Get ready for the upcoming fall golf season with new boys and girls junior clubs.
As we hit the middle of the summer, it’s the perfect time to get your junior into the game of golf!
Among all the great things golf can do for your young one, being outside with good friends is near the top of that list.
To get your junior started, we created a list of some of the best and most affordable junior sets on the market. Making sure that each set includes exactly what they’ll need is a great place to start.
Brands like TaylorMade, Wilson, Tour Edge and U.S. Kids Golf are all included.
So, without further ado, check out our list of junior sets below.
ASU-bound Anawin Pikulthong won the Golfweek Southwest Junior by a whopping 13 shots.
Anawin Pikulthong, 18, an Arizona State University commit from nearby Gilbert, Arizona, won the 2023 Golfweek Southwest Junior Open at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa, Arizona, on Sunday.
The limited-field Southwest Junior Open, now in its 22nd year, is recognized as one of the nation’s premier junior golf tournaments.
Pikulthong enters the Golfweek record book after his dominating victory becoming the first player to four-peat. Along the way, Pikulthong took out some of Arizona’s top junior talent to claim the coveted title.
Pikulthong, who said he hasn’t been playing up to his potential lately, used his relaxed attitude and intimate knowledge of Southern Dunes to put on an exhibition. His performance was particularly impressive given the combination of heat, fast greens and tucked pins.
His victory came after a thrilling final round at Southern Dunes where he shot 9-under 63 to finish with a two-day total score of 19-under 125. He hit accurate drives, approach shots and made putts while avoiding any costly mistakes en route to his two-day combined scorecard that included 17 birdies and one eagle.
His closest competitors were Tommie Clark of Mesa and Kyle Koski of Chandler who posted 6-under 138 and 5-under 139, respectively.
Sirina Ganne, 15, of Holmdel, New Jersey, added another first-place finish to her resume.
Ganne, a rising high school sophomore, is the current New Jersey Girls State Champion, a title she won earlier this month at Raritan Valley Country Club in Bridgewater, New Jersey.
Sirina Ganne holds a trophy after winning the 2023 Golfweek Southwest Junior Open at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa, Arizona. (Photo: Golfweek)
Her two-day total of 144 (70-74) earned her a three-shot win over Angela Zhikun-Chen of Chandler. Ganne finished even par; the rest of the field finished over par during the two-day event.
With her victory at the Golfweek Southwest Junior Open, Sirina will get an exemption into the Golfweek International Junior Invitational, Nov. 4-5, in Orlando.
Ganne’s older sister, Megha, just finished her freshman season at Stanford.
Unlike sports such as soccer and basketball, golf has a steep start-up cost before you even arrive at the range with equipment.
There’s constant talk about “growing the game,” a convenient catchphrase, but few factor in the price of what it takes to get kids involved in golf and allow them the opportunity to be successful.
Young players are the ones who can indeed grow the sport and while there are some programs in place to help young golfers, the golf community needs to step up and makes this reality more feasible. As someone who funded a large amount of her junior golf and learned the majority of her golf skills from YouTube, I feel strongly about this issue.
I grew up in Southern California where buckets of balls often ran in the neighborhood of $20, and there were only a handful of junior course programs in the area. I worked at a local pizza shop, with every dime going toward tournament fees, green fees, clubs, balls and appropriate apparel.
Sure, it’s important for kids to learn the value of a dollar, but the average family could never afford to get their kid into golf and obtain a college scholarship. Unlike sports such as soccer and basketball, golf has a steep start-up cost before you even arrive at the range with equipment. If junior golfers have aspirations of playing at the collegiate level, college coaches want to see tournaments outside of their high school team as well.
I asked 17-year-old Florida golfer Reese Woodbury what he guesses his family spends on his golf expenses in a single month.
“I would estimate $1,800 to $3,500 a month. That’s with practice, expenses, tournament fees, and any extras, including golf balls, tees and gloves,” Woodbury said.
Yes, there are charitable programs around the country that encourage junior golf at little to no cost such as The First Tee and others, but these can only take kids so far.
Tournament fees in Florida. (HJGT)
Once the small hurdles of paying for balls and green fees are tackled, the tournament fees are another beast. Junior two-day tournaments are averaging $250 to $400 a player. When you add gas, hotel and food on top of that (often multiple times a month) it becomes close to impossible to reach the next level for most families.
