Up & Down Golfwear launched our business and a website a little over a year ago. We were incredibly excited to open up shop for sales and had a nice little pop. A big thank you to all who supported our lifestyle with a purchase! So where have we been since then? Although we've been quiet on the surface, we've actually been quite busy behind the scenes by laying the groundwork for what we believe in. That is, 'Helping You Get Up & Down...On and Off the Course'.

Over the past year, we reached out to the First Tee of Tampa Bay to see how we can help out. As our local community's youth is a priority, Up & Down Golfwear offered to initiate the process of transforming their education to an interactive and engaging online modality. Over the course of many months, we have volunteered to develop online education for their PLAYer level course. The hope is that these online courses will not only create engaging activities for our tech savvy youth, but also provide a more easily manageable and reportable means for assessing progress by it's leaders. Early this fall, Up & Down Golfwear and the First Tee of Tampa Bay initiated a pilot at a local school to begin testing our efforts. With the help of the outstanding leaders at the First Tee of Tampa Bay, we are excited to evaluate the testing process we are going through now in order to make improvements. Our goal is to first create a meaningful tool for their PLAYer program, then use that as a template to develop tools for the rest of the First Tee's programs. Ultimately, we hope our combined efforts can lead to a complete transformation to having online tools available for all aspects of the First Tee's programs. Up & Down Golfwear is committed to owning this process as we will continue to volunteer our efforts in the development and implementation of this process.

To assist with the process, Up & Down Golfwear has also procured a Learning Management System (LMS). This site enables the online education to take place so that First Tee of Tampa members can login to access the learning and so that it's leaders can monitor progress, provide feedback, and report on activities. Up & Down Golfwear is donating the cost and managing this site so that this can all be possible for the online education within the First Tee of Tampa Bay.

Remember, you don't have to be a golfer to support us. Although we sell golf apparel, we are more importantly selling a lifestyle. Up & Down Golfwear: Helping You Get Up and Down...On and Off the Course. Whether it's for you or a golfer you know, check us out and grab some gear.

Thank you,

Sean Caffrey

Owner, Up & Down Golfwear

This fall, Up & Down Golfwear donated to the East Coast Hawkeye Greyhound Ball which helped raise money for the VVOSA & VAW/VRC Memorial Scholarship Fund. 

To summarize from their website:

"The mission of the VAW/VRC Memorial Scholarship Fund is to provide for the Navy family in the higher education of its children, and in particular, those of active duty or reserve service members in the VAW and VRC communities who are lost as a result of a combat aircraft loss or as a result of a military aviation-related mishap, or U.S. Navy enlisted personnel who are lost as a result of a combat aircraft loss or as a result of a military aviation-related mishap while assigned to a VAW or VRC squadron."

We were able to put a package together for a raffle including Up & Down Golfwear gear and a round of golf for four at Virginia Beach National Golf Club. A big thank you to Russ Dodson (PGA Head Golf Professional at VB National) who kindly donated the golf passes.

Along with all of the others who donated packages, the VVOSA & VAW/VRC Memorial Scholarship Fund was able to raise a total of $10,291 for their organization. Up & Down Golfwear is proud to have played a small role in this event by helping the generous donors get "up & down" on the course in order to help these kids get "up & down" off the course. We will continue to support this organization as it is very dear to us.

To learn more about the VVOSA & VAW/VRC Memorial Scholarship Fund or make a donation, visit their website at:

http://www.vaw-vrc-memorialfund.org

To book a great round of golf at VB National, visit them at:

http://www.vbnational.com

Up & Down Golfwear is proud to donate to Friends of the Poor Walk. A great organization dedicated to helping those in need. There is an event this weekend and further donations are always welcome.

If you are on their website and wish to contribute, consider donating on behalf of someone participating in the events. Might we suggest donating on behalf of Dr. Mary Sullivan...we did. She is an amazing woman who has spent years in education and has also groomed many young educators in preparing for their teaching endeavors. In our view, Dr. Sullivan has spent a lifetime of helping people get up and down. We salute her.  

A snapshot of the cause is listed below. Click on the link below it to learn more about the Friends of the Poor Walk and to donate.

https://www.svdpusa.net/fop/index.php?action=pledg...

Up & Down Golfwear was proud to volunteer as a group monitor for a First Tee of Tampa Bay event last Sunday at Northdale Golf Club. Wet conditions and a little rain didn't stop a great group of boys and girls from competing and performing well. We look forward to getting more involved with this great organization in the future.

To learn more about great things The First Tee of Tampa Bay does or to make a donation to them, follow the link below:

http://www.thefirstteetampabay.org/club/scripts/se...

At Up & Down Golfwear, we believe in helping people get up & down...both on and off the course. It has been a long road over the last few years getting the business started. In the first two weeks since launching the website early in the summer, we almost hit our first milestone (hopefully of many) by nearly grossing our first $1000 in sales. In keeping with the spirit of helping people get up & down off the course, we could not think of a better way to start then to round up and give it all away. It is with extreme pleasure that we make our first donation to a scholarship fund my father helped to create for children of fallen aviators. This organization is the VAW/VRC Memorial Scholarship Fund. Below briefly describes its mission:

 "The mission of the VAW/VRC Memorial Scholarship Fund is to provide for the Navy family in the higher education of its children, and in particular, those of active duty or reserve service members in the VAW and VRC communities who are lost as a result of a combat aircraft loss or as a result of a military aviation-related mishap, or U.S. Navy enlisted personnel who are lost as a result of a combat aircraft loss or as a result of a military aviation-related mishap while assigned to a VAW or VRC squadron."

This is an organization we will proudly continue to support as Up & Down Golfwear grows. To learn more about the VAW/VRC Memorial Scholarship Fund, or to make a donation directly to them, click on the links provided below:

Website: http://www.vaw-vrc-memorialfund.org/History.html

Donate:  http://www.vaw-vrc-memorialfund.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/VVOSA-the-VAWVRC-Me...

Thank you for all of your support!

In life, par is a good score. We understand that, sometimes, people may need a little help making par in life.  Up & Down Golfwear will be dedicated to finding ways to give back to the community and get involved helping groups get up and down off the course. We are currently in talks with a few organizations as to how we can help by donating contributions and time. We encourage you to visit our Blog from time to time to see how we are helping.