Welcome to The Opening Tee Shot

Welcome to another edition of The Opening Tee Shot! This week we're enjoying time at home before we hit the road again. The next stop for us is watching our son compete in the Sunnehanna Amateur in Johnstown, PA, which will be a new experience for him.

This week we're talking coaching, a new junior golf spotlight, and highlighting a few incredible accomplishments we can't help but notice.

I'd also like to say thanks for being here each week! If you'd like to get to know a little more about who is sending out these weekly emails and videos, then check out our About Us page on our brand-new Junior Golf Playbook website.

-Sara and Chili

Hole #12 at the Augusta Country Club course in Augusta, GA.

🏌️Finding the right junior golf coach

One of the most common questions we're asked about is finding the right junior golf coach. It's not necessarily someone looking for a specific name recommendation, but more along the lines of when you bring a coach on and just how important it is for the development of a golfer.

Finding a coach was a much bigger deal for our son then I realized. As someone who didn't grow up playing golf, I just assumed you went to a local course or private club and signed up for lessons. While this may be an option, if you're looking for a true partner in your child's junior golf journey then it's going to take more research.

Here's the advice from a parents' perspective you may find helpful.

🏌️Junior golfer spotlight!

This week's spotlight features Noah Hollinger, a 12-year old Class of 2031 junior golfer from Huntersville, North Carolina. We met Noah and his twin sister years ago when they were classmates with our daughter in preschool. Noah was already showing interest in golf then, and I don't think he's put the clubs down since!

He's focused on his game and gone on to compete (and win!) in a number of junior golf tournaments, including U.S. Kids, Drip Golf, and AJGA events. 

We no longer live in North Carolina, so we don't run into the Hollingers as often, but I love how golf still connects our families and we can cheer him on from Georgia 🤩 Check out this video showcasing a bit of Noah's talent.

How did you start playing golf and at what age? 

4 years old putting and chipping. 5 years old playing golf. 6 years old for my first tournament.

Who is your golf coach?

My Dad is my coach. 

Do you set goals? 

Yes. But most goals are practice oriented.

What are some of your goals for this year? 

To have a good work ethic, and practice hard and stay focused. 

What are your 5-year goals? 

I don’t know, right now I am focused hard on this year, and more specifically this month.

What is your biggest achievement in golf? 

In 2023 I won the U.S. Kids Player of the Year award for all 12 and under boys worldwide. I also won the U.S. Kids World Championship for boys 10.

What are you working on now? 

Mental game. Putting. And getting more distance with my driver. 

What is your favorite restaurant? 

Chipotle.

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? 

Cookies and Cream.

What other hobbies do you have? 

Ping Pong and chess. But really my favorite thing in the world is to just putt.

🏌️Junior golfer news

• I can't put off discussing Mason Howell's incredible accomplishment of qualifying for the U.S. Open any longer. Mason (who is also future teammates with our son at the University of Georgia!) shot an INCREDIBLE -18 and earned low medalist at the U.S. Open qualifier in Atlanta earlier this week — the only junior golfer I know of who qualified. Congrats Mason!!
• Congratulations to Charlie Woods for the AJGA Team TaylorMade victory last week at Streamsong. I don't think my legs have recovered quite yet from walking the course, but I know Charlie put together a few amazing rounds of golf. 
• Congrats to these two junior golfers who are some fo the latest qualifying for the 2025 U.S. Girls Junior Amateur.
• This former junior golfer has found a great way to give back to the junior golf community.

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.

Follow Us