First Tee Coachella Valley
Issue link: https://digital.insidegolfmedia.com/i/1510231
2 • First Tee – Coachella Valley Magazine • Fall 2023 O ne of the hardest decisions I made as a high school student was the summer be- fore my junior year, when I went home and told my dad I was going to hang up my tennis rackets and start swinging golf clubs as my number 1 sport. Little did I know at the time that the decision would lead me to be- coming a PGA Member, having a 20-plus year career in golf, and now with the utmost excitement being able to announce I am the new Executive Director for First Tee – Coachella Valley. I am very proud to call myself a Golf Professional and PGA Member, but as I advanced my ca- reer there was an emptiness in- side that wasn't being filled. That empty tank got a splash of high- octane happiness when I coached my first class with First Tee – San Francisco in 2009. First Tee Pro- gramming simply made sense! I understood the mission from the get-go; after that class I marched up to the Executive Di- rector's office and told her if there was ever a chance to work full time for the chapter, please keep me in mind. That opportunity came a year or so later and I was able to be a part of First Tee – San Francisco's family the last four years of residing in the Bay Area. Six years ago, I relocated to Palm Springs, fell back into golf opera- tions and my emotional tank started to lower again. After three years of desert living, I realized I was in a professional rut. Teal Thron, FTCV's former Executive Director, pulled me out of those dol- drums by offering me a part-time coaching job, and just like that, the pit in my stomach began to ease, I was coming home happier and enjoying golf again. I knew my ca- reer path was back on track. First Sweet Success < Kyle Winn is the new Executive Director of the First Tee – Coachella Valley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Taking the reins at First Tee - Coachella Valley: My commitment to growth and collaboration NEW BEGINNINGS