4 days, 122 volunteers, and surpassing $1 million in charitable contributions since the start of this tournament in 2011. The Woodlands Country Club along with the committee and strong community has grown this tournament to what it is today, making it one of the top AJGA events.
Over a decade ago, one of the current co-tournament chairmen was finishing a round of golf when he saw Patrick Reed, who is also a member of the Woodlands Country Club, after his first win, loading his clubs into his car. Right there in the parking lot, he talked to Patrick and asked if he was interested in sponsoring/being involved with a junior event, the rest is history.
Once the ball got rolling, the next step was to convince the membership to be a part of this journey. Not only did this mean hosting the tournament but also playing a large part in donating towards the AJGA Ace Grant. The Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant provides financial assistance to young men and women who aspire to earn a college golf scholarship through competitive junior golf. The tournament chairman stated that “our members felt that this is something worth donating towards”. These members who have a passionate love for the game along with respect for the quality of these juniors found it gratifying to be a part of it. The co-tournament chairman stated, “the quality that the AJGA encourages with care for the course, thank you notes at the end of the round and overall being good kids made it an easy decision”. Each year, the committee tries to donate over $100,000 to Ace Grant, one year reaching $150,000.
The Woodlands Country Club has hosted AJGA tournaments for over three decades and is only looking to grow. From the Junior-Am fundraising tournament with a field of 115 to the volunteers alone raising $6,000 to grant kids their dreams to play competitive junior golf. The Woodlands Country Club community holds a special place for junior golfers.