About

Executive Director

Phone: 603-964-3033
Email: csargent@firstteenh.org

Chris Sargent has a passion and love for golf, and truly believes in the inherent values that the game offers.  He attended Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL where he received a BA Degree in Sport Management in 2005.  As a young professional, Chris spent 6 years hosting corporate and group outings for the Boston Celtics Front Office, where he was fortunate enough to experience a World Championship in 2008.  He was also an “In-Staff” golfer and would play in tournaments with Celtics players during Community Events.  Chris played golf at Triton HS in Newbury, MA, and was the Captain of his team for two years. He was the coach of the Winnacunnet High School golf team for the past several years.  Now the Executive Director for FTNH, he hopes to spread his passion to young people across the state, in order to contribute to the future of the game and our youth.

PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Phone: 603-964-3033
Email: kori@firstteenh.org

Kori comes to us with a wealth of experience. Most recently she worked for 7 years as the 1st Assistant Golf Professional at Abenaqui Country Club in Rye Beach. Prior to coming back to NH she worked at several golf clubs in Florida, BallenIsles Country Club, PGA National Resort and Spa and TPC Sawgrass. She is a Class A PGA Professional. She has a BS in Marketing from Boston College where she also played golf on full athletic scholarship. She was runner up in the Massachusetts Open in 2005, Medalist in the Northeast Intercollegiate Championship while at Boston College in 2004 and Champion in the New Hampshire State Amateur in 2001 and 2005.

First Tee Lead Coach

Phone: 603-964-3033
Email: jblalock@firstteenh.org

Jim was introduced to the game of golf at the age of 10, and had the opportunity to learn golf at its highest levels by following his sister, Jane Blalock, who was a top LPGA tour professional.   He graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1972, received a BA in liberal arts from Rollins College in 1976, and an MBA from the Crummer School of Business in 1977.  Jim owned, operated, and managed The Old Ferry Landing restaurant in Portsmouth for 25 years.  In 2014, Jim earned his Ph. D in Depth Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute, in which his dissertation highlighted both First Tee philosophy, and Jim’s coaching experiences.  He is currently serving as Lead Coach and Certified Coach Trainer for First Tee of New Hampshire, and site Director for our LPGA*USGA Girls Golf Program.

first tee coach

Phone: 603-964-3033

Coach Beth Flint became interested in First Tee of New Hampshire after her and her husband moved from Cleveland, Ohio to downtown Portsmouth 5 years ago. She taught college Math and Statistics for twelve years, but wanted to become more involved with young adults after running a local golf program for middle school children in Ohio. Beth began playing golf when she was twelve years old, and decided to contact First Tee because it offers a fantastic program that helps teach our youth CoreValues through the game of golf. She has three grown children, all of whom play golf. Her oldest son, Ian, graduated from the University of Michigan, daughter, Alison, graduated from Dartmouth College and youngest son, Austin, graduated from The Ohio State University. Beth and her husband, Eric, spend their free time snow skiing and hiking the beautiful mountains of New Hampshire and boating on Lake Erie.

first tee coach

Phone: 603-964-3033

Bob moved to the Seacoast in 2009 from the Philadelphia area, where he had lived and worked as an attorney for over 30 years. He is a lifelong golfer, caddied at Inverness Club in his hometown Toledo, Ohio and graduated from Ohio State, which he attended as an Evans Scholar (the premier scholarship foundation in golf). Bob went on to graduate from Northwestern University School of Law. Lead Coach, Jim Blalock says “I met Bob when he volunteered to assist me in coaching a First Tee Class. Then Bob demonstrated a profound understanding of golf’s qualitative essence, the games Core Values and Life Skills”. Blalock goes on to say, “More so, Bob intuitively knew how to communicate these values to our young participants through clever playful activities. Since then, Coach Bob has continuously cultivated his knowledge and love of golf through First Tee coaching. The children who attend his classes, the coaches who assist Bob, and the game of golf itself, are all beneficiaries of his care and dedication.” Bob has three adult children and lives with his wife Barbara Franzoso in Portsmouth. “Having learned and fallen in love with golf as a child, I am thrilled to have the chance to pass along my feelings for the game and the values it embodies to a new generation through First Tee”, says Bob. Parents and participants alike appreciate Bob’s good nature and his love of the game. Thank you Coach Bob for your time and dedication to First Tee of NH over the past several years.

first tee coach 

Phone: 603-964-3033

Laura has been a Physical Education teacher at Stratham Memorial School for 20 years where she was introduced to First Tee through a school program. She has since become a coach in the summer because she strongly believes that the 9 core values are important in all aspects of life. When Laura isn’t teaching she enjoys golfing, kayaking, and spending time with her granddaughter.

