How a grassroots start grew into a citywide force for youth development
BY LAUREN WITHROW (CDGA Magazine, November 2025)
At four years old, Jasmine McGhee was barely tall enough to carry the golf bag slung across her shoulders. Now a 17-year-old senior at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, McGhee laughs at the image of her young self during those formative First Tee lessons: shy, timid and thrust into a sport completely new to her and her family.
McGhee still remembers the instructors who called her “Jazzy” and gave her constant high-ves, the older kids who cheered her on every time she made contact, and the kids who tried to convince her that Gatorade was the “best drink ever.”
What stuck with McGhee most wasn’t her rst perfect shot, but the way one instructor, Brandon White, would constantly encourage her to play with the older kids.Coach Brandon would say, ‘Jasmine, you need to push yourself. I got you,” she remembers. It was encouragement that turned practices into friendships and golf lessons into something much bigger.
McGhee grew up in First Tee, and First Tee – Greater Chicago grew with her.
What started as a single program on Chicago’s public golf courses has grown into a citywide network changing the lives of thousands of kids every year.
In 2000, First Tee – Greater Chicago launched through a partnership between KemperSports founder Steve Lesnik and then-Mayor Richard M. Daley, bringing the national youth golf and character-building program to Chicago for the very first time.
The earliest programs ran on borrowed practice areas at Chicago Park District courses with part-time sta, volunteer coaches and minimal funding. However, the mission was clear: use golf to teach life skills and open doors for kids across the city.
Over 25 years, the humble grassroots beginnings grew into one of the most impactful youth development programs in Chicago-area sports. First Tee – Greater Chicago now serves more than 8,300 youth annually across 11 program sites, including three year-round facilities, dozens of schools and 20 partner organizations – the CDGA among them.
The milestone carries personal weight for Josh Lesnik, First Tee – Greater Chicago board member and KemperSports Executive Vice President, who watched his father help launch the chapter in 2000.