“One of my good friends struggles to play in events because of financial backing issues. He’s a great golfer, but he doesn’t come from a strong financial household to help him support his love for the game and it is not allowing him to reach the next level,” said Woodbury. “I am extremely lucky and grateful for the family that I have that allows me to chase my dream.”
I understand that these junior tours are a business and trying to make money, but there has to be some flexibility. As a former junior player who tried to balance high school life and golf, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to pull this off.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYb_kQUn-Dk/
If companies and courses are claiming to become an inclusive space for younger generations, changes are in order. Promoting twilight junior rates is one way to encourage play. Discounts on buckets of balls can help immensely and the cost for driving ranges is little to nothing. It’s important to provide a memorable place where kids can feel safe and practice.
If golf is serious about grooming its high-paying customers of the future, small discounts can certainly help to net a big return.
(Editor’s note: Averee Dovsek is a former college golfer and contributor to Golfweek.)
It’s never too early to start their love of the game.
Is there a kid in your life that wants to pick up the game but you aren’t sure where to start? Here at Golfweek, we’ve gathered everything you need to get your little one off on the right foot.
First, remember these tips when taking your newest playing partner out on the course or practice range for the first time:
– Baby steps. There’s no need to rush onto the course. Take time to develop fundamentals and good practice habits.
– Relax. Chances are you’re not sparking the career of the next Nelly Korda or Tiger Woods. There’s no need to put all that pressure on your kiddo.
– Pick a pro. Have your child pick a couple of players to watch and follow. Bonus points if you can go see them in person!
– Have fun! That’s what golf is all about, right? Fun and enjoyment should come before anything else for all golfers, but especially for juniors.
If you’re looking to knock out the rest of your holiday shopping, check out all of our Holiday Gift Guides including men’s apparel, women’s apparel and golf shoes.
The Golfweek Junior Tournament Series is now in its 23nd year. All events in the Series are nationally ranked by Golfweek/Sagarin and the Junior Golf Scoreboard. The Golfweek International Junior Invitational is the flagship event of the Series and …
The Golfweek Junior Tournament Series is now in its 23nd year. All events in the Series are nationally ranked by Golfweek/Sagarin and the Junior Golf Scoreboard. The Golfweek International Junior Invitational is the flagship event of the Series and annually attracts one of the top fields in junior golf. Entry is based solely on (1) invitation, (2) submitted and approved application, (3) finishing top 10 in qualifying Golfweek Junior Series tournament, (4) finishing in the top 5 in a state junior championship. Other potential entrants are encouraged to submit a playing resume for consideration by the tournament committee.
Details: The 2022 Golfweek West Coast Junior Open returns May 21-22, to award winning Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa, AZ. This is the first tournament of the 2022 Golfweek Junior Tournament Series where top finishers win automatic …
Details:
The 2022 Golfweek West Coast Junior Open returns May 21-22, to award winning Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa, AZ.
This is the first tournament of the 2022 Golfweek Junior Tournament Series
where top finishers win automatic exemptions into the prestigious Golfweek International Junior Invitational Nov 5-6 in Florida.
The West Coast Junior Open is open to any player age 13-19 who is not yet affiliated with a college golf team, so long as eligibility requirements are met.
The tournament will feature daily coverage on www.golfweek.com and will be ranked by the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings and The Junior Golf Scoreboard.
Details: The 2021 Golfweek International Junior Invitational will take place Nov. 6-7 at Eagle Landing Golf Club in Orange Park, FL.Annually among the top 30 fields in junior golf, the Golfweek International has been competed each year since 2000 …
Details:
The 2021 Golfweek International Junior Invitational will take place Nov. 6-7 at Eagle Landing Golf Club in Orange Park, FL.Annually among the top 30 fields in junior golf, the Golfweek International has been competed each year since 2000 and will once again bring together many of the world’s top junior players.
Players ranked in the top 200 of the Golfweek/Sagarin, Junior Golf Scoreboard, or WAGR rankings earn an automatic invitation to the field. Champions of other events in the Golfweek Junior Tournament Series along with Top-5 finishers in State Junior Championships will also earn spots in the field. A “special” invitation to the tournament, may be requested by submitting a brief tournament resume to Ron Gaines – rgaines@golfweek.usatoday.com
The tournament is nationally ranked by Golfweek/Sagarin and Junior Golf Scoreboard. AJGA 2020 PBE status for the event was as follows: 2021 status is pending.
