As the weather slowly begins to improve to signal the beginning of the competitive golf season in Kentucky, PGA Junior League will once again be a focal point in junior golf across Kentucky. After being introduced by the PGA of America in 2012, PGA Junior League has become one of the most successful and popular golf initiatives in the game’s history. Among the first PGA Professionals to create a team in Kentucky was Jason Eberle, PGA Head Golf Professional at Gibson Bay Golf Course in Richmond. Since then, Eberle’s program at Gibson Bay has developed itself into a model example for both junior golfers and PGA Professionals to follow when it comes to achieving success in PGA Junior League.

            While Gibson Bay has always been successful in growing the game amongst children in central Kentucky, PGA Junior League at the facility has blossomed into a program that contained 72 players and 6 coaches in 2018. The effects of such a strong program have gone on to be part of a steady success that comes with Gibson Bay’s teams and its individual players.

            “For a long time, golf was good at introducing people to the game, but there was a void in programming from initial development to individual tournament golf,” Eberle explained. “There’s not a lot of opportunity for those to mix together, but PGA Junior League does it perfectly. A lot more kids have stuck with golf and made it apart of their lives thanks to PGA Junior League. We’ve got more than 30 kids playing on their middle school or high school teams that have played, or do play, on our Junior League teams.”

            Simply acquiring the mindset to be successful in a competitive golf environment has often been a problem for young golfers, but Eberle and his staff came up with an altered format to continue the bridge that gap between learning the game and playing traditional junior golf tournaments. Each fall, after the PGA Junior League regular season has ended, Gibson Bay continues the format, but rather than competing in a scramble, the traditional PGA Junior League format, players are instead competing in a stroke play version.

            “Going from a team in a scramble format to suddenly being on your own playing your own ball can be intimidating,” Eberle said. “Doing it this way for our Fall PGA Junior League has given players a better understanding on how to be successful on their own when they no longer have a teammate. All you have to do is just tell kids, regardless of where they’re at in getting into golf is ‘You can do this. Believe in yourself.’ Once they start to believe that, the sky’s the limit for them.”

            For other PGA Professionals and their facilities, Eberle believes PGA Junior League is something that should be incorporated as its benefits are limitless for both the junior golfers and the golf course.

            “We really didn’t have to do much to get people involved in Junior League at Gibson Bay. We informed our participants in junior golf clinics along with their parents, put some signs around the clubhouse, got some word of mouth, and that’s all we needed to form multiple teams. It makes sense why PGA Junior League is so popular for kids though. They like being in team environments which is why other sports don’t see participation problems. Playing golf on a team is a big deal and a lot of fun.”

            Sending prospective golfers straight into PGA Junior League is risky, however, Eberle warns. Generally speaking, there are more parents who want their children to play golf than there are children who want to play golf. Therefore, getting word out to them and introducing parents along with their children in learn-to-play programs can be vital to a family getting into golf.

            “The more a facility does, the more valuable they become to the community. The PGA Professional’s value increases substantially when they’re able to change lives. PGA Junior League is the perfect avenue to have that happen.”

            PGA Junior League is available at dozens of locations across Kentucky, with areas including Louisville, Lexington, Paducah, Florence, and many more. To find a facility with PGA Junior League near you, click here. Teams in Kentucky will be working towards the PGA Junior League Section Championship presented by National Car Rental on July 20-21. Quail Chase Golf Club in Louisville will be the host venue. The winning team there will then have the opportunity to qualify for the nationwide championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona on October 11-14.