game on Golf”, a program developed by the Els Foundation with autistic children in mind. The First Tee of Aiken’s new location will allow all children in Aiken County to benefit from this life changing youth development program.
Why does USC Aiken need a practice facility? Although Coach Michael Carlisle has done a fantastic job without an on-campus practice facility, recruiting becomes a bigger challenge each year because candidates often ask about practice facilities. The team has been blessed with the opportunity to use The Palmetto Golf Club to hone their skills. But the requirement for hitting hundreds of balls every day and spending hour after hour practicing the short game calls for an on-campus facility. And adding a women’s golf team can only happen with the development of this planned facility.
USC Aiken Chancellor Dr. Sandra Jordan says, “Our 2004, 2005, and 2006 teams were NCAA Division II National Champions, but our future teams need a permanent home to improve recruiting and performance. I am also extremely excited about the opportunity to add a Division II, Peach Belt Conference Women’s golf team at USC Aiken.”
“We thank everyone who has already supported this community project. We’ve made great strides, and have currently raised over $1 million, but we still need a sizable amount to break ground. Each and every gift will make a difference. While we’re on the ‘Dream’ theme, we are imagining incredible, generous donors committed to helping us reach this goal soon, so that we can break ground in the spring of 2020.”
“We are able to accept monthly commitments over one to three, including monthly credit card payments if that works best for you. No gift is too small or too large. The citizens of Aiken County are extremely generous, and that generosity can help us build this ‘Aiken Field of Dreams.’”
Please contact us with any questions:
USC Aiken
Mary Driscoll: maryd@usca.edu • 803.641.3448
The First Tee of Aiken
Tony Allman: tallman281@me.com • 803.522.2509
About the Organizations
First Tee is an international youth development organization that introduces the game of golf and its inherent values to kids and teens. We help shape the lives of young people from all walks of life by reinforcing values like integrity, respect, and perseverance through the game of golf.
And it’s making a difference.
The First Tee of Aiken is a local 501(c)3 charitable organization and a chapter of The First Tee Network. Via in-school, after-school, and outreach programs, The First Tee of Aiken impacted over 18,000 young people in Aiken County during 2018. We are financially dependent upon the generosity of individuals, businesses, and organizations in Aiken County to continue our mission.
Founded in 1961, the University of South Carolina Aiken is a public university that offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the arts, humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and professional disciplines. USC Aiken pumps more than $281 million into the South Carolina economy annually, most of which benefits Aiken and Aiken County.