Girls and Boys Champions: 12 Stars
Girls top 3 and Boys top 5: 8 Stars
Girls top 5 and Boys top 10: 4 Stars
Girls top 10 and Boys top 15: 1 Star
Invitations will go out and the registration portal will be open by August 1st. All registrants will be pending and subjected to a screening process by the tournament selection committee.
Here are the past champions and venues for the Golfweek International Junior Invitational:
2001 — Chanin Puntawong and Nicole Perrott
(Champions Gate, Orlando, FL)
2003 — Jon McLean and Tiffany Chuda
(Sea Trail, Sunset Beach, N.C.)
2004 — Peter Uihlein and Jenny Arseneault
(Sea Trail, Sunset Beach, N.C.)
2005 — Rafael Lee and Isabel Lendl
(Sea Trail, Sunset Beach, N.C.)
2006 — Morgan Hoffmann and Elisa Aoki
(Ocean Plantation, Ocean Isle Beach, N.C.)
2007 — Julian Suri and Stephanie Kim
(Grand Cypress, Orlando, FL)
2008 — Josh Eure and Stephanie Meadow
(Longleaf, Pinehurst, N.C.)
2009 — Mike Miller and Stephanie Meadow
(Reunion Legacy, Orlando, FL)
2010 — Sam Chun and Doris Chen
(Reunion Independence, Orlando, FL)
2011 — James Yoon and Annie Park
(Shingle Creek, Orlando, Fla.)
2012 — Zachary Healy and Yueer Cindy Feng
(Celebration, Orlando, FL)
2013 — Luis Garza and Bailey Tardy
(Shingle Creek, Orlando, FL.)
2014 — Marcos Montenegro and Ana Paula Valdes
(Champions Gate, Orlando, FL.)
2015 — Robin Wang and Ya Chun Chang
(Lake Buena Vista and Tranquilo, Orlando, FL.)
2016 — Jan Schneider and Chin Tzu Chen
(Disney Magnolia and Palm, Orlando, FL.)
2017 — Jeremy Sisson and Chin Tzu Chen
(Innisbrook, Palm Harbor, FL.)
2018 — Nick Gabrelcik and Meiyi Yan
(Mission Inn, Howey-in-the-Hills, FL.)
2019 — Tony Chen and Jenny Kwok (Champions Gate, Orlando, FL.)
2020 – Alejandro Fierro and Toa Yokoyama (Hammock Beach, Palm City, FL.)
To view coverage of the 2020 Golfweek International Junior Invitational, please click here.
Nine college golfers not yet 19 are at the U.S. Girls’ Junior this week to say goodbye to junior golf and reunite with old friends.
Six weeks ago, Alice Hodge and her Florida State teammates were doing cartwheels on the lawn of the Hyatt Regency in Scottsdale, Arizona. It felt that good to be in the desert for the NCAA Women’s Championship.
“We were just running around the hotel like a bunch of kids,” Hodge said. “We just had such a great time. I just really enjoyed being there with my team.”
The Seminoles had won the NCAA Louisville Regional two weeks earlier as underdogs. They were given a poster to hold that day proclaiming them regional champs and Hodge & Co. flew it home with its own seat on the plane.
“It caused a scene in the airport,” she said.
It’s good to be a college golfer.
Day-to-day, Hodge played and competed more as a freshman at Florida State than she has at any point before in her golf career. If there’s one thing that gives her a leg up at the U.S. Girls’ Junior this week at Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Maryland, it’s that.
Championship stipulations allow for players to compete in the Girls’ Junior, arguably the premier junior girls event of the summer, provided they have not reached their 19th birthday on or before July 17. College experience doesn’t figure in.
Amid the 156-player field teeing it up this week are eight other players like Hodge who have a season of college golf under their belt. And why not? Among the perks for the winner this week is a U.S. Women’s Open berth in 2022.
“I’m young for my grade so I grew up playing junior golf with a lot of these girls despite being a grade older than them so I’m still pretty friendly with the field, I still feel like I know a good chunk of the girls,” she said.
Alice Hodge of #FSU golf shoots a 2 under par 70 to win the U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur qualifier at Bonnie Briar Country Club in her hometown of Larchmont, N.Y. She will play in the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship July 12-17 at Columbia Country Club in Maryland. pic.twitter.com/xOR3Y0h8sQ
Interestingly, Hodge’s older sister Caroline, who also attended Florida State, did the same thing in 2019, when there were also nine collegians in the Girls’ Junior field.
