The Chi Chi Rodriguez Youth Foundation is using the game of golf to transform the lives of students across Pinellas County.
Founded in 1979, by professional golfer Chi Chi Rodriguez, Raymond James Financial founder Bob James and former educator and golfer Bill Hayes, the foundation serves children through education and character development programs on its 170-acre Clearwater campus.
That campus includes school buildings, an educational center, a public driving range and an 18-hole golf course that opened in 1989.
Before building its own campus, the foundation offered after-school programs at the Clearwater-based Glen Oaks golf course.
The Chi Chi Rodgriuez Youth Foundation runs two primary programs, using golf as a vehicle to teach core values. Revenue from the golf course and range funds about 20 percent of the operations.
The first program, the Chi Chi Rodriguez Academy, is a public-private partnership with Pinellas County Schools that serves fifth through eighth-grade students who are academically, or behaviorally, at risk. The foundation provides facilities, golf equipment, classroom supplies and an academy director, while the school district supplies teachers, curriculum, transportation, meals and security.
Students are recommended for the academy by district guidance counselors. For the 2025–26 school year, the school expects to operate seven classrooms serving about 126 students.
The second program, First Tee Clearwater, uses the foundation’s facilities to offer after-school programs, summer camps and weekend events aimed at teaching golf alongside life skills. It reaches about 3,000 young people, each year, in North Pinellas County and scholarships are available for participants.
James Poulter, chief executive officer of the foundation, said the goal is to honor Rodriguez’s legacy by giving back.
“We’re going to continue his legacy by believing in the mission, by continuing to support the kids in our community that need help to get back on track, both socially [and] academically and providing them a safe place to come and learn and focus on their future,” Poulter said.
Golf, he added, is more than just a sport.
“It’s a great sport—anybody can play it—but also you can tell a lot about somebody on the golf course,” he said. “We teach the kids about different core values such as honesty, integrity, respect, sportsmanship, [and] perseverance, all of those values that are part of the game.”
In addition to golf and academics, students take part in horticulture and business programs. They maintain two gardens: one for growing vegetables and another designed as a habitat for butterflies and caterpillars. The projects are aimed at teaching nutrition, sustainability and care for the environment.
Students also shadow foundation and course employees to gain exposure to job roles and operations.
Every two weeks, academy students may visit a general store on campus, where they can spend school currency earned through good behavior. Eighth graders manage the store, gaining hands-on experience in business operations.
All these experiences help to boost students’ confidence levels and academic ability.
Hearing about former students’ accomplishments is inspiring and encourages the team to serve even more young people, Poulter explained.
“The biggest impact that we have is when the kids grow up and come back and visit us. We get to hear the stories of how we helped them get back on track and how they may have continued their success in life whether that be continuing their education, or getting a job, [or] starting a family,” he said. “That’s the biggest reward that we get.”
Poulter added that the need for the foundation’s work remains strong. There will always be children who need guidance and support. “Our mission is consistent and needed,” he says.