The first-timer's guide

A "tour" is just an organization that runs a season of tournaments for junior golfers. Some are national (AJGA, Hurricane, IMG, US Kids), some are regional or state-based (TYGA in Texas, FJT in Florida, NCGA Junior in California). Different tours = different fields, different fees, different vibes.

Most kids end up playing across several tours in a season — a couple local events to build a resume, then a few bigger ones to test the game.

See our Tours overview for a breakdown of who's who.

Each tour has its own membership and registration system. The pattern is almost always:

1. Join the tour (one-time or annual membership fee, usually $50–$300).
2. Register for individual tournaments as they open — each event has its own entry fee on top of membership.
3. Wait for the field to be set. Bigger tours are competitive: you may get in, get waitlisted, or get cut depending on age, ranking, or registration time.

This is the part that catches new families off guard. Popular tournaments fill in minutes of opening — sometimes weeks before the actual event. Big AJGA events can open 60–90 days out and close the same day.

We track open/close dates on the Tournaments page. Set a calendar reminder for the minute registration opens — seriously.

• Tour membership: $50–$300/year per tour.
• Local one-day events: often $75–$175.
• Regional multi-day events: $200–$450.
• Major national events (AJGA Invitationals, etc.): $400–$700+ entry, plus travel.
• Travel & lodging: usually the biggest line item by far.

• Stroke play: the standard. Lowest total score over 1–3 rounds wins.
• Cut events: longer tournaments may cut the field after round 1 or 2.
• Divisions: kids are grouped by age and gender (e.g. Boys 14–15, Girls 16–18). Some tours combine ages on shorter tees.
• Qualifiers: some events require a separate qualifying round to make the main field.

Many tours use a performance-based ranking (AJGA stars, Junior Golf Scoreboard, Rolex AJGA Rankings) to prioritize entries. As your kid plays more events and posts better finishes, they earn higher status — which means they get into harder events sooner.

Translation: the first year is often the hardest. Local and regional events are where most kids start building a ranking before chasing national fields.

• Player + 1 caddie/parent (rules vary by tour — check before you go).
• Rules sheet & local rules printout from the tour.
• Extra balls, gloves, snacks, water, sunscreen, rain gear.
• Pace-of-play awareness — junior tours are strict.
• Patience. The first one is always weird.

That's normal. Head to The Loop for stories from parents who've already been through it, or browse the tours to figure out where to start.