The Birth of First Tee Northern Michigan
Currie Rulofson Weed was born in Cleveland, OH in July of 1932. He grew up with the ethics of hard work, trust, honesty and determination which he carried with him into his adult years. He used these values as he navigated a successful career in the automotive industry. It was not until he and his beloved wife Mary were in their 50's in the mid 1980's that they learned to play golf. In the mid 1990's, the Weeds were invited by friends to spend the weekend in Harbor Springs, MI and they quickly fell in love with the area and decided to build a home of their own on the 18th Fairway of the Arthur Hills Course at Boyne Highlands.
After several years of enjoying the game of golf and seeing the power and promise of the game in teaching kids valuable live lessons, Currie watched a 1997 press conference involving Tiger Woods, Earl Woods, Tim Finchem and President George HW Bush announcing the launch of The First Tee and it made an impression. With the same life-long intensity, Currie researched, campaigned with is friends and went to work raising enough interest, community commitment and funding to begin the First Tee of Northern Michigan at Boyne Highlands (now The Highlands of Harbor Springs). In 2005, at the age of 78, through Currie's hard work and perseverance, the non-profit organization Tip of the Mitt Junior Golf Association was born, and we became an official chapter of the First Tee Network in the Spring of 2006.
Although The Highlands of Harbor Springs is still our home base, we have grown over the years to expand our reach into multiple northern Michigan counties including our 2025 launch into the Upper Peninsula serving over 300 kids in Marquette County. Currie passed away in November of 2025 and was able to witness the tremendous growth of the program that he brought to life using the values that he lived by and that still drive us today (hard work, trust, honesty and determination). These values and more are what we hope to instill in as many northern Michigan youth as possible, now and into the future.
Home Office
The First Tee Founding Partners
- Augusta National Golf Club
- Ladies Professional Golf Association
- PGA TOUR
- Professional Golf Association of America
- United States Golf Association
The First Tee Founding Corporate Partners
Other Links of Interest
- Boyne USA
- Harbor Springs Chamber of Commerce
- Petoskey Chamber of Commerce
- Gaylord Chamber of Commerce
- S.N.A.G Golf
- Drive, Chip & Putt
- Golf Marathon
- Golf Terms and Glossary