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 tournamentsRead 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 is not the most events you can afford. It is a short, deliberate season built around readiness, recovery, travel realities and organizer-confirmed event facts.
- 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 for 2027
A guardian enters one Local Qualifier online at no charge. The deadline, age-six exception, variable Local advancement, and different National Finals scoring format all matter before a family registers.
More on choose their first tournaments
- Getting Your Golfer Into Competitive Golf
- Drive, Chip and Putt Age Divisions for 2027
- 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