WHAT: Kicking off a week of world-class golf in the Orlando area, the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by MasterCard is hosting more than 100 elementary Orange County Public School (OCPS) students and their parents for the Coca Cola Youth Clinic on the Bay Hill driving range next Monday. As part of The First Tee educational golf program, which is sponsored by the Tournament within 50 Orange County elementary schools, this educational youth clinic features an interactive presentation by PGA TOUR player Billy Andrade on the sport of golf and what it is like to be a professional player, with the opportunity for several students to test their golf skills on the Bay Hill driving range.
WHO: More than 100 OCPS students and their parents join PGA TOUR player Billy Andrade for this interactive presentation. Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by MasterCard Tournament Director Scott Wellington will serve as the clinic host.
VISUALS: OCPS elementary school students fill the stands overlooking the legendary Bay Hill course to learn more about the sport of golf, and its values of sportsmanship and discipline. PGA TOUR player Billy Andrade, talks with them about the basics of golf while a select group of students utilize The First Tee golf training equipment to test their skills on a world-class course.
WHEN: Monday, March 23, 4:30 p.m.
WHERE: Driving Range
Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge
9000 Bay Hill Boulevard
Orlando, FL 32819
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The First Tee National School Program is an entry-level golf curriculum designed to be part of elementary school physical education programs. Taught by physical education teachers and based on national physical education standards, the National School Program is a safe, fun and effective way to introduce school children to the basics in golf skills, etiquette and play. The program also includes the element of character education by including as a key objective in each lesson The First Tee Nine Core Values (honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, courtesy and judgment).
In 2006, The First Tee partnered with the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by MasterCard, providing full funding for the program along with the PGA TOUR, to bring the National School Program to the OCPS District. Fifty elementary schools receive ongoing program support with more than 20,000 elementary students participating.
“The goal is to present the game of golf to the students at a young age in the same way sports like basketball, baseball, football and soccer are presented,” said Tournament Director Scott Wellington. “We hope the program helps build participation among the children of Orlando, the next generation of fans for the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by MasterCard and the PGA TOUR.”
“Through The First Tee National School Program we are able to expose a wide range of students to golf and its inherent values,” said Joe Louis Barrow, Jr., executive director of The First Tee program. “As we expand each year to schools across the country, more and more children will learn this valuable life sport and have the choice to make it a part of their lives.”
So far, the National School Program has introduced golf and the values of the game to more than one million students in more than 2,600 schools across the nation.
About Billy Andrade
Billy Andrade is a four time winner of the PGA TOUR. Along with Brad Faxon, he runs Billy Andrade/Brad Faxon Charities for Children Inc., which was formed in 1991 and has raised more than $7 million for children in R.I. and southeastern Mass. In 1999, the duo was honored by Golf Writers Association of America with the Charlie Bartlett Award, given to playing professionals for their unselfish contributions to society. Andrade was also the Co-host with Faxon at the CVS Charity Classic at Rhode Island CC, and inducted into the Wake Forest Hall of Fame in 2004. Visit http://www.pgatour.com/players/00/10/24/ to view his stats and recent PGA TOUR news.
About the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by MasterCard
The Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by MasterCard will hold its 31st annual tournament March 23-29, 2009. As one one of Central Florida’s signature events, the tournament is a premier sporting event and a highlight of the PGA TOUR, attracting some of the greatest talent in golf. The entire event is overseen and directed by one of the game’s all-time greats — Arnold Palmer. Proceeds from the tournament benefit the Arnold Palmer Medical Center Foundation, including Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies. For more information visit ArnoldPalmerInvitational.com.