Before the round, the juniors were also visited by Pepperdine head men’s golf coach, Michael Beard. Eyes around the room got wide as he mentioned some of the legends of the game who have also played the course they were about to embark upon — Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson and Jon Daly.

Before making it to the professional ranks, Beard gave the group advice on how to catch collegiate coaches’ eyes on and off the course.

“Work on your short game 70 percent of the time,” Beard said. “The best way to work on your short game is to get a friend and go out and have a competition. If you can practice with someone, even if they’re better than you, that’s the best way to get better.”

Though many of the juniors are still a few years away from applying to college, Beard also talked about how to impress a coach by having a good attitude.

“We want kids who want to have fun and love the game,” Beard said.

Fun was the theme of the day for both the members and the juniors, especially for the foursome of Jenny Duce, Dana Bryant, Melissa Kimball and Khivi Kaur who took home the top spot in the friendly tournament.

“It was really fun getting to know them and I really liked this course,” said Kaur who was participating in her second Play Day. “It was really open and really fun to play, and it was nice having someone to guide us through the course.”

For Duce, general manager of North Ranch CC, it was fun not only to play with the juniors but also have her club hosting the event.

“The highlight was getting to know these girls and what their aspirations are,” Duce said. “Our members take pride in having these, and its great to let them experience a different course that they maybe haven’t played before.”

For this group, connections and memories were made that will last far beyond the course.

SCGA Play Days bring active SCGA Junior participants to private clubs for the day to experience a special round of golf and mentoring with club members. These events are invite only, and are provided to kids who are actively engaged with the SCGA Junior Golf Club. Many of these juniors would not have the opportunity to experience a private club without the Play Day program.

Simply by following the course, which always involves compassion, hard work and good times in a family environment. This was their first year involved in the PGA Junior League— a series of match-play team tournaments against other junior organizations in the area.

“PGA Junior League has been an awesome opportunity to watch our kids grow and take advantage of all the opportunities that we offer to practice and play,” said Kaycee Wilke, Director of Player & Youth Development. “From start to finish, our players became more knowledgeable about the rules of golf, practiced better etiquette each week, improved as golfers.”

Meeting for practice twice a week, the process followed what SCGA Junior is used to—working hard and having fun with our game improvement process.

“The coaches teach them values: respect, honor, dedication—it’s a very holistic approach, not just hitting a ball,” says Wally Viray, father of junior player, Chloe. “They make it fun. These coaches are like family to the kids.”

While the team aspect is new, they did not hesitate to embrace it. By using familiar instruction and technique, they incorporated their experience into an exciting team play strategy.

“You see them huddle together on the course, strategizing during the tournaments,” Viray said. “There’s no pressure on a single kid and they actually learn to be more aggressive by being in a team format.”

Joan Martinez’s daughter Sophia is naturally very shy when it comes to social situations which is how she gravitated towards golf at 5 years old, but being a part of a team helped change that.

“The social aspect with having teammates in the PGA League has allowed her to mature,” Martinez said. “I see evidence of this all the time. If I would have let her be, she would have played golf all day with her friends even after the event was over.”

With the Martinez’s, golf is a family affair. When Sophia isn’t dominating SCGA Junior tournaments, her and Joan spend a lot of time together on the golf course.

“Normally you see fathers and daughters playing together, so I think it’s nice that I can offer this to her and play with her regularly,” Martinez said.

Viray had a very different experience as a child, having strict private lessons and therefore didn’t like the game.

“If I wasn’t pressured to do it as a kid, I’d probably still play,” Viray said. “It all comes down to the fact that the coaches really care about the kids and they want them to flourish and be happy. If the kids are happy, they are not going to quit.”

Despite the two very different experiences, Martinez and Viray both find SCGA Junior’s approach beneficial for youth development not only in golf, but outside the game as well. Both want to continue golf through college. Who knows? Maybe we have future Scholars in our midst.

Imagine being a baseball player through and through, but your family drags you to the driving range one day because your sister plays golf. That one day changed Gio’s life forever.

“A coach came up to me and asked if I was interested [in learning the game], and SCGA Junior was offering classes. I joined in 2014 and haven’t looked back,” Sandoval said. “I went to all the classes and I just wanted to learn and grow in the game. This led me into volunteering, which I love very much.”

Now, baseball is a very fast paced, team oriented sport. But, when Gio switched to golf, he really enjoyed the dramatic change.

“I call it a getaway—golf is so relaxing. I go and play when I’m stressed out. It gives me time to think,” he said.

He also finds a better connection with golf and his life outside the game.

