Junior tour kicks off June 28 at Brock Golf
Defending under-15 boys champion Michael Martel will be playing this season in the under-19 division of the Niagara Junior Golf Tour.
The 29th year of the Niagara Junior Golf Tour will kick off June 28 at Brock Golf.
It is the second straight year the tour has launched with a stop at Brock Golf.
“I started teaching there, I have my indoor facility there and I think it is a great start and a great test,” tour organizer John White said. “We used to play our opening pro event there and it was always a lot of fun. You would think it would be easy but usually over par would win it while other events would be under par.
“And the Julies up there and the whole Julie family though the Niagara Peninsula are tremendous supporters of junior golf and they welcome us with open arms.”
Following the opening event, the schedule includes: Monday, July 12 at Rockway Vineyards, Wednesday, July 14 at Sawmill; Monday, July 19 at Rolling Meadows; Wednesday, July 21 at Grand Niagara, Friday, July 23 at Willodell; Monday, July 26 at Legends on the Niagara Battlefield; Wednesday, Aug. 4 at Twenty Valley; and Monday, Aug. 23, at Beechwood in Niagara Falls.
“I am looking forward to it and the schedule is set,” White said. “We are at nine events and I would like to get to 10.”
The tournaments will follow all the COVID-19 health and safety protocols but, unlike 2020, White is hoping to stage playoffs this year.
Since the tour was launched in 1993, between 80 to 100 graduates of the program have gone on to play post secondary golf.
“It gives them a place to play, the camaraderie is great and they make a lot of friends. It is a developmental tour and it gives them a chance to test the tournament waters,” White said. “We have produced some good players and a lot of great people; school teachers and accountants.”
Young developing golfers quickly discover there is a big difference between playing with your friends and competing in a tournament.
“A lot of kids shoot 10 or 15 strokes higher when they first start playing tournaments because there are nervous and there’s some pressure on them,” White said. “It builds character, it can be embarrassing and it might not feel like it at the time, but it is teaching them valuable skills.”
White expects to hit his cutoff point of having 60 golfers signed up for the tour.
“There are only five girls signed up this year which is a little disappointing but there are three who played last year who haven’t signed up yet. I think we will end up with anywhere from six to 10 female players.”
Defending points champions returning to play on the tour are brothers Matthew and Michael Martel (under-19 and under-15 champions) and Kian Oelofse (under-13 champion). White is unsure how much Matthew will play because he is a member of Team Ontario and Michael, who is still eligible to play in the under-15 division, is moving up to the under-19 division to test his skills. Oelofse has graduated to the under-15 division.
