Coach of the year teaches golf to more than 100 kids each week

Glen Beaver goes from child to child on the driving range at Royal Palm Beach Commons Park.

Beaver teaches golf to more than 100 children each week.

Beaver was recently recognized as the Coach of the Year by the First Tee's Florida Gold Coast program. The program aims to make the sport accessible to anyone. Beaver runs one of the largest groups on the program.

“I’ve had the advantage of being able to show people they can believe in themselves,” he said.

The children he coaches agree.

“It just feels so good when you know that you’re actually doing something right and he’s telling you constantly, you’ve got to work on this. And it’s finally paying off. It’s such a good feeling,” explained Mateo Muniz.

Muniz started golfing with Beaver and turned into a committed, competitive golfer.

“I fell in love with golf, I knew that this was something I wanted to do,” Muniz said.

Jenni Atkins says she noticed the coach’s influence on her children.

“The kind of things coach Glen would teach through golf, it kind of spills over into life,” she said. “He sets his expectations really high and my kids meet it.”

Cherie Lee is also a parent. She says the First Tee values and Beaver’s approach work well in her family.

“He’s always teaching them the 9 core values, which is honesty, integrity, character,” she started to list.

Beaver says he’s grateful for the chance to do this work, and that he loves to encourage the kids to build confidence in themselves.

“I come from a family that has a rare disease and so two of my brothers have it, and one of my brothers passed away, so for me to be able to do this every day is just unbelievable. I’m just very fortunate,” he said.

Scripps Only Content 2022