Welcome to the second weekend of May. Last weekend was full of fun and great competition across many golf tournaments and surely the same is in store this weekend as well. Maybe there will even be a match that comes down to the wire just like last weekend’s Kentucky Derby. Let’s look ahead at this weekend’s 8 golf tournaments across 6 states and Canada.
CJGA Hurricane Series Junior Showcase at Century Pines
For the first golf tournament of the weekend, we travel North of the border to beautiful Troy, Ontario. In collaboration with the Canadian Junior Golf Association, the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour will host a showcase in Canada at Century Pines Golf Club. The Century Pines Golf Club is a mature and picturesque parkland golf course and is home to majestic Maple, Oak, and Pine trees. These trees frame the courses sculpted bentgrass fairways and undulating greens. The natural beauty of the forest and wetlands is enhanced by two creeks that meander throughout the course. Numerous ponds, Ohio Valley sand-filled bunkers, and other natural hazards will give golfers of any level a challenge on this 18-hole golf course.
Right out of the gates, this course hits you with a par 5 which should be a nice opening to your round. The 18th hole is also a par 5. The first hole is a par 5 due mostly to its distance which, being frank, is long. Two bunkers straddle the green on either side of the approach, so be cautious of those. Otherwise, the first hole is a nice straight shot from tee box to green. The 7th hole may be a par 3 but it includes a tough shot over a water hazard on your way to the green. The 14th hole, which is another par 5, will give all golfers a nice challenge with a left dog leg and a couple of bunkers on the fairway.
Looking at the weather for Troy, Ontario this weekend, it will be an alright weekend of golf. Saturday’s high will be 55 degrees with some showers scattered throughout the day. Sunday will vastly improve with the high being 66 degrees and it being mostly sunny throughout the day. Expect a fun and challenging weekend of golf in Canada.
College Prep Series at St. Leo
Going from Canada, we head all the way down to Florida for the next golf tournament of the weekend at Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club. The Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club has one of the more challenging courses that this writer has seen. The course is tucked away among rolling green hills and mature oaks. Lake Jovita Country Golf & Country Club is conveniently less than 30 minutes north of Tampa. The South Course, the original track at Lake Jovita, has a more traditional design than the other course. It features generous fairways and velvety-smooth greens.
Most of the holes on this course would present a challenge, but at least two of these are the most challenging on the course. Holes 9 and 13 present the biggest challenges on this course. The 9th hole is a par 5 that is straight away for 90% of the hole and then takes a slight right at the green. The most challenging part of this hole is that the green is surrounded by six different bunkers. If you can navigate the bunkers then this hole will be manageable. If you thought the six bunkers on 9 were a lot then 13 may overwhelm you with 17 bunkers scattered across the fairway and bunker area. In addition, about ¾ of the way down the fairway, there is a creek you will have to shoot over.
This course may be challenging but at least the weather will be alright. It will be hot and cloudy this weekend in Florida with the being 87 degrees on Saturday and 89 degrees on Sunday. There will be a cloud layer hanging around the whole weekend, which means the UV Index will be high. Sunscreen is a must for Florida this weekend.
College Prep Series at UK
From Florida, the next tournament takes us to the University of Kentucky golf course. This weekend’s tournament will be played on the Big Blue course. This course has bent grass from tee to green and features numerous sand traps and water hazards over rolling terrain. This course is a part of the University of Kentucky’s golf complex, and the course makes it seem so as well. Holes 7 and 16 will prove to be a struggle for most golfers with some challenging hazards. Hole 7 has a very long fairway but don’t let that fool you. Scattered through the fairway are three different water hazards. The third water hazard will force you to shoot over it to get to the green. Then on the approach to the green, there are three bunkers that protect the green. This hole is not only long but it is hazardous. On the back 9, hole 16 will give golfers some challenges with an island green. Even from the shortest tee, the hole will be 475 yards and has four bunkers on the fairway as well. Once you get past those, there is a long shot over a creek to get to the island green. This hole looks to hold some frustration but also a fun challenge.
The weather in Lexington this weekend will start not so great but vastly improve on Sunday. Saturday will have a high of 66 degrees with occasional rain showers throughout the day and some winds. This won’t help with the challenging course in Lexington. Sunday will vastly improve with a high of 69 degrees. The clouds will stay present throughout the day and provide some protection from the sun. This weekend will be pleasant in Lexington.
Hartford Junior Open
The next tournament takes place in Massachusetts at the Ranch Golf Club in Hartford Massachusetts. The Ranch Golf Club was in Golf World’s 2010 Readers’ Choice Awards and was voted in the top 50 of all Public Golf Courses. The Ranch was one of only two courses in all of New England that made the list. This course has plenty of trees and bunkers throughout the course. This Southern Massachusetts golf course has a couple of really challenging holes and especially the 9th and 16th holes.
The 9th hole is a par 5 with the shortest tee still being 460 yards. Looking at the hole it first comes off as a simple hole but upon a closer look, there is a tough approach to the green. There is a set of trees on the right side of the fairway that will prove to block a shot toward the green. There is also a rough patch of grass that will hinder a straight shot from the fairway to the green. This course will test your driving skills and, closer to the green your chipping skills as well. The 16th hole will give you a different challenge with another par 5. This hole is another longer fairway and does lean slightly to the right and there will be trees lining the entire right side of the fairway. Closer to the green there is a water hazard that guards the left side. As a righty be cautious not to hook the ball toward it. This course will provide a fun challenge in Massachusetts.
