Welcome to the The Opening Tee Shot

Welcome to the January 15th edition and thanks for reading. This week we're bringing you:

🏌️A deeper dive into tournament selection in 2025.

🏆 The latest in junior golf tournaments and news.

💡A new junior golfer spotlight.

-Sara and Chili

Hole #17 at Forest Hills Golf Course in Augusta, Georgia. It's the home course for the Augusta University golf team and just went through a greens renovation.

🏌️Tournament selection in 2025

Having a junior golfer in your household means you're always looking ahead. For example, I just packed away all of our Christmas decorations yet I've already had to put together a tentative summer schedule for the golf tournaments our son Hamilton will likely play in. 

The beginning of the year is a great time to put thought into which tournaments would be a good fit in 2025 and which ones your junior golfer could work towards. 

So while it seems so far away, summer will be here before you know it and some of the more popular tournaments have entry deadlines well in advance. Sketching out a tentative schedule now means you can put the entrance deadlines on your radar so you don't miss them. 

Knowing which tournaments to enroll in

Sure, having a calendar is all well and good, but how do you know the best ones for your junior golfer? This is definitely an answer that depends on your child.

Some of the best advice we were given was to make sure our son played with his skill level. This involves a delicate balance of knowing when your child is ready to move up in the competition or stay put where they are. 

It's so tempting to stay in tournaments where they win by several shots almost every time (who doesn't love winning?) but playing up and getting challenged is vital for growth in the game. Keep in mind a more advanced tournament might mean increasing from 9 to 18 holes or playing a 2-day or 3-day event.

It also comes back to whatever goals your golfer has set for themselves and if the tournaments support their goal. And if they've said they're bored with the tournaments they've played in recently, then you have a strong indication it may be time to move up.

The bottom line is, tournament selection is what's best for your golfer, your family, and your budget, but it's one of the most important aspects of developing a junior golfer.

I've shared this graphic from Junior Golf Hub before and I think it offers a great visual on the progression of competition.

⌛ The latest in junior golf and other golf-related news

• Junior golfer Miles Russell had an amazing showing at the Jones Cup Invitational in Sea Island, finishing T3. Other juniors competing included Henry Guan (8) and J.D. Culbreth (T71).
• Don't forget former junior golfer Blades Brown makes his professional debut this week at the American Express!
• Listen to The Junior Golf Hub weekly podcast, where Notah Begay III joins the hosts with interviewing golf coaches.

⌛ Junior golfer spotlight

This week's spotlight features Anna Norris, an accomplished junior golfer from Johns Creek, GA. You can follow Anna's journey on Instagram-@annanorrisgolf.

She's a great example of giving everything you've got until the very last putt. Keep reading to find out how--

Who is your favorite golfer?

Nelly Korda.

How did you start playing golf?

My parents put me in a “little chippers” group for toddlers at my Club where we learned the basic swing with plastic clubs on a Par 3 course.

What is your favorite thing about golf?

Traveling across the country to play tournaments in amazing places with many friends I have met along the way.

What part of the game are you working on now?

I am currently focused on chipping and wedges, although I try to improve all parts of my game.

What is your proudest moment in golf?

In 2024, I won three major regional tournaments by making three birdies in the last four holes (each time) to win each tournament by one shot.  I love to play my best when the tournament is on the line. The three tournaments were the Jekyll Island Cup, the US Kids Red, White & Blue Regional, and the Donald Ross Junior Championship.  

In addition to that, my lowest score was a 64 on the Pine Lakes Golf Course on Jekyll Island in the US Kids Girls Invitational.  

What is your graduation year? 

2030.

What is your next big golf goal? 

 To win some AJGA tournaments and get fully exempt.
Anna Norris
Who is your golf instructor? 

Chris Moore at the Atlanta Athletic Club, Johns Creek, Georgia.

What is your favorite ice cream flavor? 

Chocolate.  Actually, I have a superstition that I need to have ice cream every night before a tournament round to play my best golf.  

What other hobbies do you have?  

Fishing and Shopping.

⌛ Hurry! Get this freebie for 2025

Don't forget to grab the updated goal tracker for 2025 before it goes away. You can download it for free here.

Thank you to our sponsors for your continued support!

Thank you for reading along with us this week! ⛳

Do you know another junior golf parent who would like this newsletter? You can send this link.

Don't forget, you can always hit reply to this newsletter or email us at sara@juniorgolfplaybook.com.

Follow Us