The American Junior Golf Association has awarded the AJGA Preview at Worthington Manor with the 2016 Preview of the Year Award. The AJGA recognizes this tournament for its ability to provide the best overall experience at a Junior Golf Hub Preview Series event in 2016.
Each year, the AJGA presents awards to the tournaments with the best individual hospitality, Junior-Am Fundraising Tournament, charitable giving and volunteer base. Awards are also given to the events with engaged media and social media participation. Finally, the AJGA recognizes the year’s most outstanding golf professional, superintendent and general manager, as well as the most improved event, best new event, best Junior Golf Hub Preview Series tournament, best ACDS Junior All-Star Series tournament, best Invitational and overall tournament of the year. Tournament awards for the 2016 season will be presented on-site at 2017 tournaments.
The Junior Golf Hub Preview Series is designed specifically for AJGA members who have not yet played/been accepted to an AJGA tournament. This series, conducted during the spring, offers these new and returning members the opportunity to start building Performance Based Entry status before application deadlines arrive for summer Open and ACDS Junior All-Star Series events.
“This event has been an incredible collaboration between all of us,” said Worthington Manor Golf Club Head Golf Professional Ed Coyle. “The importance of junior golf at its grassroots level is awesome for us to see.”
Coyle led an active tournament committee that took ownership of the event, from volunteering and coordinating housing of AJGA staff, to ensuring the event was run smoothly from top to bottom.
“We have a ball when the AJGA comes to town,” Coyle said. “We house some interns and some neighbors do as well. It’s great to hear their stories from the tournaments across the country.”
The responsibilities taken on by the tournament were key in solidifying the success of the tournament between year one and two. The committee secured donated water for the tournament and vehicles for staff use throughout the week. Their focus on efficiency and consistency efforts were evident at the tournament. Members of the committee even brought coffee for the AJGA staff each morning.
“It seems like the only thing that is consistent these days is The Masters and Wimbledon,” Coyle said. “But we worked to keep this tournament running smoothly.”
Coyle referenced the professionalism of the tournament and the message the AJGA sends as a great way to get members of the community involved, especially after the first two years of success.
“The first year we had no idea how it was going into it,” Coyle said. “The big key for the AJGA is the staff. It feels like a PGA TOUR event with their professionalism and I’ve been so impressed with what the AJGA teaches the kids, both on and off the golf course.”
The AJGA returns to Worthington Manor Golf Club in Urbana, Maryland, April 28-30.