Junior Golf Association of Southwestern Michigan

We are repeating last week's Topic of the week and Rule of the week since many of you did not receive last week's email. We are still working with our email provider to find a solution to sending out our mass emails.

Sign up for The Century State Junior Championship presented by Centennial Wireless at Pine View Golf Course, July 21-22. Event is open to players 20 years old and younger. Entry of $75 includes lunch and golf each day.

Maple Hills is hosting a junior golf tournament on Wednesday, July 30th. Open to ages 17 & under, the entry fee of $20 includes golf, prizes, pizza, and beverages. Call 269-731-4430 for a tee time.

Olde Mill is hosting the Heidi Krum Memorial Tournament on Saturday, July 19th. Call 269-649-3357 for information.

Topic of the week: Parental Involvement
The JGA highly encourages parents to participate in their child’s progress with the game of golf. However, the JGA prohibits the use of caddies in all tournaments. Parents and spectators are not allowed to give advice during tournament play and should stay 15-30 feet from players unless helping to speed play, find lost balls, count proper number of strokes, or enforce Rules and etiquette (Please see USGA Rule 8-1 regarding the 2-stroke penalty for advice.) Parents are encouraged to caddy and/or offer advice in the 12 & under (Instructional) age group only.

What if a parent tells a player to do something incorrectly? It is ultimately the player's responsibility to know and play by the Rules. (see Rule 6-1) Parent's who are trying to be "helpful" or claim to "know the Rules" can sound authoritative, but if there is any doubt, refer to the Rule book or play two balls and report to the Committee before turning in your scorecard.

How can I help my child improve? The best advice the JGA can offer is to always be encouraging and give your child every opportunity to play or practice whenever possible. Playing your best is not only about score, but more about how you conduct yourself on the course and how hard you try on each shot. Parents who focus only on score can be quite detrimental to a child's progress in the game. Private lessons with a PGA Professional are very beneficial not only for children, but for parents too. Get a group of friends together to help cut costs or take a lesson as a family. Lessons do not always have to be about the golf swing. A lesson about Rules and etiquette can be quite valuable to all golfers as well as non-golfers who just like to watch.

For other golf Parental Involvement information, visit the following links:
Information for Golf Parents
Golf Guide for Parents (book)
Advice to Parents

Rule of the Week: 6-3. Time of Starting and Groups
a. Time of Starting
The player must start at the time established by the Committee.
b. Groups
In stroke play, the competitor must remain throughout the round in the group arranged by the Committee, unless the Committee authorizes or ratifies a change.
PENALTY FOR BREACH OF RULE 6-3: Disqualification
Note: The Committee may provide, in the conditions of a competition (Rule 33-1), that if the player arrives at his starting point, ready to play, within five minutes after his starting time, in the absence of circumstances that warrant waiving the penalty of disqualification as provided in Rule 33-7, the penalty for failure to start on time is loss of the first hole in match play or two strokes at the first hole in stroke play instead of disqualification.

The JGA Code of Conduct states that players must check-in 15 minutes prior to scheduled tee time and that tee times may be adjusted by 10 minutes without notice. Your tee time is the time you should be hitting your first shot, not the time you arrive at the golf course!

12 & Under Instructional:
The final instructional session is scheduled for Tuesday, July 15th at Grand Prairie. In the event of rain, we will attempt an indoor session about Rules, etiquette, how to keep score, and how to prepare for a round of golf. Parents are welcome to attend. Click here to see your assigned group and instructional times. Please arrive 10-15 minutes early to get checked in.

Tee Times for playing at Red Arrow (beginning July 22nd) will be posted online soon. Tee times will be assigned at 10-minute intervals starting at 8:00. Ages 8 & under will play 3 holes starting on hole #1. Ages 9-12 will play 6 holes starting on hole #4. With the size of this age group, tee times could last until 12:00 noon. Parents are encouraged to walk with their children while playing at Red Arrow. If you have a request for pairings or starting times, please email jga@kalamazoogolf.org.

12 & Under Tournament:
Congratulations to Tyler Rayman and Bridget Borre for winning last week's event at Hickory Ridge! There are no events this week. Your next event is scheduled at Eastern Hills on Thursday, July 24th. Tee times will be posted online here later this week. Remember to arrive at least 15 minutes before your scheduled tee time to get your scorecard and get checked in. Click here to view your age group's rules.

13-15:
Congratulations to Mitchell Wandell and Cassidy Goldner for winning last week's event at Pine View! Your next event is scheduled at Hickory Ridge on Monday, July 14th. Tee times are posted online here. Remember to arrive at least 15 minutes before your scheduled tee time to get your scorecard and get checked in. Click here to view your age group's rules.

15-17:
Congratulations to Sheldon Keyte and Melyssa Doerr for winning last week's event at Sauganash! Your next event is scheduled at Gull Lake View West on Wednesday, July 16th. Tee times are posted online here. Remember to arrive at least 15 minutes before your scheduled tee time to get your scorecard and get checked in. Click here to view your age group's rules.

Junior Golf Leagues:
** Click here to visit and bookmark the Junior Golf Leagues home page. You will find all updated information on this page. Scores, handicaps, points, and JL1 event winners are all posted online.

** Please download and read the League guidelines.

** Please arrive at least 15 minutes before your scheduled tee time to get checked in and to receive your scorecard. Your tee time is the time you should be hitting your first shot, not the time you arrive at the golf course!

** Remember that make-up games are encouraged and be sure you get your scorecard turned in to the front counter after playing a make-up round.

** Players in JL2, JL3 and JL4 are expected to calculate their Stableford points from now on. Click here to download a .pdf about how to calculate points. We will help players calculate their points when they are finished with their round.

** From now on, players will be signing up for tee times 2 weeks in advance. Remember, if you do not play during league time, you may call Grand Prairie at 388-4447 the day after your league to sign up for your next tee time. You may also email jga@kalamazoogolf.org with cancellations.

** Teams have been formed for JL2. The boards are posted on the wall next to the TV at Grand Prairie. JL3 and JL4 will be individual Stableford points.

JGA QUICK FACTS:
Established - 1987
Director - PGA Certified Professional Dean Marks, named
2007 "Junior Golf Leader" by Michigan Section PGA
Headquarters - Grand Prairie Golf Course
Address - 3620 Grand Prairie Road, Kalamazoo, MI 49006
Phone # (269) 388-4447
email - jga@kalamazoogolf.org
2008 Total Participants to date - 575 (380 JGA, 195 Jr. Leagues)
2008 Total Events - 30
2008 JGA Entry Fee - $50.00
2008 Jr. League Entry Fee - $15.00
JGA Scholarships awarded since 1997 - 33, totaling over $43,000