From Newark To Belleville: ‘First Tee’ Golf Program Expands – Patch.com

BELLEVILLE, NJ — Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. recently announced a partnership with First Tee to create a Learning Center and three-hole practice course for the youth development program at Essex County Hendricks Field Golf Course in Belleville on Wednesday, June 9.

This will be the second First Tee program established in Essex County and will enable the organization to enroll more children in its programs, officials said.

The First Tee is a nationally recognized youth development program that uses the game of golf to help youth develop leadership skills, learn life lessons and prepare academically for higher education.

Essex County welcomed The First Tee to Weequahic Golf Course in Newark in 2005. The First Tee currently enrolls more than 600 youth annually in its program at Essex County Weequahic Golf Course in Newark.

“The First Tee has been a tremendous asset at Weequahic Park, teaching the game of golf to new generations of young people and preparing them for higher education and life’s challenges,” DiVincenzo said. “Expanding our partnership to Hendricks Field is a wonderful opportunity to provide enriching recreational alternatives to another area of our county and enable more young people to take advantage of it.”

According to a county news release, the First Tee Learning Center at Hendricks Field will have a 4,000-square-foot building that has indoor and outdoor practice areas, a classroom for STEM instruction, offices, restrooms and storage space. The golf training rooms will have garage doors that can be opened so students can stand indoors and hit balls out of the building during inclement or cold weather. This also allows programs to be offered year-round. The classroom space will enable a STEM Summer Academy, tutoring and SAT prep activities to be offered.

County officials continued:

“Already under construction is a three-hole Learning Links short course in the northeast corner of Hendricks Field. Seven acres of Hendricks Field Golf Course will become part of the First Tee Campus that will include three practice holes ranging in length from 50 to 160 yards. One of the holes will be designed in the shape of a Biarritz, which has a larger green area in line the classical design of the Hendricks course. This green will be an excellent teaching area where 10 to 12 students can be lined up for chipping practice. A new entry point for The First Tee program will be created on Joralemon Street in Belleville, just a short distance from the Belleville Recreation Department Building. A small parking lot to accommodate First Tee participants and their parents will be created.”

The First Tee hired Rogers McCagg, a Connecticut-based architectural firm that specializes in golf course facilities. APS Contracting Inc. from Paterson was awarded a publicly bid contract for $1,987,000 to build the learning facility. The county will fund the construction of the clubhouse with a grant received from the NJ Department of Community Affairs. It is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2021, officials said.

“The First Tee has been great bringing in new generations of diverse young people into the game of golf. Just think about the opportunities this creates and the opportunities for development for our youth,” New Jersey state Senator Teresa Ruiz said.

Commissioner President Wayne Richardson said the project helps “elevate” the county, a sentiment shared by fellow commissioners Carlos Pomares and Brendan Gill, as well as Belleville Mayor Michael Melham.

Meanwhile, a comprehensive renovation and modernization project is underway at Hendricks Field, officials noted. According to a county news release:

“Three holes of Hendricks Field are being incorporated into the area being used by The First Tee. Three new holes for the course are being created in a remote area of Branch Brook Park off of Belleville Avenue. Historical documents show that area of Branch Brook Park originally were dedicated for golf course use. Improvements to the greens, bunkers and drainage and irrigation systems throughout the entire golf course are included in the project as well as the modernization of restroom facilities in the main clubhouse on Franklin Avenue. The course is scheduled to open for nine-hole play this summer. All 18 holes will be reopened for play later this year.”

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