Florida State ended the spring by narrowly missing the match-play bracket at the NCAA Women’s Championship and landed a season-ending position of 11th in the Golfweek/Sagarin College Rankings. Hodge teed it up eight times (in other words, in every tournament – Florida State, which competes in the ACC, wasn’t allowed to compete in the fall because of COVID-19). A one-on-one followed with her coaches after each event. Consistency was a theme.
“They would just say you’re so consistent, you’re reliable and that’s really helped a lot of the other girls relax,” Hodge remembered. “I think my consistency is definitely an advantage just because I might not go low a lot of the time but I’m pretty steady.”
Hodge grew up in Larchmont, New York, not far from famed courses like Winged Foot, Quaker Ridge and Westchester, where the U.S. Women’s Amateur will be played later this month (Hodge wasn’t able to get through qualifying for that event). In high school, sometimes she’d play high school matches on Winged Foot’s front nine.
Having played in the 2017 Girls’ Junior, Hodge knows that when you have the opportunity to play a USGA event, you take it – especially if it’s a sort of second chance.
“Especially because I didn’t get to play last year,” Hodge said, referencing this event’s cancellation because of COVID-19, “I didn’t get to have that last junior golf senior season that I was looking forward to.”
Caroline Hwang, who wrapped up her freshman season at Pepperdine in May after winning the individual title at the West Coast Conference, was in the same boat. But the 18-year-old thinks that given her eligibility, she would have tried to qualify for this year’s event regardless. This week is a chance to see all her friends from junior golf one more time – it’s a reunion week in addition to a tough tournament.
“This is like one of the biggest junior events,” she said, “and I’m not 19 yet so I feel like this is my last chance to prove myself at this stage before I completely transition out of junior golf.”
— Pepperdine Women's Golf (@WavesGolf) June 22, 2021
Hwang grew up in Orlando, Florida, attending Olympia High School before switching to virtual school halfway through her sophomore year to focus more on golf. Her family moved cross-country last year when Hwang started at Pepperdine. Her trainer and coaches were already in the Los Angeles area, so it made sense to relocate.
Regardless, a change of scenery helped Hwang grow up in a way that might benefit her game this week. As a freshman, she played every event for Pepperdine and was a leading scorer. Freshman teammate Lion Higo is also in the Girls’ Junior field.
“College competition is a little bit different and you have to – I feel like I matured a little bit too from a few years ago,” she said.
For Kentucky’s Laney Frye, this would be a win-win week no matter where she decided to tee it up. After qualifying into the Girls’ Junior, Frye’s choices were a USGA championship or the North & South Women’s Amateur.
“My swing coach always tells me there’s nothing like a USGA event,” she said.
Frye, from Lexington, Kentucky, gushes about her first year of college golf. The COVID-19 pandemic forced a more SEC-concentrated schedule than usual. That began in October with the Blessings Intercollegiate. It was a televised co-ed championship on a former national championship venue and Frye was blown away. She finished T6.
Annabelle Pancake hugs Laney Frye, right, after Frye won the girls’ division of the inaugural Dye National Junior Invitational at Crooked Stick Golf Club. (Photo by Jenna Watson/IndyStar)
“Two years ago (the U.S. Girls’ Junior) was probably the biggest tournament I’d played at the time,” she said. “Was just kind of star-struck. Even though it was the summer after my junior year, I felt like I belonged but not quite to the same extent that I do now after playing in all SEC fields for a year.
“The depth of the tournaments that I’ve been playing in and the leaders at them, they really know how to play. I’ve just been exposed to that year-round, thanks to college.”
Kentucky’s year ended with a trip to the NCAA Women’s Championship. Frye & Co. became the first Wildcat team to advance to play for a national title since 1992.
“That was big-time,” she said. “I think it was 29 years so that was a good amount of time before I was even born since we had been.”
Frye and Kentucky teammate Maria Villanueva qualified for the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball in April, but when they bowed out before match play, they picked up the bags for two more Wildcats, Jensen Castle and Marissa Wenzler. It was a nice match-play refresher for Frye, even if it wasn’t first-hand.
Frye won the Dye Junior Invitational last summer, what she called the highlight of her junior career, and has the same caddie on this bag this week as she did for that tournament at Crooked Stick in Carmel, Indiana. Harrison Lane is a family friend and recent graduate from Transylvania, where he played college golf.
