[For information on the current 2014 Suffolk County Junior Golf Tour, please click here.]
While the allure and excitement of The Masters have spurred thousands of adult golfers back to their local ranges and courses for a head start on the 2012 golf season, there are undoubtedly plenty of junior golfers eager to play and compete as well. A few buckets at the range and a couple of practice rounds are great ways to ease young players into the new season, and the 2012 Suffolk County Junior Golf Tour — now open for registration — is a perfect way for them to compete. The Tour begins with a stroke-play competition at the West Sayville Golf Course on Monday, July 9. Parents/guardians have until Friday, July 6 to register their young golfers for this season's Tour.
The Suffolk County Junior Golf Tour is open to all boys and girls aged 9 through 17 who are familiar with the rules and etiquette of golf and have a valid county Green Key Card. It consists of four stroke-play tournaments in July and August. Events are nine or 18 holes depending on age bracket. Players must walk the course, be able to carry their bags (hand carts are permitted) and adhere to a standard golf dress code.
Tour fees are $140 for 12- to 17-year-old players (18-hole events) and $125 for 9- to 11-year-old players (nine-hole events). All four rounds, practice balls at each event, a special two-hour golf clinic at the Timber Point Golf Course, pro-shop giveaways and an August awards banquet are covered by the Tour fee.
Timber Point pro Andy Carracino will host the clinic for Junior Tour participants on Friday, July 6 at 1 p.m. The rest of the Tour schedule is as follows:
Monday, July 9: West Sayville Golf Course
Monday, July 16: Bergen Point Golf Course
Monday, July 23: Indian Island Country Club
Thursday, August 9: Timber Point Golf Course
All tournaments begin at 2:00 p.m. Participants are urged to arrive no later than 1:00.
For more information on the 2012 Suffolk County Junior Golf Tour, call (631) 854-4947. You can also download a Tour registration form at the Suffolk County website.