The American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) is a "501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf." AJGA is considered by many leaders in the golf industry to be the premier junior golf association of the world. Evidenced of AJGA's premier standing is shown through its financial support from such organizations as Titleist (its national sponsor), Rolex and Polo Ralph Lauren (premier partners), the United States Golf Association (association partner), and official partners such as HP, FootJoy and PING.

AJGA has been running elite tournaments for junior golf

Golf

Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....

ers of both sexes in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 since 1978. As of 2010, AJGA stages roughly 85 tournaments a season. The association is headquartered at Chateau Elan

Chateau Elan

Chateau Elan is the largest winery in Georgia, located in Braselton, north of Atlanta.It was founded in 1982 by Dr. Don Panoz who came from the pharmaceutical industry.The facility is but only 50 are dedicated to the vineyard...

 Resort in Braselton, Georgia

Braselton, Georgia

Braselton is a town in Barrow, Gwinnett, Hall, and Jackson Counties in the U.S. state of Georgia, about 40 miles northeast of Atlanta. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 7,511....

. Currently, AJGA focuses more on developing elite golfers of both sexes rather than fostering the recreational side of the sport, which is clearly conveyed in its mission statement.http://www.ajga.org/About_AJGA/QuickFacts.asp

Playing on the AJGA

Junior golfers between the ages of 12 and 18 are eligible to play in AJGA events. Players from around the world are eligible to play in AJGA events. Players can qualify to take part through local and regional tournaments via the AJGA's Performance Based Entry system http://www.ajga.org/TournInfo/PBE/TOC.asp. Players who have the ability, but not the financial means to play may qualify for the AJGA's ACE Grant program http://www.ajga.org/Parents/financial_assistance.asp. This grant provides financial support for players who need help covering the expenses of the national junior golf competition.

How to Qualify

In 2003, the AJGA abandoned its tournament selection process that was based on the strength of a tournament application and resume in favor of a Performance Based Entry process. This enables 12-18-year-old members to earn their way into AJGA Open tournaments based on performances at the national, regional and state levels.

The player's performance, not the AJGA, dictates acceptance into an event. The expanded opportunities to gain entry into AJGA events through success at the state and regional levels ensure all deserving juniors receive an opportunity to play in an AJGA event. Exemptions into AJGA events can be earned through numerous tournaments, including AJGA Tournaments and Qualifiers, The US Junior Championship

U.S. Junior Amateur Golf Championship

The United States Junior Amateur Championship is one of the thirteen U.S. national golf championships organized by the United States Golf Association. It is open to amateur boys who are under 18 on the last day of the competition and have a USGA Handicap Index of 6.4 or less. The competition was...

, Western Junior

Western Junior

The Western Junior is the oldest national junior golf tournament in the United States. It was founded in 1914 and is organized by the Western Golf Association. It is played at a different course each year, primarily in the midwest. From 1914 to 1998, it was played with stroke play qualifying...

, Scott Robertson Memorial, Stan Trojanowski Northern Junior

Stan Trojanowski Northern Junior

The Stan Trojanowski Northern Junior is a national Junior golf tournament conducted each year at Ellington Ridge Country Club in Ellington, Connecticut. The format for the event is 36-holes of stroke play. The tournament was founded in 2002 in memory of Stan Trojanowski, who died on August 21st, 2001...

, and other major and state championships.

Rankings and Awards

The AJGA runs a variety of rankings, teams, and awards. The AJGA has developed its own ranking system that helps fill tournament fields and determine the Rolex Junior All-America teams and the Rolex Junior Player of the Year winners.http://www.ajga.org/rankingdb/insidetherankings.asp Past winners of the Player of the Year awards include Phil Mickelson

Phil Mickelson

Philip Alfred Mickelson is an American professional golfer. He has won four major championships and a total of 39 events on the PGA Tour. He has reached a career high world ranking of 2nd in multiple years. He is nicknamed "Lefty" for his left-handed swing, even though he is otherwise right-handed...

 and Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods

Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...

 in the boys division and Cristie Kerr

Cristie Kerr

Cristie Kerr is an American professional golfer who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She has 14 wins on the LPGA Tour, including two major championships, and over $13 million in career earnings...

 and Paula Creamer

Paula Creamer

Paula Creamer is an American professional golfer on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. As a professional, she has won 11 tournaments, including 9 LPGA Tour events. Creamer has been as high as number 2 in the Women's World Golf Rankings. She was the 2010 U.S...

 in the girls division. In addition, AJGA has started developing live scoring for some of their invitational tournaments to make the AJGA experience that much more realistic to playing on a pro tour.http://www.ajga.org/ajgalive/default.asp#

Beginnings

The idea behind the AJGA was conceived in the mid 1970s by Mike Bentley, a sportswriter in DeKalb County, Georgia. Bentley first formed the DeKalb Junior Golf Association in 1974, which eventually evolved into the Atlanta Junior Golf Association

Atlanta Junior Golf Association

The Atlanta Junior Golf Association is a 501 non-profit organization based in Atlanta, Georgia. It was established in 1974 as the Dekalb Junior Golf Association with less than 100 members and conducted approximately one dozen events. Today it boasts over 1150 members annually and, for the first...

 http://www.atlantajuniorgolf.org. Bentley soon realized the need for organized golf at the national level. At the time, there existed several national junior golf tournaments but no cohesive administration of junior golf events on a national scale. Bentley envisioned such an organization, and created the American Junior Golf Association to meet the need http://www.ajga.org/Media_Center/images/MikeBentley.jpg.

