Junior golf tournaments can help golfers earn college scholarships. There are also scholarships available to play in these events.
With the cost of college education soaring, many parents have started hunting for scholarships earlier for their kids. Increasingly, they are looking at junior golf. There are many major junior golf tournaments around the country, and a junior golfer's performance in those could merit a scholarship offer from a major university. There are also grants and scholarships available to play in these tournaments.
ACE Grant
Most golf tournaments do not offer scholarships as prizes, nor do they offer money to participate in them. The ACE Grant, provided through the American Junior Golf Association, is one exception. The ACE Grant helps fund competitive tournament play for disadvantaged children across the country. There is a lengthy application process, available at the AJGA website, and the selection process is very competitive. Junior golfers who earn the scholarship have education and tournament expenses covered for one calendar year.
American Junior Golf Association
A much more practical way to earn a golf scholarship through tournaments is to play well in the events and appeal to college golf coaches for a spot on their roster. There are numerous playing opportunities at Division I, Division II, NAIA school and junior colleges that will allow your child to play on the golf team and get some, if not all, of his school paid for. The American Junior Golf Association conducts over 100 tournaments each year, and college coaches pay close attention to the results.
Future Collegians World Tour
The Future Collegians World Tour mimics the AJGA business model, but takes place during the fall, winter and spring months. The FCWT provides first-class golf tournaments for juniors looking to expose themselves to college coaches, primarily at the Division I level. This provides for a tremendous amount of exposure to potential scholarship dollars. The top players on this tour will earn either full or partial scholarships to the best D-I colleges. Still others will earn awards to other colleges across the United States.
Game of Your Life Foundation
The Game of Your Life Foundation is a regional tour that consists of the Meijer Junior Players Tour, Adams Junior Tour and Midwest Collegiate Series. G.O.L.F. conducts junior golf tournaments, and at the end of the season has an awards banquet with dozens of scholarships available for the most deserving candidates. These scholarships are not full rides but are mostly one-time awards ranging from $1,000 to $10,000. This process mirrors the scholarship awards available through many local and regional golf associations.
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