Grant Backus and his son Grady on Hilton Head Island.
The head superintendent for First Tee-The Lowcountry exemplifies the transformative spirit of the organization.
The beauty of something like The First Tee is how it can come to mean so much to so many.
There will be kids who enter into one of their programs, either at school or at their expansive Gumtree Road facility, and simply learn to be better golfers. And there’s nothing wrong with that – even though it just scratches the surface of what First Tee offers, it can be an important skill later on in life or at the very least can keep a child active.
But then, there will be the kids who find themselves transformed for the better by these programs. These are the kids who will not only fine-tune their approach shot and their short game, but will also discover an entirely new way of looking at life. The lessons they take away from First Tee will about far more than just the game of golf, staying with them long after they’ve left the course.
And that’s the key component that sets The First Tee apart. Alongside instruction from seasoned golf professionals, students are taught about the nine core values of the organization – Honesty, Integrity, Responsibility, Respect, Courtesy, Sportsmanship, Judgment, Perseverance, and Confidence.
“I think most people will say that golf builds character. I think that’s not necessarily true unless you’re very intentional about it. And that’s what we do,” said Pat Zuk, Executive Director for First Tee-The Lowcountry.
But it’s not just the students whose lives are changed by First Tee. Ask any instructor and they’ll tell you that the rewards they get from working with these kids are vast. But if you ask First Tee’s superintendent, Grant Backus, and he’ll tell you how First Tee has had a profound impact on his life.
A native of Ohio, he graduated from The Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences Wooster Campus with a degree in turf management. Like many of his fellow Buckeye natives, he got here as quickly as he could, starting in Palmetto Dunes. It was there he met his wife Stephanie, and it was while pursuing his career that he welcomed his son Grady eight years ago.
And it was still a calling that excited him every day, until it all fell apart.
“I was out of work in 2020 when everything shut down during the COVID pandemic,” he said. “First Tee picked me up when I was in a difficult place.”
Finding purpose in First Tee who brought him on to serve as superintendent, allowed him to pursue his calling while the world was on lockdown. “It was great to be on the team and just being able to work in golf during the pandemic.”
It not only allowed his dream to survive, it allowed his dream to thrive. Bolstered by the opportunity First Tee-The Lowcountry had given him, he dug into his entrepreneurial spirit and Backus Turf Services was born. You’ll still find him tending the greens at First Tee and other places such as Shipyard, but now he’s doing it for himself, standing on his own two feet thanks to a hand up from First Tee.
“It was an uncertain time, but it turned out to be a huge blessing,” he said. “I’m so grateful for what First Tee did.”
To see the results of Backus’ hard work and dedication, visit the First Tee Par-3 campus located at 151 Gum Tree Road. Open to everyone for practice or play 7 days a week. Visit https://firstteelowcountry.org/about/facility for more information.
