Development
Day-of checklistChoose their first tournaments
Which events take a first-timer, what happens on the day, and how to build a season that is not chaos.
How to do it
- Pick one local event that accepts beginners.
- Work the day-of checklist the night before.
- Add the next two events only after the first one goes fine.
Start here
Find junior eventsRead these first
- Read the guide
Getting Started in Junior Tournaments (Low-Cost Paths)
You don’t need a national tour and a five-figure budget to start competing. The on-ramps that cost the least are also the ones built for beginners. Here’s how to get a first season going.
- Read the guide
Your First Golf Tournament: The Complete Checklist
Most first-timer mistakes have nothing to do with the swing. They are a forgotten glove, a late arrival, or a rules slip on the first tee. This checklist covers all of it so you can just play.
- Read the guide
Building a Junior Tournament Schedule
A good schedule isn’t the most events you can afford. It’s the right events, at the right level, spaced so your player arrives at the ones that matter sharp instead of fried.
- Read the guide
When Should a Junior Start Competitive Golf?
There is no magic age. Readiness matters more than the number on a birth certificate, and a golfer who starts at thirteen can still reach college golf. Here is how to read readiness, for boys and girls, and how to take the first step.
- Read the guide
Drive, Chip and Putt Qualifying: How to Enter and What to Expect
Drive, Chip and Putt is free, open to juniors 7 to 15, and ends on the Sunday before the Masters. Here is how qualifying actually works, how the skills are scored, and what the event is and is not.
More on choose their first tournaments
- Getting Your Golfer Into Competitive Golf
- Drive, Chip and Putt Age Divisions Explained
- Drive, Chip and Putt vs. PGA Jr. League vs. U.S. Kids Golf
- How to Practice for Drive, Chip and Putt
- What to Expect at a Drive, Chip and Putt Local Qualifier
- What Making the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals Actually Means
- Parent Rules & Etiquette at Junior Golf Tournaments
- What to Feed Your Junior Golfer on Tournament Day
- Best States to Raise a Competitive Junior Golfer