With its mission firmly in mind, and now firmly rooted in the Shenango Valley, The First Tee golf program is now enjoying the chance to fine tune the program, and give young golfers as much instruction and as much inspiration as it possibly can.

With Carol Dunkerly at the helm, The First Tee program at the Buhl Farm Golf Course has flourished, bringing golf and life instruction to kids for little or no cost. To enhance that experience, Dunkerly has tweaked this year's schedule in an attempt to give kids more days in every week on the golf course and working on their skills. Moreover, she has added the local program's first full-time instructor, who will be available every day to help those skills along.

According to Dunkerly, First Tee will offer seven different sessions this summer, with each session consisting of six classes. In an attempt to create a more constant flow of instruction in each session, classes will be held on consecutive days with no classes on Saturday, Sunday and Monday of each week.

"The point is to send as many people as possible to the next level," Dunkerly said of the schedule change, "moving people from the par-level to birdie, and the birdies to eagle. It will get people here every day, and that will be more efficient, especially with the large number of golfers, to have that continuity."

Last year's First Tee program attracted 390 young golfers, and this year Dunkerly and new director of instruction Jim Fammartino said they hope to up that number to around 460.

"I think the kids' attention spans are more geared to playing every day," Dunkerly said. "They will retain more than they would if they were only here twice a week."

Adding Fammartino, a former instructor with the First Tee program at Beaver Falls, assistant golf coach at Blackhawk High School and graduate of the Golf Academy of the Carolinas (S.C.), furthers the purpose of everyday golf. Fammartino will join a pair of resident pros already on The First Tee staff in Terry Danko (Oak Tree) and Brad Phillips (Sharon Country Club), but comes on board as they only full-time instructor.

"My hope is to develop young people into golfers and to use golf as a vehicle to make them better human beings," Fammartino said.

"Golf is fun, but it takes honor. You keep your own score and you call your own penalties. It's a little different than other organized sports in that way. It's just you out there. When you hit that ball way out there, you have to pick up the pieces."

The new First Tee instructor said he hopes to inspire kids to see the fun in golf, however, and not lose sight of it in search of better skills.

"I usually tell them, 'Go out and have more fun than I used to,' because I took the game very seriously when I was their age."

In an attempt to help finance what is a truly free golf experience for kids, First Tee will this year be accepting voluntary $6 donations from members. According to Dunkerly, it's a small price to pay in order to become involved in a sport that can't be cheaply played for too long. And any funds that are generated will be used for everyday expenses like maintenance of the building and providing equipment and materials for golfers.

"It will help deflate some costs for us," Dunkerly said. "This is a voluntary donation; they don't have to pay it. But people would be surprised at how far that money will go.

"People that are going to go on in the sport of golf need to know it's not an inexpensive sport to play, especially at a higher level. If they want to move on, it will only get more expensive. You won't play anywhere free, but here."

The organization also received another pleasant financial surprise recently when the United States Golf Association announced it was awarding a $25,000 grant to the Buhl Farm Trust to assist the program.

Part of that money is being used to pay Fammartino.

"We are so grateful to receive this grant from the USGA," Dunkerly said. "The money we have been awarded will allow us to continue improving our program."

"This is a unique program, because it impacts so many deserving youth and because it allows all golfers in the area to play the course for free, said USGA president Trey Holland via a release. "We feel confident youth involved in this program will be impacted through their association with the game of golf."

Registration for the 2001 First Tee program will be from 1-3 p.m. May 19 at The First Tee Building at Buhl Farm Golf Course.