Welcome to The Opening Tee Shot

Presented by Line Lion

Be clutch every time.

Hello and Happy New Year from Junior Golf Playbook! We've had a wonderful few weeks with all the festivities and hope you did too. I love the holidays but it's always nice to hit the reset button with the new year. 

Although I'm knee-deep in purging our house right now, we're getting ready to leave for another golf tournament this weekend. Our son Hamilton is playing in the Jones Cup Invitational in Sea Island and I can't wait to get back down to one of my favorite places on the map. 

This week not only do we have a new junior golfer spotlight for you, but we've added a free 2026 Goal Tracker download for you, so let's dive in.

-Sara and Chili

P.S. Don't forget the Line Lion training aid! True story: we met an 11-year old out on the golf course last week who ordered one recently and said it's helping him with his putting — and you can practice indoors or outdoors with it.

💡 Junior golf spotlight

This week we're excited to introduce you to 14-year old Bristol Tippens, from McDonough, GA! You can follow her on Instagram @Birdie_Bristol, which is one of my favorite handles ever.

Though she just started playing golf 2 years ago, she's set aggressive goals for herself and continues raising the bar each year. Make sure you follow her and take a look at these clips of her on the golf course.

How did you start playing golf and at what age? 

12. Just goofing off

Who is your swing coach? 

My dad

Who is your favorite social media influencer? 

Gabby Golf Girl 

What are some of your goals for 2026? 

A year ago it was break 100, then break 90, and I broke 80 in my last tournament this year with a 76. Now the goal is to shoot even in a tournament.

What are your 5-year goals? 

Get 500k+ followers. Win a Georgia high-school state Championship.

What is your biggest achievement in golf? 

I haven't really played in many tournaments but I did win the U.S. Kids Club Championship at Fairways of Canton with my PR 76.

What are you working on now? 

Making social media content and practicing 7 days a week to try and catch up to the girls that have been playing since they were 4 years old.

What is your favorite restaurant? 

Texas Roadhouse! We go after every tournament!

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? 

Cookies and Cream

Who is your favorite singer? 

Jon Pardi

What other hobbies do you have?

Just softball and golf!

🏆 2026 goal tracker

As promised in our last newsletter, it's time to put pen to paper and focus on your 2026 junior golf goals with this new free download. 

Goal-setting doesn't have to be hard and it's a tool any junior golfer can use at any time along their golf journey.  

I highly encourage you to make 2026 your year of focus, even if you've never considered goal-setting before. I don't know any golfers who've made it to the highest levels in junior golf who don't set goals for themselves. Don't forget to check-in mid-year and see how you're doing and where you can adjust!

🗞️ Junior golf in the news

• Congrats to 7-year old Kayleigh Ji for winning the Southern California PGA Junior Tour Championship!
• It's always interesting to see the companies the AJGA chooses to partner with. They recently announced a new partnership with Nippon Shaft.
• Listen to this podcast featuring 2-time Rolex Junior All-American Scarlett Schremmer, where she talks about mental toughness in junior golf.
• Another great YouTube/podcast that's worth a listen. In this episode, The Golf Parent takes a deep dive into the practice habits of elite junior golfers.

Before you go...Junior Golf Playbook is now on TikTok! Please follow us, so we don't look so sad with only 5 followers. We will be adding more short-form content soon.

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.

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Don't forget, you can always hit reply to this newsletter or email us at [email protected].

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