“Like I tell the kids I teach – just like in life, there’s always a different lie, and you have 14 different clubs to choose from to hit that shot. Golf helps us see beyond.”

Inspired by his former SCGA Junior coach Justin Doyle, Gio is a coach himself at Don Knabe GC and Pico Rivera GC.

“[SCGA Junior] always made it interesting for me, there’s never a dull moment in the class.” Gio said. “Justin ignited that spark in me and now this is something I want to do.”

Doyle wrote a glowing Letter of Recommendation for Gio’s scholarship application, expressing how perfect he is to receive such an honor:

“What separates Giovanni from others is he proceeded to outwork everyone around him. His commitment level to improving is insatiable. Giovanni wants to know more, so he can do more. The consistency he showed me I feel is a rarity. I never had to ask Giovanni to volunteer, he would just be there. To me, Giovanni shows tremendous potential to be a leader in whatever venture he decides to enter later in life.”

Gio says he’s still learning all the kid’s names and needs to get his CPR certification, but he’s well on his way to becoming a great addition to the SCGA Junior family.

“No matter what I do in life, I want to continue being in golf,” he said.” This organization has changed my life, and I’m very grateful.”

Kristy is currently a sophomore on the Women’s Golf Team at Chapman after graduating from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, where she earned All-Orange County honors all four years. In her freshman year at Chapman, Kristy not only led her team in scoring average (82.3) but also was named as part of the SCIAC All-Academic Team.

We were able take advantage of this time to sit down with Kristy to get some insight on her time with SCGA Junior and at Chapman University.

Q: At what age did you begin playing golf? When did you become involved with SCGA Junior?
Kristy Harada: I started playing golf when I was five and joined SCGA Junior when I was nine. After joining SCGA Junior, I was able to practice more and compete in local tournaments.

Q: Was there a certain point where you realized you may be interested in playing collegiate golf?
KH: My story is a little different! After my season during junior year, I was not interested in playing collegiate golf. After finishing my season during my senior year, I took a break and months later, I realized that I missed golf! I enrolled at Chapman, went on their website, and coincidentally found that they were opening a women’s golf program. I immediately contacted the coach and joined the team. It has been one of the best decisions I have made since I started college!

Q: What made Chapman University a great fit for you?
KH: I remember taking a tour of Chapman during my senior year of high school, and I loved the small campus and friendly environment. I also love its location here in Orange County.

Q: What was the most challenging part of transitioning from being a high school athlete to a collegiate athlete?
KH: Time-management was the most challenging for me. During my freshman year, I was overwhelmed with the speed of college classes. I was in an accelerated pharmacy program, and I quickly learned what labs were and what they entailed. It was a challenging adjustment but very rewarding.

They have been tasked with helping several local secondary schools – John Glenn High School, Bell Gardens HS, Bell HS, La Habra HS, St. Mary’s HS and La Serna HS – enhance their beginner golf programs.

All four of SCGA Junior’s full-time instructors are lending a hand in the development of junior golfers at these schools – the majority of which come from under-reached communities.

“Each of the schools that we’re working with has its own golf coach,” said Kaycee Wilke, director of player and youth development, SCGA Junior. “But in most cases, they lack the necessary skill set to develop their students at a high level. That’s where our TPI-certified instructors come into play.”

SCGA Junior provides the means of that development, holding team practices at Don Knabe Golf Center and Los Amigos GC after school.

“Their progression has been night and day,” said Bell Gardens High School Coach Joe Jordan. “SCGA Junior does everything, basically. I don’t know that much and I’m certainly no expert. I would have paid any amount of money for their support, but they’ve been so gracious.”

Along with the instruction, any students without equipment are provided with a set of clubs upon arrival. Each one of the participating students is also offered access to brand-new discounted equipment through the SCGA Junior’s Equipment Program.

“It’s so easy to just show up and play,” said Javier Gonzalez, Bell Gardens HS student. “I’m really grateful for SCGA Junior because not only are they teaching me how to play golf, but they’re also providing clubs and a practice range!”

In addition, every student also receives the instruction golf pass, which affords a player discounted access to all three player development sites in the region for $1-5 green/range fees.

“We have about 3,000 students at Bell Gardens High School but seriously only one single true golfer,” said Coach Jordan. “I would have never expected my team to fall in love with the sport without SCGA Junior’s support. My kids are going out and practicing on their own! Unbelievable, to be honest.”

Another benefit of this program has been the relationship-building amongst the students from the various schools. Once rivals, these students have been brought together to practice, compete and mesh with one another in a fun learning space.

