December 18, 2009


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


(Franklin,TN) - We are pleased to announce the improvements and changes for the 2010 Toyota TGA Junior Tour season. Please review the following items and feel free to contact our office with any questions or concerns. Our holiday hours and contact information are as follows:

December 21 - January 3: Office Closed

January 4: Begin regular office hours (Monday – Friday: 8am to 5 pm CST)

Office Phone: 615-790-3336

Office Email:  tnjuniorgolf@pgahq.com

Divisions

In early February we will post the “2010 Masters Division Eligibility List”. Members who appear on the list are eligible and MUST compete in the Masters Division for 2010. The list was compiled after reviewing every member’s profile from the 2009 season. If, once the list is posted, your name does not appear and you would like to be added to the list, please call our office and we can discuss your eligibility for the 2010 season.

Season Ending Championships

In 2010 the Masters Division will be tentatively heading back to the Golf Club of Tennessee in Kingston Springs for the Tournament of Champions. The event will take place on July 27 & 28 and players will once again be eligible for this event based on their adjusted scoring average throughout the year.

We are pleased to announce that the winner in both the Boys 16-18 and Girls 15-18 divisions will each receive one (1) AJGA tournament exemption.  For information on the AJGA’s “Performance Based Exemption” program, please visit their website at www.ajga.org.

We will also be conducting four (4) Tour Division Regional Championships. These will take place during the week of July 19^th in the following regions of the state:

West Tennessee

Middle Tennessee

Chattanooga/Knoxville
Knoxville/Tri-Cities

These events are open to all Tour Division players and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The Aspen Grove Challenge will stay at the The Little Course at Conner Lane in Franklin and will take place on July 24 & 25. Players will be eligible for this event based on their adjusted scoring average throughout the year. We have continued to revamp the scoring average system within the Micro Division to put more emphasis on playing more difficult golf courses. Please visit the “Season-ending Championships” section on our website for more information.

Pricing

As we continue our effort to make the Toyota TGA Junior Tour one of the best and most affordable programs in the country we will not be adjusting the prices for the 2010 season. The following will be the price structure for next year:

1. Membership - $95.00
2. Entry Fees:
   1. One-Day Events: $15.00 (9-hole players), $25.00 (18-hole players)
   2. TaylorMade/adidas Championship Series Events:  $125.00
      

TaylorMade/adidas Championship Series (Masters Division)

We continue to tweak these events year after year and 2010 will be no exception. Firstly, we will be adding two (2) more tournaments to this series to make a total of fourteen events throughout the summer. One will take place in Middle Tennessee while the other will take place in the Memphis area. Secondly, we will continue to give the host club the option of holding either a 36-hole event on one-day or have it take place on two consecutive days. The reason for offering this option helps us in securing the more prestigious courses as well as offering 36-holes in one day falls more in line with the experiences in college golf. What a better way to showcase our Tour to college coaches than creating a college-like atmosphere.

Schedule Release

We will release the full schedule during the opening of membership registration (see below) on February 15, 2010.

Registration

Starting February 15, 2010 juniors will be able to sign up for tour membership. At this time we will be able to confirm each players division prior to them signing up for individual tournaments. This will help our office in processing eligibility questions prior to players signing up for tournaments.

Regular tournament registration will open on April 19, 2010. As an incentive to those members who attend one of spring rules and policy clinics (see below) we will open early tournament registration for them on April 12, 2010. We feel it is important for our members to become educated on the Rules of Golf and we hope this incentive will entice many of you to attend.

Spring Rules and Policy Clinics

In keeping with our mission to offer educational activity to our members, we will be conducting 10-12 rules and policy clinics throughout the state. These clinics will take place at area golf courses/high schools during March and early April. As an incentive to those that attend, we will offer early tournament registration (see above) as well as handing each attendee their 2010 member packet. More information will be available on the website early next year.

Spectator Wristbands

In 2008 and 2009 we experimented with having spectators wearing issued “Spectator Wristbands” to each event. It was met with moderate success and as security becomes a bigger and bigger issue in today’s society we will continue to have the policy in effect. The only way this policy will work is if we get the cooperation of our member’s parents. The more cooperation we have, the better prepared our field staff can be in monitoring the safety of our members. There will be a sign-in sheet near the starting tee of every event where spectators can read our policies and sign a sheet stating they understand their role while on the golf course. If at anytime a spectator is on the course without a wristband they will be given the opportunity to follow the above procedures and if they do not proceed properly they will be asked to leave.

Awards

In 2010 we will award the following achievements during the Toyota Awards Ceremony in late July:

1. Toyota Player of the Year in all Masters Divisions
2. Toyota Spirit of Golf in all three categories (Masters, Tour, Micro)
3. Vince Gill Volunteer of the Year