Welcome to The Opening Tee Shot

Presented by Line Lion

Be clutch every time.

Hello junior golf parents! Here we are with only 2 weeks left of 2025...can you believe it? 

We arrived late last night after 5 days in the Bahamas. Our son competed in the White Sands Amateur and we were able to make a family trip out of it this time. Believe it or not, the Bahamas was slightly cold, but the real story were the 30 mph winds every golfer was battling. He has never played in such windy conditions, so it was an incredible learning experience.

With the last tournament of 2025 behind us and Christmas and New Year's happening over the next couple of weeks, we'll take a short break so we can all enjoy the festivities. We will be back with our newsletter on Wednesday, January 7th!

We wish everyone the happiest of holidays and hope it's a time of rest and reflection for you. Thank you for being here with us in 2025 and can't wait to kick off 2026 with you.

-Sara and Chili

P.S. Don't forget the Line Lion, which makes a great gift for any golfer of all ages. It looks like you may still have time to get it before Christmas and an elf told me you can use the code SANTA10 for 10% off!

💡 Junior golf spotlight

We have one last spotlight for 2025 and this week features Bo Moody! Though he's originally from Saginaw, Michigan, he and his family recently moved to Blythewood, South Carolina. 

Bo is a fitting choice for this week's spotlight because he is a great example of setting specific golf goals, including short- and long-term. Watch this reel and let him be an inspiration to your golfer on how instrumental goal setting can be in golf.

How did you start playing golf and at what age?

I started golfing using a plastic club and whiffle ball in my grandparents front yard when it was 40 degrees at 1 year old. I wouldn’t stop!

Who is your swing coach?

Paul Woodbury @paulwoodbury.golf, he has helped my game tremendously.

Who is your favorite social media influencer?

Grant Horvat is my favorite influencer.

What are some of your goals this year?

My goals for this year are to go back to Future Masters, get top 50 at worlds, and three peat top fives at The Colonial Williamsburg Classic. 

What are your 5-year goals?

My 5-year goals would be to be a state champion for Blythewood High School in Golf and get D1 college offers. 

What is your biggest achievement in golf?

My biggest achievement is back to back top fives in the Colonial Williamsburg Classic at +2. 

What are you working on now?

Working on getting 1% better every single day. 

What is your favorite restaurant?

The Cheesecake Factory.

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

Chocolate peanut butter.

Who is your favorite singer?

Forrest Frank.

What other hobbies do you have?

I love making art and playing basketball and tennis.

🏆 Junior golf goal setting

As the sun sets on another year, it's a great time to have your junior golfer look back at the goals they set for 2025. And if they didn't have any, it's a great time to encourage the practice.

If you've subscribed to this newsletter for some time then you've likely heard me talk about goal setting. I truly believe it's one of the foundations of becoming a better junior golfer. It's such a simple practice but helps them stay focused on the bigger picture. This is especially true when scores or tournament results might not reflect how much they're improving.

Whether they're refreshing goals or just getting started, here's a bit of advice we've learned after watching our junior golfer set them year after year:

• Set goals you can measure: Instead of just saying “play better,” try specific targets such as improving scoring average, reducing three-putts, or increasing fairways hit.
• Balance outcome goals with process goals: Winning is great, but focusing on habits, such as practicing short game three times a week, can build long-term improvement.
• Keep it short and realistic: Three to five goals for the year is plenty; too many can feel overwhelming. 
• Review and adjust throughout the season: Thankfully, goals aren’t set in stone. Checking in every month or so can help them see their progress and make updates along the way.

We'll have even more to say on this topic (and a new resource) when we return in 2026, but a holiday break makes it a perfect time for getting started.

🗞️ Junior golf in the news

• Excited to see the official announcement of the 2026 U.S. National Junior team. Congrats to all the young men and women named to this team (including our son Hamilton) and we will share all the behind-the-scenes info we can with you over the next year!
• The prestigious Jones Cup Junior invitational takes place this week. This tournament always features a fantastic field and interesting weather conditions, which promises for an exciting tournament.
• More junior golf news out of Wisconsin...here are two standouts in the 2027 girl's state rankings.
• Golf is growing in South Carolina. So much so, the SCGA has had to move its headquarters again.
• Check out the latest episode of the Junior Golf Hub podcast, where they talk juniors playing in different weather conditions, strategy, and much more.

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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