“That’s one of the best things to see,” said Justin Doyle, SCGA junior golf instructor. “All of the kids from each school get to meet one another and build bonds that’ll last outside of the golf course. It’s fulfilling.”

A microcosm of the entire SCGA Junior mission, this program will continue to engage under-served youth in the lifelong benefits of golf.

1. Anthony’s 2-for-1 Special

Incredibly, 8-year-old Anthony Chung sank two holes-in-one during a single 9-hole match. Anthony made both holes-in-one on par-3s, draining his first on No. 3 from 75 yards out and the second on No. 6 from 100 yards away.

“That was my first hole-in-one ever on any course,” said Anthony. “My friend Connor told me it’d be awesome if I made another hole-in-one. It must be a record-breaker!”

The odds of a golfer making a hole-in-one is approximately 12,500 to 1.

Check out Anthony’s Q&A on his success here.

 2. Jesse’s Dramatic Dunk

I hope you have tissues ready… as we caught SCGA Junior Jesse Palazuelos’ priceless reaction to his hole-in-one here.

3. Alexander, The Young One.

Alexander received his first set of clubs when he was just three years old. He stuck exclusively to the driving range and putting area. At age six, he had just started to play on the course. Only a few months in, he recorded his first hole-in-one!

On April 2, Muzi — a Walnut High School junior and future USC Trojan — applied the imparted wisdom to her game and earned a nearly-flawless victory in an inaugural event.

With just one bogey during her 18-hole round, Muzi fired a 1-under 71 and captured the SoCal Junior Girls Showcase title at Oakmont CC, subsequently earning one of two spots into the qualifier for the LPGA Hugel-JTBC LA Open.

“She taught me about encouragement,” Muzi recalled when discussing her interaction with LPGA legend King. “Getting to play with her really gave me confidence going into (the SoCal Junior Showcase).”

Essentially a qualifier for another qualifier, the showcase —created through a partnership between SCGA Junior and the Southern California PGA Junior Tour — invited 24 of the top players in SoCal (19 based on junior golf rankings and five at-large via application) to duke it out in a unique tournament.

The top two finishers automatically earned a chance to qualify for LPGA’s tour stop at Wilshire CC.

“It’s going to be a really great opportunity to maybe play with some professionals who are trying to qualify for the LPGA,” Muzi said. “It should be fun out there.”

The second spot earned by a SoCal golfer in early April went to Abigail Wiranatha — Muzi’s high school teammate — who used an epic eagle hole-out to outlast Zoe Campos and Kornkamol Sukaree in a three-way playoff.

The trio finished 1-over 73 while battling for the second ticket. On the first playoff hole, from nearly 50 yards away, Wiranatha struck her ball in the middle of the fairway and watched as it bounced twice onto the green and rolled into the cup for a clutch, clinching shot.

Campos and Sukaree are both alternates for the Hugel-JTBC LA Open qualifier.

“I’ve made long putts in playoffs, but that one was definitely something special,” Wiranatha said. “I wasn’t expecting it to go in. But once it got on the line I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that might go in.’ And when it did, I just had a moment.”

In front of a large gallery, comprised mostly of fellow competitors watching near the green of the No. 1 hole, Wiranatha’s eagle sent the crowd into a frenzy. Her excitement over the shot was nearly matched by the fact that she gets to move on with Muzi.

“It means a lot, especially since we’re teammates. It’s really cool that we both get to go the qualifier together,” Wiranatha said. “We’ll definitely have fun there and we’re just really excited.”

For a full photo album of the event, click here.

With this perspective, we at SCGA Junior decided to take matters into our own hands to do what we can to make sure that everyone in our programs has affordable access to properly fitted golf equipment by revamping the SCGA Junior Equipment Program.

The first event since restarting the program was a club fitting day at Don Knabe GC and Pico Rivera GC. At the event, 50 Juniors were fitted into U.S. Kids golf clubs for their physical profile. Twenty of the Juniors who were fit applied for need based financial assistance, where if applied for would automatically qualify for 20 percent off and if approved they would get a total of 90 percent off.

Due in part to the success of the first event, SCGA Junior held its second club fitting day on Saturday, Feb. 24 at both Don Knabe GC and Pico Rivera GC with additional options available from U.S. Kids Tour and Wilson. This event was fully booked to fit 64 Juniors in four hours, which factors out to an amazingly efficient eight fittings per hour between the two facilities.

“When kids are playing with the proper sized equipment,” said SCGA Junior Instructor Eric Koscielak. “Golf becomes more fun and a little easier to play, which leads to more rounds of golf played and more smiles to be had.”

