First Tee Delmarva Scramble set for May 9

Building on the success of last year’s inaugural event, the First Tee of Delaware will hold its second annual Delmarva Scramble fundraiser at Rehoboth Beach Country Club Monday, May 9.

The First Tee of Delaware is part of a national program that uses golf as a critical pathway for life skills and character development. The program initially enjoyed success in upstate Delaware, but more recently expanded significantly in southern Delaware and Worcester County, Md. 

PGA professional Scott Allen, the former golf coach for the University of Pennsylvania and George Washington University, is the southern Delaware coordinator for First Tee Delaware. In a recent interview, he noted that last year’s programs took place at four Sussex County golf courses. These included four- to five-week life skills sessions, golf clinics and family fun days. 

The 2022 calendar adds four more Sussex-area courses along with a program held at Ocean Resorts in Berlin, Md. The first 2022 program will take place Sunday, March 6, with a girls’ high school golf prep clinic at Mulligan’s Pointe in Georgetown.

Allen said the First Tee also provides programming at several Sussex County schools in addition to nonprofits such as the Boys & Girls Clubs. Between 250 and 300 downstate children were helped in 2021. He expects that number to jump with the expanded offerings. 

The scramble’s $225 individual entry fee includes green fee, cart, lunch, golfer gift, and contest games and prizes. Foursome packages are available, as are sponsorship opportunities running from $100 to $7,500.

Tournament-day registration begins at 10:30 a.m., followed by welcoming remarks at 11:45 and a noon shotgun start.

For more information, go to FTDMS22.givesmart.com.

Allen also discussed the First Tee’s golf club Rescue and Recycle program. Sales of reconditioned donated equipment raise funds for First Tee. Other restored clubs are made available to students who want to play golf but need an equipment boost to make that happen. With the newly expanded southern Delaware sessions, those donations would really help, he said.

First Tee programs rely on volunteer coaches who complete a training cycle focused on life skills and healthy habits elements. An online training element provides a convenient entry point. The national First Tee pays for the necessary criminal background check expenses. Additional in-person training takes place in four- to five-hour sessions scheduled throughout the year.

Interested Cape Region coach volunteers should contact First Tee at scottftde@gmail.com, charmatftde@gmail.com, bobnorristftde@gmail.com, or businessmanagerftde@gmail.com.

Italian style with Portuguese craftsmanship

The typical golf shoes currently seen on courses throughout the United States bear a direct resemblance to running shoes, or trainers, or sneakers, as some of us still call them. 

This was deliberate. For the last 30 years or so (thank you, Tiger Woods!) golf has emphasized its athletic elements. These shoe styles helped reinforce that impression. It also tracked the general societal trend toward ever-more-casual fashion choices off the golf course.

It wasn’t always this way. 

Some Cape Region golfers are old enough to remember heavy, solid black or solid white or, God help us, brown-and-white leather saddle shoes, with long steel spikes that could deflate an unsuspecting soccer ball in the wrong circumstances.

There is still a place in golf for stylish leather shoes that no one would mistake for running shoes. The newer versions also perform better than their predecessors, taking advantage of athletic technology without the athletic appearance – and without those long spikes, either.

Sometimes you just want to look your best while doing something fun.

Italian-heritage shoe company Duca del Cosma understands this style-minded goal and is happy to help.

Established in Italy in 2004, Duca’s founders emphasized style and forward-looking fashion in its golf shoes, apparel and high-end accessories. Now headquartered in Amsterdam, the company combines soft Italian leather uppers with performance technology in the soles, while keeping to a strong fashion look. Joost Luiten represents the brand on the DP European Tour.

The leather shoes are handcrafted by an extended family in Portugal, a country that also enjoys a great reputation for creating high-quality footwear. At the 2022 PGA Show, a Duca representative told me the Portuguese family members take vacation as a group for the month of January. This custom makes Duca’s supply chain a bit more challenging, but the owners understand and accept the arrangement.

Among the men’s options, the Eldorado in white or black and the Elpaso in white or navy continue the high-end leather look (all $229 SRP). Other styles, such as the Belair with its blue-and-white saddle features, have a more activewear appearance ($209 SRP). The women’s lines offer vibrant colors such as the leather Festiva Red shoe ($169 SRP).

The shoes can be bought directly at the company’s website, ducadelcosma.us, as well as green grass shops and PGA Tour Superstores.