The weather in South Massachusetts this weekend will be good on Saturday and poorer on Sunday. Saturday will be cloudy with a high of 61 degrees and very light winds. These conditions will play favorably for golf. Sunday will bring some damp conditions. The high for Sunday will be 62 degrees and rain is expected throughout the day. At least the winds will be light on Sunday. Best of luck to all of our golfers in Massachusetts this weekend.
Hilton Head Island Spring Junior Open at Palmetto Hall
Next up is the beautiful Palmetto Hall Golf Course in Hilton Head, South Carolina. The course at the club that will be used this weekend will be the Robert Cupp course. This course was designed by Cupp, who was Golf World’s former Architect of the Year. He opened his signature course at Palmetto Hall in 1993. This course has plenty of trees, so it is important to keep the ball on the fairway.
The course itself is very golfer-friendly. The 6th and 10th holes, however, are two of the most challenging on the course. The 6th hole is a par 5 and 542 yards from the farthest tee. The hole features trees on both sides of the fairway and has a sharp left dog leg about ½ way down the fairway. On the approach to the green, there is a small pond that protects the left side of the green. Be wary of hitting it to the left side of the green unless you feel confident enough to go over the water hazard. The 10th hole is another par 5 that is 509 yards from the farthest tee box. On the fairway, there is a bunker to the left side that you should be sure to avoid. On the way to the green, there is a small pond just like the 6th hole that guards the green. Get over that pond and it will be smooth sailing.
The weather in Hilton Head this weekend will be almost as beautiful as the course. Saturday will be great weather with the high being 78 degrees and very few clouds. There will be a very light breeze to keep it from getting too hot on the course. Sunday will be a little cloudier but the high will be 80 degrees. It should be a great weekend for golf in South Carolina.
Madison Green Junior Open
Back in Florida for the next golf tournament of the weekend at the Madison Green Country Club. The Madison Green Country Club has over a thousand palm trees lining the course as do over 100 bunkers and 42 acres of shimmering lakes. This course has beauty and challenge written all over it. Holes 2 and 10 will prove to give golfers the most problems on the course this weekend.
Hole 2 has a very narrow fairway from the tee boxes with trees closely lining the boxes on the left-hand side. From there, there is a good-sized fairway, but you run into a water hazard shortly after. The water hazard lies on the left side of the course and makes the rest of the fairway skinnier. This water hazard stretches all the way to the green. Then once you get to the green there is a large bunker protecting the right side of the green, while the water hazard stretches on the left side. There is a good reason that this hole is a par 5. The 10th hole may only be a par 4, but it will give golfers a good challenge. The fairway is narrow and just like hole 2, it has a water hazard that stretches most of the back part of the fairway. Opposite of that water hazard, there are multiple bunkers that line the fairway as well. This is the mirror image of hole 2 with the water hazard stretching up the left side of the green and a bunker protecting the right side of the green. Approach this hole with a good plan and caution.
The weather this weekend in Florida will be hot. On Saturday, temperatures are expected to reach 93 degrees with some cloud cover. Sunday will cool off slightly with the high only being 91 degrees. It will be a hot weekend in Florida.
Major Championship at The Medalist at Avalon
Tennessee will be the next state to host the Hurricane Tour this weekend. The Avalon Country Club will be the host club this weekend. A great course that has plenty of trees and very straightaway holes. Looking at the satellite view of the course, almost every hole has a straight fairway with the exception of the 17th and 18th holes.
The two holes mentioned above both are challenging in their own ways but share a dogleg left. The 17th hole has almost a 90-degree turn to the left which will make the shot towards the green tougher. In addition to that, golfers will have to shoot over a large pond before the dog leg turns which will add another difficult shot to this hole. The hole is then protected by three bunkers that are evenly spaced around the entire green. Once golfers are done with the tough 17th hole, they get the par 5 18th hole. The 18th hole is a long one with another water hazard between the fairway and the green. While you do not have to take a long shot across the water, unless you want to, you will have to cross the water eventually. Be cautious not to overshoot the green as there is a large bunker that awaits you behind the green.
The weather in Lenoir City this weekend will be nice. Saturday will have a high of 70 degrees and be partly cloudy. Sunday will be more of the same with the temperatures rising to 73 degrees. Don’t let the clouds fool you, the UV Index will still be high on both days.
Northern Virginia Spring Junior Open
The last tournament of the weekend takes us to Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley Golf Club. The Shenandoah Valley Golf Club is the premier public Virginia golf course. This 27-hole facility ranks as one of the 10 best Virginia golf courses, according to Golf Digest. Nestled at the base of the Blue Ridge and Massanutten mountain range, Shenandoah Valley Golf Club is located a convenient 45 minutes from Washington D.C. Looking at the course, it has an abundance of trees and mostly straight fairway. The 7th and 14th holes look to be two of the harder ones on the course.
The 7th hole is a par 5 with the hole being 534 yards away from the farthest tee box. From the tee boxes on the right-hand side, there is a big group of trees that will force you to hit the ball straight away down the fairway. About ½ way down the fairway, the course bends to the right and all the way to the green. Around the green there are no hazards, but the hole is surrounded by a thick group of trees. The reason this is a par 5 is because of the sheer distance from tee to green. The 14th hole plays similarly to the 7th hole. The hole has trees littered around the fairway and also has a slight bend to the right. This hole is a longer copy and paste of the 7th hole.
The weather for Front Royal Virginia will be alright on Saturday and nice on Sunday. Saturday will have a high of 67 degrees but have showers scattered throughout the afternoon. Keep that in mind when packing for Virginia this weekend. Sunday will be better with the high rising to 68 degrees and just mostly cloudy. Saturday will be challenging but you will be rewarded with a pleasant Sunday.
To register for future tournaments, look at our tournament schedule to find one near you! Hurricane Junior Golf Tour (hjgt.org).
