Welcome to The Opening Tee Shot

Hello junior golf friends and glad you're here! 

I hope you've enjoyed seeing all the updates from the Class of 2026 and the D-1 and D-2 colleges they've signed with. If your junior golfer isn't quite of age yet, I hope it inspires yours to keep up the practice and focus (even in the off months), if their goal is playing college golf one day. 

I've also realized there's still so much movement taking place with college teams now (across all divisions), I have a feeling we'll keep seeing announcements throughout the year.

Things are a little quiet on the golf front for our family right now. Our son Hamilton has an amateur event he's playing in December, which is what he's gearing up for at the moment. 

I can't believe next week is Thanksgiving (is it me, or is time moving exponentially faster this year?)! We'll take a break from the newsletter next week since we'll be busy stuffing our faces and spending time with family, but I'm excited to come back to your mailbox the week of December 1st. We wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and I'm thankful for each of our subscribers!!

-Sara and Chili

💡 Junior golf spotlight

It's been awhile since we've highlighted a junior golfer and I'm excited to introduce you to Katelyn Daly from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. She's a 16-year old from the Class of 2027 and has big dreams of golf in front of her. Make sure you check out this reel to see Katelyn in action!

How did you start playing golf and at what age?

Age 13. My dad is the reason I started playing. It’s something we can do together and both love!

Who is your swing coach?

Andrew Cheek

Who is your favorite social media influencer? 

Haley Bookholdt

Do you set goals? 

Yes, I set a goal determined by what I've been working on leading up to the tournament.

What are some of your goals for this year? 

My goal for the upcoming year is to become more confident in my game and advance into larger tournaments.

What are your 5-year goals? 

My 5-year goal is to play golf in college and find a school that I love along with a great coaching staff.  

What are you working on now? 

Right now I am working on getting more consistent with longer irons for an upcoming tournament.

🗞️ Junior golf in the news

• It's PGA Jr. League Championship week — you can get the full TV schedule here. Best of luck to everyone!!
• Do any of you live in Accomack or Northampton County in Virginia? If so, check out this scholarship opportunity from the Eastern Shore Yacht & Country Club.
• An interesting observation regarding the recruitment of Charlie Woods for college golf. 
• You might not know this but I'm a contributing writer for MyGolfSpy. One of my recent articles focused on the best value for club trade-ins and it could be good info for juniors constantly going through clubs. 

🏆 Upcoming junior golf tournaments

The list is a little lighter due to the holidays, but there's still plenty of golf taking place.

• FCG National Tour Thanksgiving Championship, Twin Oaks in San Marcos, California, November 29-30
• The Claret Tour Eagle Ridge Fall Challenge 2025, Eagle Ridge in Summerfield, Florida, November 22-23
• HJGT North Georgia Holiday Junior Classic, The Chimneys Golf Course in Winder, Georgia, November 29-30 (registration ends today)

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 [email protected].

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