Welcome to The Opening Tee Shot

I hope you're having a great Wednesday (or whatever day you're able to join us here) and thanks for reading another edition of The Opening Tee Shot. 

It's been non-stop golf this summer with a jam-packed tournament schedule. We just got back from Paducah, Kentucky where our son competed in a local qualifying event for the 2025 U.S. Amateur. He was able to advance to the Final Qualifying, which was exciting to watch!

On another note, here's a slightly fun fact about this newsletter. Whether you're new here or a long-time subscriber, you might have noticed I include a picture of a golf course each week. It's always a pic we've taken ourselves and it's from a course our son is either currently playing or one he's recently played for a tournament. This week's pic is from the Country Club of Paducah.

I'd love to feature your golf course pics! Feel free to reply to this newsletter and send us a pic you've snapped at one of your junior golfer's tournaments (don't forget to include the course name and hole).

-Sara and Chili

Hole #11 at The Country Club of Paducah

🏌️ Junior golf spotlight

This week we're featuring Madison Woodrum, a 14-year old from Statesboro, GA. After one conversation with Madison, you can tell she is 100% committed to the junior golf journey! Make sure you follow her so on Instagram and check out this video we put together of her golf evolution!

When did you start playing golf?

I began playing golf when I was 8 years old at Forest Heights Country Club’s Junior Championship. It was a two day tournament at my home course and my parents were interested to see if I would come back for the second day since my first day did not go so well.  But I did! Then I truly fell in love with golf when I started playing on my club’s team through PGA Junior League.

Who is your swing coach?

My coach is John Smith and he has been coaching me since the beginning. Coach John has helped build my swing and caddied me in tournaments. He has been there every step of my golf journey. He supports me and helps me grow to be a better person and better player. Coach John is my mentor and I look up to him.  His instagram is @johnlsgolf.

Who is your favorite social media influencer?

Bryson DeChambeau is one of my favorite social media influencers because of his personality and his content!

Do you set goals?

Most of my goals are mental goals. The goal I am working on now is to focus on competing in tournaments and not concerned about winning tournaments. Basically I am focusing on one shot at a time rather than results.  Coach John has taught me to C.E.A. (Commit. Execute. Accept.) 

What are your goals for five years from now?

I would love to be competing at the collegiate level in 5 years. 

What is your biggest achievement in golf?

One of my biggest achievements in golf is a T-3 finish at the 2025 Georgia PGA Junior Championship. I competed against a lot of talented golfers and played my most consistent 3 day tournament yet.

What are you working on now?

Right now I am working on all aspects of my game, mental and physical. I am trying to get my swing speed up to 100 mph by the end of the year. I am also trying to improve my distance control on the greens.

What is your favorite restaurant?

My trainer encourages me to eat healthy! I love yogurt, fruit and salad with grilled chicken. But nothing compares to my mom’s cooking, especially her Chicken Caesar Pasta.

And your favorite ice cream flavor?

My favorite ice cream flavor is cookies n cream. 

Who is your favorite singer? 

At the moment my favorite singer is Kendrick Lamar.

What are your hobbies outside of golf?

Some of my favorite things to do outside of golf are exercising, playing the piano, and hanging out with my twin brother.

🏌️ICYMI

A few articles and the latest junior golf news of interest

• In case you missed last week's blog post, you can learn all about budgeting with junior golf here.
• Are you near a golf course operated by Troon? Make sure you check out this deal for junior golfers.
• We'll be watching the results of the 60th Georgia Junior Championship next week. The winner receives an exemption into the 2025 U.S. Junior Amateur.
• This is a great highlight from the LPGA on the important role the Peggy Kirk Bell Girls golf tournament has had on growing the game.
• A look at the growth of junior golf taking place South Carolina.

🏌️‍♀️More junior golfers in the news

• Congratulations to Kipp Madison and Sadie Bishop for their wins at the North Georgia Classic on July 1st!
• The #1 boys junior golfer for Class of 2027 has already announced his verbal commitment. Congratulations to both Miles Russell and Florida State.
• I love this reflection from a former junior golfer on the impact the Drive, Chip and Putt finals made for her career.
• Congrats to Ellie Hildreth for winning the North Carolina Junior Girls Championship. Make sure you follow her on Instagram, she provides awesome junior golf content and her D-1 journey.
• Junior golfer Grace Carter not only won the female division at the AJGA Mahoning Valley Junior All-Star Tournament, she SMASHED the female course record with a 63 on her second round!

Thank you to UP Consulting for your continued support as a sponsor and drop us a line if you're interested in affordable sponsorship opportunities with Junior Golf Playbook.

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.

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