Ridgeway’s Cherry Hill Club tees off for youth golf program

An organization dedicated to teaching kids life skills through the sport of golf has received a financial boost from the Cherry Hill Club in Ridgeway.

Proceeds from various events held over the past year to celebrate the club’s 100th anniversary were donated to First Tee Ontario and First Tee Western New York. Each club received $1,670.

“We wanted to give back to the game that we have been fortunate to enjoy at Cherry Hill for generations,” said Mike Reynolds, the club’s president. “First Tee is a great organization that teaches life skills while introducing youth to the wonderful game of golf.”

Reynolds said it was a natural fit to help out First Tee.

“We’re proud to be launching this partnership,” Reynolds said. “Cherry Hill was founded in Ridgeway by a group of nine men from Buffalo. We have always embodied the spirit of bi-national co-operation behind this new initiative, and we are excited to lend our club’s support.”

Jason Hraynyk of First Tee Ontario said the organization is new to Canada so the funding — and the partnership with First Tee Western New York — is important.

“Tim (First Tee Western New York’s Tim Karches) and I met in Dallas and just started working together instantly,” Hraynyk said. “First Tee launched in late 2020 here in Canada, so the opportunity as a new operation to work and collaborate with an established chapter like Western New York will be beneficial to our chapter and benefit young golfers from the US and Canada.”

“Hundreds of kids across Western New York are in the program,” Karches said. “We’re bringing the two sides together.”

First Tee, Karches, said, is a way to teach kids the skills they need in life in a fun way through sport, adding that if they continue in the sport it is a bonus.

“We like to say, ‘Better golfers, better people.'”

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