John T. Garrity, CFP®, AIF® is a Wealth Manager and Co-Founder of Peak Wealth Management LLC.  He is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and also holds the ACCREDITED INVESTMENT FIDUCIARY designation. With over 17 years of experience in the wealth management field, he has extensive proficiency in portfolio management, retirement planning and advanced estate planning. He received his undergraduate business degree from The University of New Hampshire.  John lives in Hollis NH with his wife Rachel and their two children; Jack and Grace. Growing up in the Mount Washington Valley, John enjoys all things outdoors including skiing/snowboarding and golf.  John found appreciation for the game of golf after graduating from college.  His wish is that he could have been introduced to the sport earlier in life.  This wish, coupled with his respect for the core values, led him to associate with The First Tee of New Hampshire.

When you truly believe in what you do, that’s when great things happen. More than 10 years ago, I saw an opportunity in a quickly-evolving digital world to help businesses grow through strategic marketing solutions. I co-founded digital marketing agency Fishnet Media in downtown Portsmouth, NH with my partner, Michael Packard, and a decade later we continue to up the ante of what we can deliver for our clients. My results-driven focus has forged lasting relationships with many local and national businesses, and keeps me honest and accountable in everything I do. I’m not afraid to push the envelope and venture into new territory, which is a mindset that not only fuels my client relationships, but my approach to life. As a board member for The First Tee New Hampshire, I’m able to connect my long-time love of golf with my passion for influencing a positive outcome. I live in Stratham with my wife, Kelly, and son Bode, 4, who will soon be joining me out on the course.

Matt Phillips, CPA, is a Manager of Compensation at John Hancock.  He is responsible for developing compensation plans for domestic and international distribution channels at John Hancock Investment Management and Manulife Investment Management.  Matt also spent time working at PricewatehouseCoopers LLP and Arbella Insurance Group.

Matt was born and raised in North Conway, NH.  He received his BS in Business and MS in Accounting from The University of New Hampshire.  Matt grew up around the game of golf with his parents and their friends from an early age.  His hope through volunteering is to provide kids with the opportunity for exposure to the game of golf at an early age.  Matt hopes this will give kids the ability to grow and learn the same values taught to him through the game of golf.

Matt lives in Melrose, MA with his wife Molly and their two young children; Bryce and Maddie. In their free time they like to ski, golf, and relax at the beach.

Jim Whedon is a Marketing Consultant with Lakes Media with 101.5 WEEI and 104.9 WLKZ The Hawk. Previously he was the 1st Assistant Golf Professional at Cypress Woods in Naples from 2005 to 2014.In 2009, Jim was certified as a Teaching Professional through the South Florida PGA and has over 5,000 teaching hours under his belt.He hosted many First Tee of South Florida teaching clinics along with tournament events.He has participated in two US Open local qualifying tournaments and played in many South Florida PGA events.Jim lives with his wife, Nicole and two-year-old Son, Blake in Northfield.

Scott Harding, PE is an Associate and Senior Project Manager at Nobis Engineering, Inc. located in Concord, NH.  Scott is a professional engineer and works with customers (include U.S. EPA) to investigate and remediate contaminated Sites throughout the north east.  Scott received his bachelor degree from the University of New Hampshire.  Scott was part of the inaugural class of the Hoffman-Haas Training Program created by the NH Center for Non-Profits and has supported several non-profits throughout his career, including Big Brothers/Big Sisters and the Boys and Girls Club.  Scott lives in Barnstead, NH and is involved with many outdoor activities, including golf, with his wife Veronica and daughter Paige.

Lexi Leddy is a residential real estate broker licensed in both Maine and New Hampshire with Great Island Realty. Lexi received a double B.A. in Communication and Psychology from the University of New Hampshire and an MS in Organizational Leadership, as well as an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University. Lexi grew up with the game of golf in her life coming from a family of avid golfers and has come to greatly appreciate the life skills she has taken away from the game. It is her hope to help instill that same sentiment in others.

Lexi lives in Dover, NH and is also a fitness enthusiast, dog lover, and enjoys spending as much time outside as possible with her friends and dog, Coco.