First Tee Monterey County names Nick Nelson CEO

© Provided by Monterey Herald Rafiq Griffin, center, 9, and other members of First Tee San Francisco shake hands with professional golfer Jim Thorpe during the first round of the Champions Tour’s Nature Valley First Tee Open golf tournament at Del Monte Golf Course in 2011. (Monterey Herald file)

Nick Nelson, Executive Director of First Tee Monterey County, has been appointed new CEO of the nonprofit organization.

“Nick has been an integral part of our chapter since we began operations many years ago,”  said Geoff Couch, the board chair of Future Citizens Foundation in a press release. “With his institutional knowledge and dedication to our kids, I believe we could not  have a more qualified leader.”

First Tee began in 1997 as a partnership among the LPGA, the Masters Tournament, the PGA of America, the PGA TOUR, and the USGA to make golf affordable and accessible for all kids according to its website. It aims to introduce the game to kids while also introducing a life skills curriculum.

Nelson has been with First Tee since 2002 when it established its Monterey County chapter. The chapter began programming in 2004 and currently impacts almost 10,000 young people a  year. Nelson is now responsible for not only First Tee, but also overseeing its Taylor Farms Center for  Learning and Pay It Forward Scholarship and Mentoring program. The Center for Learning is at The First Tee of Monterey Campus in Salinas.

“I am looking forward to fulfilling the founders’ dream of positively impacting youth throughout the county,  building youth-focused facilities on the Peninsula and also in South County as well as increasing our support from the local community,” Nelson said in a press release.

The chapter began programming in 2004 and currently impacts almost 10,000 young people a  year.