New Junior Golf Pathway will deliver clarity for athletes, parents and coaches through a NEW digital platform and consolidated competitive opportunities.
New partnership with the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) will feature a season-long points ranking system, AJGA playing status for top ranking juniors, and a new season-ending Tour Championship
Uxbridge, ON
An almost 2-year long collaboration between Golf Ontario and over 10 local junior golf tours in Ontario will culminate in the launch of the new Junior Golf Pathway. This new initiative will help to revolutionize junior golf in Ontario, and will bring all key stakeholders together to deliver benefits in 3 key areas:
- To provide clarity in the current competitive junior golf space,
- To outline a clear path through the junior golf pathway for aspiring competitive junior golfers.
- Connect young golfers and their families with training & competitive opportunities best suited to their skill levels.
At the core of this new initiative is the Junior Golf Pathway website (www.juniorgolfpathway.ca) that includes the newly developed Junior Golf Pathway framework. Athletes, coaches and parents can easily access information and get inspiration to make informed decisions on what training environment, competition or talent ID initiatives they should be participating in.
There will be many great tools available on this new site for young golfers and their families.
- Players will be able to complete an online player profile to help showcase them on this resource.
- There will be a searchable Coach look up tool that will allow junior golfers to find the appropriate coach for their skills levels
- There will be a searchable Tournament tool that allows players to find competitive events at the appropriate level of their development, and bring these into their profile
- A Tour navigation page will be set up to significantly help clarify the partner tours that are available for a player to hone their development.
Mike Kelly, Executive Director of Golf Ontario, “This is an exciting innovation and we invite the entire Ontario golf community to be part of it. The mission of the Junior Golf Pathway is very simple: to ensure that competitive junior golfers stay on course to reach their highest potential. Through robust training tools and resources as well as a powerful marketing engine for tour operators and PGA of Canada coaches, the Junior Golf Pathway will simplify access, modernize a new competitive pathway, and ensure a positive experience for athletes and parents.”
This site has been built so that all of the local tours are incorporated, providing a one-stop shop for junior competitive options. These tours are: The CJGA, Golf Canada, Golf Ontario, Hamilton Halton Junior Golf Tour, Jamieson Junior Tour, Maple Leaf Junior Tour, Niagara District Junior Tour, North Eastern Junior Golf Tour, Ottawa Valley Golf Association, Pepsi-Titleist Junior Tour, Play Junior Golf Tour, Simcoe County Junior Golf Tour, Tee-It-Up Junior Golf Tour, Tyson Tour, and US Kids Niagara.
To learn more, please go to www.juniorgolfpathway.ca to understand all of the key tools that will be available for junior golfers. This initiative will truly help drive clarity in this space and will create a welcome environment for junior golfers to make the right decisions for their individual development.
In addition, and in conjunction with this Junior Golf Pathway launch, Golf Ontario is proud to announce a new partnership with the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA). This partnership will ensure a stronger connection between the many tours, events, and championships in Ontario and the AJGA organization and ranking system. The AJGA operates on a successful Performance Based Entry (PBE Stars) system, meaning athletes must have past success in order to qualify for AJGA events. Ontario’s Junior Rankings have been revised to better reflect competitive golf in the province and athletes will now be able to gain PBE exemptions and Stars through play in championships across Ontario.
As part of this partnership, in 2021, the top two golfers on each of the U17 and U19 Boys and Girls rankings will earn fully exempt AJGA status for the 2022 season. As well, the top two U15 ranked boys and girls will earn 12 PBE Stars and the top two U13 ranked boys and girls will earn 8 PBE Stars. In 2022 this will increase to ten exempt players per gender for the 2023 season.
Building on the success of the inaugural 2020 Golf Ontario Super Camp, The Tour Championship, will serve as a new, penultimate event of 2021 for Junior golfers to improve their rankings. This transition will add a day of competition to the 2021 Super Camp, making for two days of Golf Canada National Testing Protocols, and three days of Tour Championship tournament play. Qualification for this event will be open to the top 45 Boys and Girls (with at least one year of junior golf eligibility remaining) on the JGP rankings as of August 31st, 2021. In 2022, The Tour Championship will become an official AJGA Open event and provide even more AJGA exemptions and PBE Stars. Ontario invitations will be determined based on Ontario Junior Rankings and will offer the same PBE Stars as the Ontario Junior Championships.
Kelly continued to say that “Thanks to the support of so many passionate tour operators and coaches as well as our facilities, volunteers and Golf Canada, junior competitive golf in Ontario will be incredibly strong for many years to come. As we embark on this new chapter, we appreciate your passion and energy that will drive the sport and junior golf forward.”
“The new Junior Golf Pathway will be a tremendous asset for families with junior golfers of all levels in Ontario,” said Mark Oskarson, AJGA chief operating officer. “The AJGA is grateful to join with Golf Ontario in this initiative and be a part of helping to further inspire those players looking to play college golf.”
About Junior Golf Pathway
The launch of the Junior Golf Pathway represents a collaboration between Golf Ontario and the many golf tours available to junior golfers across the province. The Junior Golf Pathway is an interactive tool and resource to assist junior golfers to reach their highest potential. From what tournaments to play, to finding coaches to assist development, this website with help juniors build their path in junior golf and beyond. Visit www.juniorgolfpathway.ca to learn more.
Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @JrGolfPathway
To stay informed on the Junior Golf Pathway information, events, and additional updates, make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter, and like us on Facebook. Make sure to visit the website (www.juniorgolfpathway.ca) for further information.
About the American Junior Golf Association
The AJGA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf. The AJGA provides valuable exposure for college golf scholarships and has an annual junior membership (boys and girls, ages 12-19) of more than 7,000 members from 50 states and 60 foreign countries. Through initiatives like the Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant, a financial assistance program, and Leadership Links, a service-oriented platform that teaches juniors charitable-giving skills, the AJGA fosters the growth of golf’s next generation.
TaylorMade and adidas are the AJGA’s National Sponsors, supporting the AJGA for more than 25 years. TaylorMade has served as the Official Ball of the AJGA since 2016. adidas has been the Official Apparel and Footwear of the AJGA since 2017. Rolex, in its fourth decade of AJGA sponsorship, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004.
AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate, and professional golf. Former AJGA juniors have compiled more than 900 victories on the PGA and LPGA Tours. AJGA alumni include Rickie Fowler, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Tiger Woods, Paula Creamer, Ariya Jutanugarn, Cristie Kerr, Stacy Lewis, Brittany Lincicome, Anna Nordqvist, Inbee Park, and Lexi Thompson.
About the Participating Local Junior Tours.
15 local junior golf tours will provide the backbone for the new Junior Golf Pathway. Each of these tours provides important opportunities for junior golfers to hone their competitive skills, and all of these tours will work together to provide more clarity and a more cohesive ranking system to identify the best golfers in the province, both female and male. Visit www.juniorgolfpathway.ca/tours to learn more.
About Golf Ontario
Golf Ontario is Ontario’s Provincial Sport Organization focused on enhancing participation, elevating performance and supporting the passion of golfers in Ontario. With over 100,000 individual members and 450-member clubs, Golf Ontario is one of the largest golf associations in the world. From rating courses and keeping the integral rules of the game intact, to growing the game at the grassroots level and hosting the best amateur tournaments in Canada, Golf Ontario is a passionate group dedicated to shaping lives through Golf.
For more information please contact:
Peter MacKellar,
Manager, Marketing and Communications,
Golf Ontario
PMacKellar@gao.ca