One thing she never accomplished as a junior? Winning an AJGA event. Asked if a USGA title this week might make up for that, Frye had two words: “No doubt.”
Paris Hilinski would have made her ANWA debut this week, then the coronavirus hit. She continues to stay sharp, ready for golf’s return.
Only a few weeks ago, Paris Hilinski was preparing for her Augusta National Women’s Amateur debut.
The 16-year-old beamed when she received her invitation in January for the second annual tournament. She knew being included among a select group of women to compete at Augusta National was “the opportunity of a lifetime.”
On March 13, that opportunity to stand alongside the iconic foliage in Augusta, Georgia, with some of the best amateurs in the game was postponed along with the event itself, the Masters and the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’ve never been more excited than when my (ANWA) invitation arrived and I’ve worked tirelessly to have my best game ready for the incredible opportunity,” she wrote in a post on Instagram. “But as tough as it may be I completely understand and support today’s decision to postpone and prioritize the health and safety of all. While I’ll miss playing competitive golf for awhile, I’m looking forward to time with my family and promise you I’ll be training harder than ever to be ready for what’s next. My passion and love for the game is stronger than it (has) ever been.”
Her accomplishments so far this season include the ANWA invitation and placing third at the ANNIKA Invitational USA in January. She was hoping to build off last year’s experience this spring during the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball and the Women’s British Amateur but her schedule kept taking hits. Shortly after the ANWA was postponed, the USGA canceled all Four-Ball events and the Women’s British Amateur was rescheduled.
While disappointed she won’t play these notable events this spring, Hilinski is grateful for the experiences gained and invitations received. She’s confident they’ll bear fruit in the future despite the delays of COVID-19.
“I learned so much,” she said of the 2019 USGA events. “I think both of those events were such a big playoff so I definitely learned how to play under that kind of pressure. The U.S. Open is a little different than the U.S. Am, but I feel like if I qualified again I would go in so much more prepared than last year.”
Additional cancellations and postponements are expected to pile up as COVID-19 has not yet peaked in the United States. As of Saturday morning, there were more than 276,000 confirmed cases and 7,122 deaths in the United States, according to the New York Times.
The pandemic has understandably impacted Hilinski’s training. The sophomore who splits her time between her birthplace of Los Angeles and Palm Beach, Florida, said she usually practices several hours every day, but her trips to courses have become less frequent as the impact of coronavirus becomes more visible.
Currently residing in Palm Beach, Hilinski said she visited her regular courses, the Grove XXIII in Hobe Sound and the Floridian where she’s coached by Claude Harmon III, last week but both she and her parents are nervous about continuing the once routine activity.
“We’re a little concerned because you just keep hearing things on the news about how it’s becoming more and more contagious,” Hilinski said. “So I think they get a little worried and stuff and it’s a little scary because there’s so much unknown.”
In Florida, there were over 10,260 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 169 deaths as of Saturday morning, according to state and local health agencies, hospitals and C.D.C. data. In Palm Beach County alone, there were 856 cases and 33 deaths.
On Wednesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued a shelter-in-place order which went into effect Friday at 12:01 a.m. ET. The order lists golf clubs as essential businesses, but the government exemption does not ease Hilinski or her parents.
Hilinski was unsure if she will continue to practice at the golf clubs as the confirmed cases and death toll across Florida continue to rise.
“I’m taking it day-by-day just because stuff is changing day-by-day,” she said.
Despite her youth, Hilinski understands the severity of the pandemic and why cancellations and postponements of events around world like graduations and tournaments continue to pile up. Everyone is making sacrifices for their own health and for the health of their communities — herself included.
Hilinski has committed to flattening the curve by adjusting her practice schedule while self-isolating at home.
Junior golfer Paris Hilinski. (Mpu Dinani)
With health and safety her top priorities, Hilinski has found indoor drills and workouts and has a putting mat in her garage. The routine, however altered it may be, comforts Hininski and is a testament to the hope she has in the midst of the rising chaos and uncertainty.
“Playing golf gives me a sense of comfort,” she said. “It’s something I look forward to doing everyday. I feel at peace on the golf course. There is something special about golf, even if you are just hitting into a net in your backyard.”
There will be a time when the virus passes and play resumes.
Whenever that may be, Hilinski will be ready.
“Right now I’m focused on the heath and safety of my loved ones and trying to be the best player and person I can be when golf gets going again,” she said.
