09 Jun ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH THE FIRST TEE TO BRING YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM TO ESSEX COUNTY HENDRICKS FIELD GOLF COURSE IN BELLEVILLE
Published on June 9, 2021
New Youth Practice Facility will include 4,000-square-foot Learning Center
and Three-Hole Practice Holes
Belleville, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. announced a partnership with First Tee to create a Learning Center and three-hole practice course for the youth development program at Essex County Hendricks Field Golf Course in Belleville on Wednesday, June 9th. This will be the second First Tee program established in Essex County and will enable the organization to enroll more children in its programs. The First Tee is a nationally recognized youth development program that uses the game of golf to help youth develop leadership skills, learn life lessons and prepare academically for higher education. Essex County welcomed The First Tee to Weequahic Golf Course in Newark in 2005.
“The First Tee has been a tremendous asset at Weequahic Park, teaching the game of golf to new generations of young people and preparing them for higher education and life’s challenges. Expanding our partnership to Hendricks Field is a wonderful opportunity to provide enriching recreational alternatives to another area of our county and enable more young people to take advantage of it,” DiVincenzo said.
The First Tee Learning Center at Hendricks Field will have a 4,000-square-foot building that has indoor and outdoor practice areas, a classroom for STEM instruction, offices, restrooms and storage space. The golf training rooms will have garage doors that can be opened so students can stand indoors and hit balls out of the building during inclement or cold weather. This also allows programs to be offered year-round. The classroom space will enable a STEM Summer Academy, tutoring and SAT prep activities to be offered.
“We are so thankful to County Executive DiVincenzo for his continued partnership and support, along with the Ryan family and our donors who will make our work to serve more Essex youth possible at this new First Tee Campus,” said Ed Brockner, First Tee Executive Director. “This remarkable learning center designed by the talented architects at Rogers McCagg, along with the beautifully renovated golf course, will allow us to introduce more youth to our recreation and Path to College programs with a focus on outreach those in need.”
“The First Tee has been great bringing in new generations of diverse young people into the game of golf. Just think about the opportunities this creates and the opportunities for development for our youth,” NJ State Senator and Deputy Chief of Staff Teresa Ruiz said.
“This is another wonderful occasion in Essex County. I take my hat off to the County Executive for all he does. Projects like this elevate Essex County and make us number one,” Commissioner President Wayne Richardson said. “I look forward to this First Tee program continuing to introduce the game of golf to younger more diverse populations,” Commissioner Vice President Carlos Pomares said. “This is a top-notch facility and program. Not only does The First Tee introduce young people to the game of golf, it offers an array of academic and enrichment programs,” Commissioner Brendan Gill said.
This past weekend, The First Tee Chief Strategy Officer Katie Rudolph was at the LPGA tournament where she coached Megha Ganne, who learned the game at The First Tee program at Weequahic Golf Course. “Something like that would not have been possible without the support given by Joe DiVincenzo and Essex County. What Essex is doing is better than any other First Tee program is getting,” Rudolph added.
“I want to thank Joe D. for his commitment to getting projects done. This will be a tremendous asset in Belleville and is a great opportunity for children,” Belleville Mayor Michael Melham said.
Already under construction is a three-hole Learning Links short course in the northeast corner of Hendricks Field. Seven acres of Hendricks Field Golf Course will become part of the First Tee Campus that will include three practice holes ranging in length from 50 to 160 yards. One of the holes will be designed in the shape of a Biarritz, which has a larger green area in line the classical design of the Hendricks course. This green will be an excellent teaching area where 10 to 12 students can be lined up for chipping practice.
A new entry point for The First Tee program will be created on Joralemon Street in Belleville, just a short distance from the Belleville Recreation Department Building. A small parking lot to accommodate First Tee participants and their parents will be created.
The First Tee currently enrolls more than 600 youth annually in its program at Essex County Weequahic Golf Course in Newark.
The First Tee hired Rogers McCagg, a Connecticut-based architectural firm that specializes in golf course facilities. APS Contracting Inc. from Paterson was awarded a publicly bid contract for $1,987,000 to build the learning facility. The County will fund the construction of the clubhouse with a grant received from the NJ Department of Community Affairs. It is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2021.
Currently underway at Hendricks Field is a comprehensive renovation and modernization project. Three holes of Hendricks Field are being incorporated into the area being used by The First Tee. Three new holes for the course are being created in a remote area of Branch Brook Park off of Belleville Avenue. Historical documents show that area of Branch Brook Park originally were dedicated for golf course use. Improvements to the greens, bunkers and drainage and irrigation systems throughout the entire golf course are included in the project as well as the modernization of restroom facilities in the main clubhouse on Franklin Avenue. The course is scheduled to open for nine-hole play this summer. All 18 holes will be reopened for play later this year.
Revitalizing Essex County Hendricks Field Golf Course
Hendricks Field received its first major facelift in 2008 and 2009 when all three of the County’s public courses were renovated. In 2011, streetscape improvements and new fencing were made along Franklin Avenue and Belleville Avenue and a new patio was created at the golf course entrance on Franklin Avenue.
The Essex County Park System was created in 1895 and is the first county park system established in the United States. The Park System consists of more than 6,000 acres and has 23 parks, five reservations, an environmental center, a zoo, ice skating rink, roller skating rink, three public golf courses, golf driving range, five off-leash dog facilities, a castle and the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens. The land for Hendricks Field Golf Course was deeded to Essex County by Harmon W. Hendricks in 1924. The golf course was designed by Charles Banks and opened in 1929.