DGT Drop Golf Tour 2nd Cardinal Junior Open

Wish I'd known: The Cardinal by Pete Dye is a genuinely tough test — bent grass greens that run fast, tight fairways, and small greens that punish anything off-line. Only three par 5s (and tournaments sometimes modify the tee placement on one of them and convert to par 4), so birdie chances are limited even for players hitting it well. Hole 12 has a reputation for being brutal, and hole 14 gave a lot of players trouble too. Across the tournaments we've played here, winning scores tend to land around even par to a couple under — this course does not get overpowered. If you have any way to get a practice round in beforehand, do it; it makes a real difference here. The facility itself is lovely and clearly well run. There's a big, wide practice putting green, a full driving range, a short game area, and practice bunkers — everything you need to warm up properly. Carts are electric with USB-C chargers and coolers (they usually prefill all cart coolers with ice on hot days), and even with a good-sized field it never felt crowded. Pro shop has yardage books and balls available. Bathroom access is solid — one on the front near hole 5 tucked into the woods, one on the back nine around hole 13, and a set of two on the lower level near the clubhouse. There's an ice machine on the lower level too, and water coolers every few holes. Snack bar upstairs in the club sells basics, though there's no full food/drink cart service on course. One thing worth knowing going in: this is a noisier course than mos

The Cardinal by Pete Dye is a genuinely tough test — bent grass greens that run fast, tight fairways, and small greens that punish anything off-line. Only three par 5s (and tournaments sometimes modify the tee placement on one of them and convert to par 4), so birdie chances are limited even for players hitting it well. Hole 12 has a reputation for being brutal, and hole 14 gave a lot of players trouble too. Across the tournaments we've played here, winning scores tend to land around even par to a couple under — this course does not get overpowered. If you have any way to get a practice round in beforehand, do it; it makes a real difference here. The facility itself is lovely and clearly well run. There's a big, wide practice putting green, a full driving range, a short game area, and practice bunkers — everything you need to warm up properly. Carts are electric with USB-C chargers and coolers (they usually prefill all cart coolers with ice on hot days), and even with a good-sized field it never felt crowded. Pro shop has yardage books and balls available. Bathroom access is solid — one on the front near hole 5 tucked into the woods, one on the back nine around hole 13, and a set of two on the lower level near the clubhouse. There's an ice machine on the lower level too, and water coolers every few holes. Snack bar upstairs in the club sells basics, though there's no full food/drink cart service on course. One thing worth knowing going in: this is a noisier course than most, between the tee-box fans (needed for the bent grass), mowers, leaf blowers, nearby dogs, and planes overhead given the proximity to the airport — not a dealbreaker, just get your junior prepared for noise. Terrain is rolling and hilly with real elevation change. Also — there's a house right on the tee box of 14 that's often decorated; the people living there seem to enjoy having golf spectators. They've been loud and roudy on occasion, but never awful. Just something to note. Tournament-wise: the 2nd DGT Cardinal Open had a solid field of 61, points across AJGA/WGR/JGS, and everything ran smoothly and on time. Well worth the drive.