Parents

Preparing Your Junior Golfer for an AJGA Tournament

Your son or daughter was accepted to an AJGA tournament. What is your next step as a parent before your first event?

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Parents play a crucial role in preparing for an AJGA tournament.

Acceptance Information
Once your child gains entry to an AJGA tournament, notifications will be sent via email and text (if enabled) and a field list will also appear on the tournament website.

Carefully read all the provided information in the acceptance email which will provide a link to the tournament website. The information in this email will serve as a key reference guide and resource to help you plan for an event and learn more about AJGA policies and procedures.

Travel and Lodging
Each tournament website provides detailed information regarding transportation and lodging.

Driving directions and distances to and from the airport(s), host facility and host hotel are all listed, as well as contact information for both the host facility and hotel. We recommend booking hotel and flight reservations as soon as you receive your acceptance information because room blocks and discounted room rates are limited.

Schedule of Events
A tournament schedule of events is provided on the tournament website, which will list possible tee time, meetings (if applicable) and social activities. Before reserving transportation and lodging, look carefully at dates and times to avoid arrival and/or departure conflicts.

First Day of the Tournament

Practice Round
Get to know the golf course as by playing a practice round with your fellow competitors. Tournament information will provide details as to when and where to sign up for the practice round, which is usually a shotgun start.

Junior-Ams
A Junior-Am may be conducted on the first day of the tournament. If the Junior-Am is listed in your schedule of events, and your child has been invited to play, encourage your son or daughter to participate. Contact the tournament director to see there are spots available. This round is an excellent opportunity for players to interact with local sponsors and supporters of the AJGA and make potential lifetime contacts in the business world. The Junior-Am serves as your practice round.

Players Registration/Meeting and Parents Meeting

  • Players Registration is mandatory for all players who will receive tournament information and gifts. If you are unable to attend, contact the tournament director in advance.
  • A Players Meeting (Preview, Junior All-Star Series and select other events only) usually follows registration and this meeting covers important information regarding the tournament and Local Rules.
  • A Parents Meeting is also held, usually at the same time as the Players Meeting. While not mandatory, attendance is highly recommended because it gives each parent an opportunity to learn more about the Association.

Tournament Rounds

Getting Started

  • It is the player’s responsibility to be at the starting tee at the designated tee time.
  • Late arrival to the tee may result in two-stroke penalty or disqualification. The AJGA recommends arriving 10 minutes prior to your tee time (15 minutes for the first round).
  • An AJGA staff member will provide scorecards, hole location sheets, Notice to Competitors and other local rules.
  • The starter will announce each player’s name and hometown before he or she tees off.

Equipment Survey
An AJGA staff member will conduct an equipment survey with each competitor on the starting tee prior to the start of the first round (the round may vary at some tournaments). Once the junior arrives to the tee, remove club headcovers from driver, hybrids and woods to make this process faster.

Care for the Course
The AJGA implements a Care for the Course program where juniors are provided with sand bottles and are required to fill their divots during all rounds of a tournament.

This program shows respect and goes a long way in helping the AJGA maintain the courses that allow us to host a tournament. Some events will have a Care for the Course Party where juniors will fill divots on the driving range after one of the rounds.

Social Activity and Cookout
The AJGA typically hosts a social activity after the first or second round at each tournament. Please keep the Code of Conduct in mind and remain dressed in proper golf attire if events are held at the golf course. The social activity is an excellent opportunity to interact with other players and families, staff and sponsors of the AJGA.

Some tournaments will have a cookout held in conjunction with the social activity, in which players (and sometimes parents) may eat complimentary. Some tournaments will provide vouchers for players to redeem for a meal at the host facility.

Final Round
Final-round tee times are based on the player’s two-day total, will be posted on the tournament website. Players may also opt-in to receive text messages in the Player Center to receive notifications for pairings for each round.

Awards Ceremony
Trophies are generally awarded to the top-five boys and top-three girls at each tournament. The awards ceremony will take place at the conclusion of play.

Award winners are asked to stay for photos with their trophies immediately following the ceremony.