The next fitting day for the Junior Equipment program is currently being planned to be held in the San Diego area for the middle of April.

10. Launch of SCGA Junior’s College Prep Program

The four-week summer program, which costs participants just $20, provided hands-on college preparation many of these kids wouldn’t have otherwise received. Read more here

9. SCGA Junior members played alongside Amateur Champions and collegiate golfers at Don Knabe GC

This summer, SCGA Junior teamed up with USGA and LA County for a hosted Play 9 Day at Don Knabe Golf Center & Junior Academy in Norwalk.

8. SCGA Junior’s Equipment Program fitted over 80 kids

How fitting! SCGA Junior’s equipment program helped ensure kids had properly fitted clubs and provided opportunities to purchase clubs at a discounted rate.

7. SCGA Junior as the beneficiary of 2017 USGA Championships in Southern California

SCGA Junior were beneficiaries of The Walker Cup (hosted by the Los Angeles CC) and US Women’s Amateur (hosted by San Diego CC). Both clubs have generously donated to reach underserved youth within the SCGA Junior program.

6. When SCGA Scholar Alyaa Abdulghany’s team won the 2017 US Junior Solheim Cup 

Check out our success story on Alyaa Abdulghany here.

5. U.S. Champ Dustin Johnson’s meet and greet with SCGA Junior Recipients of the Merrins Legacy Program

Two siblings from SCGA Junior, Jasmine and Diamond Lew, received the opportunity to meet Dustin Jonson and receive swing tips! The Lews were selected earlier this year as the first participants in the Merrins Legacy Program, a program developed in conjunction with legendary golf instructor and SCGA Hall of Famer Merrins to help young, talented golfer prepare themselves for the next level of the game. Check out the story here.

4. Former SCGA Junior Andrea Lee wins Women’s SoCal Amateur 

Former SCGA Junior Scholar Andrea Lee servers as the Women’s SoCal Amateur Champion for the second time. She was also featured on the cover of FORE Magazine, print publication of the SCGA. Check out her win here.

3. Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay speaks at the 2017 SCGA Junior Annual Golf Tournament

Celebrity Caddie Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay meets the Junior team and has a fireside chat with SCGA Junior Board Member Ed Holmes.

2. Grand Opening of Don Knabe GC

Since the grand opening of Don Knabe Golf Center & Junior Academy in Norwalk, on June 28, SCGA Junior has hosted more than 200 kids at various educational and golf events.

1. SCGA Junior Anthony Chung scores TWO hole-in-ones in a 9-hole round

Odds of someone making a hole-in-one are extremely low, let alone doing it twice! Check out Anthony’s Q&A on his success here.

SCGA Junior members aged 13-17 came out in abundance for a guided campus tour of Occidental College. Not only were kids able to soak up musings from Coach Will Morris and various members of the Oxy men’s and women’s golf teams, but they were greeted by one of their own – SCGA Junior Scholar Sam Rocha.

Learning about life as a collegiate athlete, the recruiting process and what college coaches specifically look for in a future athlete is certainly beneficial. Hearing all of it from someone who was in their own shoes is priceless.

“When I first visited Oxy with SCGA Junior as a freshman in high school,” said Rocha, “It made me realize that it’d be possible to play college golf and pursue my career goals.”

An eye-opening experience for Sam, she left campus that day with lofty, yet attainable goals. It’s a day she won’t soon forget or take for granted and hopes the juniors who attended this year soaked it all up.

“This event is definitely my favorite one to take part in and hope the juniors were able to get the same impact from it as I did,” said Rocha. “I have a very personal connection to the program and to all the juniors involved so I genuinely enjoy being a lifeline.”

As this exclusive opportunity attracted more interest than there was space, the outing’s registration was opened up early to the regular participants of the rapidly growing College Prep Program.

“Almost all of the kids in attendance hadn’t experienced a college campus before,” said Jennifer Seislove, SCGA Junior program director. “But it was evident that the kids involved with our Summer College Prep Program were better prepared to ask relevant and thoughtful questions.”

Without outing like this one, many of these kids with lofty hopes and dreams otherwise would not have the means to visit and tour a college campus. It’s an incredible burden lifted off the shoulders for parents as well.

“Many of these families wouldn’t know where to start when planning a college visit,” said Seislove. “We try to provide the opportunity and forum to get all their questions answered and their angst subsided.”

Relieving the stresses of the college application process by educating parents and students is what it’s all about.

“The more a family is prepared for the next steps,” said Seislove. “The better chance they have at having successful college years.”

And we’re in the business of breeding success.

For a complete photo gallery of the outing, click here.