The AJGA conducted its first national junior golf event in 1978, the AJGA Tournament of Champions, at Inverrary Country Club in Lauderhill, Florida.http://www.kfsm.com/sports/kfsm-sports-springdales-coats-ajga,0,4639725.story Later that same year AJGA introduced and conducted its second national event.http://www.thegolfchannel.com/junior-golf/articles/mike-bentley-leaves-lasting-impression-36250/ In addition, AJGA also named its first Rolex Junior All-Americans in 1978, and has done so every year since http://www.ajga.org/Rankings/RolexAward.asp.

In 1984, Stephen Hamblin was hired as the Executive Director, the same role he continues to serve today. The AJGA's first permanent home was built in 1983 at Horseshoe Bend Country Club.http://www.ajga.org/newsletter/theajgalink/11-02/ViewFromChateau.asp Later the Association moved to a new facility in Braselton, Ga., at Chateau Elan Resort in September 2000 http://www.ajga.org/About_AJGA/NationalHQStory.asp.

Growth

The AJGA has experienced consistent growth throughout its history in many aspects. In 1983, with only a staff of five has grown to 58 full time employees. The number of AJGA tournaments has also increased, moving from two in 1978 to its current total of about 85 events per year. In addition, AJGA's memberships have increased to approximately 5,000 members annually. AJGA also has 300 college coach memberships. These membership give them access to vital recruiting information such as swing videos and players statistics.http://www.ajga.org/parents/collegegolf.asp In 2000, AGJA built its new national headquarters in Braselton, Georgia

Braselton, Georgia

Braselton is a town in Barrow, Gwinnett, Hall, and Jackson Counties in the U.S. state of Georgia, about 40 miles northeast of Atlanta. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 7,511....

 at the Chateau Elan

Chateau Elan

Chateau Elan is the largest winery in Georgia, located in Braselton, north of Atlanta.It was founded in 1982 by Dr. Don Panoz who came from the pharmaceutical industry.The facility is but only 50 are dedicated to the vineyard...

 Winery and Resort. The building was paid for by public donations.

Achieving Its Mission

AJGA focuses on running high-level, consistent golf tournaments that give college coaches the ability to accurately judge the skill level of junior golfers.http://www.ajga.org/parents/collegegolf.asp#rules This is accomplished through adherence to the USGA Rules of Golf, the AJGA Code of Conduct http://www.ajga.org/TournInfo/conduct.asp, its Get Crackin' Pace of Play policy sponsored by Wonderful® Pistachios http://www.ajga.org/TournInfo/pace.asp, and the use of its Performance Based Entry system http://www.ajga.org/TournInfo/PBE/TOC.asp to fill tournament fields.

Each year, the vast majority of AJGA graduates go on to compete at the college level.http://www.ajga.org/Membership/LetterOfIntent/index.asp In addition, most graduates do so on college golf or academic scholarships.http://www.kfsm.com/sports/kfsm-sports-springdales-coats-ajga,0,4639725.story

AJGA Alumni

Many AJGA alumni have found success at the college level and more importantly success at the professional level. AJGA college Alumni have competed successfully. AJGA college alumni have won 20 of the past 25 NCAA Division I Men’s Champions (1986- 2010) and 20 of the past 25 NCAA Division I Women’s Champions ( 1986-2010). Additionally, many AJGA alumni have also found success at the professional level. With more than 200 AJGA alumni players on both PGA Tour and LPGA Tour, there has been a total of more than 350 professional victories collectively. http://www.ajga.org/About_AJGA/QuickFacts.asp

AJGA Alumni on the PGA TOUR include: Tiger Woods, Stewart Cink, Bob Estes, Steve Flesch, Jim Furyk, Sergio Garcia, Lucas Glover, J.B. Holmes, Charles Howell III, Matt Kuchar, Dustin Johnson, Justin Leonard, Davis Love III, Andrew Magee, Hunter Mahan, Phil Mickelson, Joe Ogilvie, Sean O'Hair, David Toms, Bubba Watson, Mike Weir, Rickie Fowler and Scott Verplank. http://www.ajga.org/About_AJGA/QuickFacts.asp

AJGA Alumnae on the LPGA Tour include: Brandie Burton, Paula Creamer, Laura Diaz, Vicki Goetze-Ackerman, Julieta Granada, Pat Hurst, Cristie Kerr, In-Kyung Kim, Kelli Kuehne, Brittany Lang, Brittany Lincicome, Michelle McGann, Kristy McPherson, Lorena Ochoa, Angela Park, Morgan Pressel, Kelly Robbins and Wendy Ward.http://www.ajga.org/About_AJGA/QuickFacts.asp