By Greg Johnson
Just over four years ago Kyle Wolfe, the Golf Association of Michigan (GAM) staff member who directs junior golf tournaments, noticed a young golfer at a tournament scoreboard attempting to figure out just where she stood against the other golfers in her age group.
“She looked lost and I said to myself ‘what are we doing?’ We had all the scores grouped together instead of by age group, and it was clearly a nightmare to try and figure it out,” Wolfe said. “It wasn’t really meeting the needs of this junior golfer, or the others for that matter.”
Fast forward: Wolfe now makes sure age groups are clearly defined on GAM scoreboards and has urged changes that involve more age–group definition and competition. In 2020 the GAM plans to present and administer six junior championships, including special age group play, and hopefully conduct three United States Golf Association qualifiers for national junior championships.
“Junior golf is important to me, but also to the game and the GAM,” Wolfe said, adding that noticing that young golfer at the scoreboard fed into a significant part of the GAM’s mission with young golfers.
“One of the main things we have done in the last four years is really try to listen to our customers, the golfers and their parents,” he said. “Much of what we have done and changed comes from listening to what people are saying. We speak with the players, the parents, the golf instructors and the high school and college golf coaches and try to give the players a pathway to develop.”
Wolfe said the passion of GAM volunteers and rules officials has been the driving force of the work with junior golfers. He said the volunteers understand the future of the game is with the juniors and he cited the special passion of Tom “Bulldog” Bollinger of Linden and Mick Kildea of Lansing, two longtime GAM volunteers: “They have been the two most important people as part of this process to make GAM junior golf better,” Wolfe said. “They drive the bus and move it forward. They take the time to teach the golfers about the game, the etiquette, the rules and character during our tournaments.”
Families first venturing into GAM competition can struggle with selecting appropriate tournaments for their junior golfers. Help is available at kwolfe@gam.org or 248-978-9132, or under the JUNIORS pull down at gam.org. MGJ
2020 GAM Championships
- GAM Junior Kickoff – April 25-26 at Washtenaw GC
- Michigan Girls’ State Junior Amateur - July 7-10 at Forest Akers East
- Michigan Boys State Junior Amateur - July 27-30 at TPC Michigan
- GAM 14 & Under Match Play Championship - July 13-14 at Woodside GC
- GAM Junior Stroke Play Championship - August 6-7 at Forest Akers East
- GAM Junior Invitational - September 12-13 at Forest Akers West
2020 USGA Qualifiers
- U.S. Girls’ Junior Qualifier – June 15 (Selfridge ANGB)
- U.S. Junior Amateur Qualifier – June 16 (Eagle Crest GC at EMU)
- U.S. Junior Amateur Qualifier – July 9 (The Meadows at GVSU)
Other Recommended Junior Tournaments
- Michigan Junior PGA Championship (June 18-19)
- American Junior Golf Association (AJGA)
