2013 PREVIEW: Junior Golf Tours in Northeast Ohio

The junior golf tour season is ready to begin! Here are the top options for competitive and fun junior tours in the Northeast Ohio region:

Southwest Junior Golf Tour

Southwest Junior Golf TourABOUT US: Founded in 1994, this regional junior tour attracts the best junior golf talent from over 7 counties surrounding the city of Cleveland. We provide junior golfers the opportunity to compete in weekly golf tournaments against the best junior players in Northern Ohio. This tour is for boys and girls ages 12 -18, and is appealing to those who compete on their high school team or for those who intend to pursue a playing career in college. The SWGT plays quality courses, awards individual event medallions and awesome crystal trophies at the Founders Cup Championship. Most importantly, the SWGT provides college scholarship opportunities.

NOTEWORTHY: This is our 20th season of competition! For 2013, we are excited and proud to announce a partnership with the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour based out of Jacksonville, Florida. This national tour attracts the most outstanding junior golf talent from around the country. If college golf is your goal, seek to play in the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour where college coaches look for talent. –Dave Moskal, PGA

COSTS:
Season Membership: $78
Event Fees per Tournament: $34 for 1-day events; $65 for 2-day events

AGE DIVISIONS:
Girls: 13-15, 16-18
Boys: 12-13, 14-15, 16-18

2013 SCHEDULE: 2013 SWGT Schedule here. | WEBSITE: swgtcleveland.com

 

North Coast Junior Golf Tour

North Coast Junior Golf TourABOUT US: Since 1992, we have provided our Tour Members with one of the best junior golf experiences in the game. More than 3,000 juniors have played the Tour and most have taken golf to the next level, and some beyond. Almost all of our members continue to keep golf as a part of their lives. Many have gone on to play college golf, some have made golf their career, and an elite few have become PGA Tour and LPGA tour members. NCJT is dedicated to the development of young men and women by providing a robust tournament schedule for junior golfers looking to experience and improve at competitive golf, while creating a golf social network based around the true spirit of the game.

NOTEWORTHY: For 2013, a lower starting age for juniors to join: Boys 13 & Under; Girls 15 & Under. Plus we are launching the NCJT Tour School, a new online school for juniors to learn about the junior tour, the game of golf and it’s rules of play. The school is one of the first of its kind in golf! The 2013 North Coast Junior Golf Tour will host 16 regular season events plus 2 invitational and 2 championship events. The tour also includes the Osborne Junior Series which is designed for those seeking to play college golf; there are 10 events in that series, all are 36-hole events and all are posted to the junior world ranking at the Junior Golf Scoreboard. -Tony Milam, PGA

COSTS:
Season Membership: $90
Entry Fees per Tournament: $50

AGE DIVISIONS:
Boys 13-under, Boys 14-15, Boys 16-19
Girls 15-under, Girls 16-19

2013 SCHEDULE: 2013 NCJGT Schedule here. | WEBSITE: ncjt.org

 

Lake Erie Junior Golf Tour

Lake Erie Junior Golf TourABOUT US: The Lake Erie Junior Golf Tour was started in 1986. The association plays 20 events over June and July at both private and public facilities. Recently, the LEJGA, under the Ohio Junior Golf Association umbrella, has teamed up with the First Tee of Lake Erie to help grow the game.

NOTEWORTHY: Our venues along with our pricing make us untouchable as far as value goes. We allow caddies for all divisions except for our oldest boys; we really feel this helps those parents who may not think that their child is 100% ready to go it alone. Parents can then walk and help them along their journey! — Dave Morgan, PGA

COSTS:
Season Membership: $45
Entry Fees per Tournament: $25 per for ages 10-11; $35 per for all other ages.
Premium Player’s Club: Add $20

AGE DIVISIONS:
Boys 10-11, Boys 12-13, Boys 14-16, Boys 17-19
Girls 10-14, Girls 15-19

2013 SCHEDULE: 2013 LEJGT Schedule here. | WEBSITE: lejga.org

 

Spitale Junior Golf Tour

ABOUT US: A competitive golf series with 5 events all based around the Canton area. For more information call 330-497-1551.

NOTEWORTHY: This is not a beginners league, maximum score rules will be enforced:
12 and Under Division will be Mixed Girls & Boys: Players must return a score of 60 or less
Boys: 13-14 Scores of 100 or less; 15-16 Scores of 95 or less; 17-18 Scores of 90 or less
Girls: 13-18 Scores of 110 or less
Speed of play must not exceed 2:15 for 9 holes 4:30 for 18 holes. — Jay Spitale, PGA

COSTS:
No membership fees.
$ 20.00 – 12 and Under Division – 9 Holes
$ 30.00 – All Other Divisions – 18 Holes
* Each Entry Fee includes Greens Fee, Hotdog & Drink

AGE DIVISIONS:
12 and Under Division – Mixed Girls & Boys
Boys: 13-14, 15-16, 17-18
Girls: 13-18

2013 SCHEDULE and WEBSITE: spitalejuniorgolf.com

 

Northern Ohio PGA Junior Tour and Pups Tour

Northern Ohio PGA Section ABOUT US: The Northern Ohio PGA Junior Tour: a group of thirteen tournaments for boys and girls ages 12-19 held at various Northern Ohio sites. These events offer juniors of all skill levels the opportunity to compete and enjoy learning how to handle the competition of tournament play.

The Pups Tour: a series of nine, 9-hole tournaments for 8-11 year old boys and girls designed to introduce young juniors to tournament golf. Players should have the maturity to be able to play on their own and possess intermediate or advanced skills relative to their ages. In general, the “Pups Tour” is NOT meant for brand new golfers ““ players should be able to keep score by themselves.

NOTEWORTHY: The Northern Ohio PGA Junior Tour: Year long point list will determine qualifiers in each age group to play in the championship at Club Walden in Aurora. Players automatically qualify if they win one of the 13 events leading up to the championship.

The Pups Tour: The first place finisher from each Pups age division will be invited to advance to the Pups Tour Championship at Firestone Public Golf Course in Akron, Ohio at season’s end.

We also have the Junior PGA Championship Tour, a national tour for better players run by the PGA of America that attracts several hundred juniors. The Northern Ohio Section hosts five qualifiers and a sectional Championship, sending one boy and one girl to the National Junior PGA Championship at Trump National GC, Sterling, VA all expenses paid.

We also assist with the Collegiate Tour for older golfers ages 19-22; the NOPGA will help conduct three tournaments at Youngstown CC, Barrington CC and Little Mountain CC for that Tour. — Eileen Antenucci

COSTS:
Junior Tour: Season membership is $80.00, each event $45.00
Pups Tour: Season membership is $80.00, each event $20.00

AGE DIVISIONS:
Junior Tour: Boys and Girls 12, 13-15, 16-19
Pups Tour: Boys and Girls 8-11

2013 SCHEDULE: See website pages listed at right >. | WEBSITE: NOPGA Junior Tour | Pups Tour

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Allen Freeman

Allen is a writer, photographer and editor for Northern Ohio Golf.

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