Another month in the books, and a new one coming up bringing, you guessed it, more golf! April was a great month for our junior golfers, and hopefully, May brings more of the same with some warmer temperatures. We have six tournaments to kick off the month of May across five different states. Let’s take a look at these courses and may the fourth be with you on the course this weekend.
Boston Junior Open
The first junior golf tournament of the weekend takes place at the historic Stow Acres Country Club. This course was built in 1926 and was the first golf course to host the National Black Men’s Championship. Looking at the South Course itself, it should present a few challenging holes with five different par 5s throughout the 18 holes. The hardest of these par 5s would have to be the 14th hole which has almost a 90-degree dogleg to the right. The 6th hole has a dog leg to the right as well, but it is not as drastic as the 14th. Looking over the map of this course, these holes will provide a nice challenge for golfers this weekend with those five par 5s.
Taking a look at the weather for Massachusetts this weekend, it will be calm on Saturday, but some challenges will arise on Sunday. Saturday will be completely overcast with a high of 59 degrees. This should be very pleasant golf weather, though a bit on the chilly side. Sunday will be the hardest of the two days out on the course. The high for Sunday will only be 58 degrees, but showers are expected to be present throughout the day. There is a 60% chance of rain on Sunday expected throughout the day.
Champions Gate CC Junior Open
We travel to Florida for the first of two junior golf tournaments in the state at Champions Gate Country Club. This club is located just fifteen minutes away from Disney World in a community built around the golf course. This golf course is enhanced by its natural habitat, exquisite ponds with gorgeous fountains, and a scenic yet challenging bunker layout. The course only features four par 5s, which should provide a good challenge for our junior golfers. The 9th hole will present a tough challenge this weekend with a tough dog leg left and a green that can only be reached over water. This hole will certainly test your patience and skill with the water shot. Depending on where you are shooting from, the 16th hole will present a similar challenge. This hole, however, you will have to shoot over the water right from the tee box. These are just two of the hardest challenges on the course that were easily identifiable.
A non-golf-related challenge this weekend will be the heat on both days and the rain on Saturday. Saturday and Sunday will both have a high of 89 degrees, but Saturday will mix in some rain throughout the day to challenge you a little more. For both days it will be very warm so be sure to pack water to stay hydrated on the course.
Fort Myers Junior Open at Verandah
Staying in Florida for the third junior golf tournament of the weekend, we go to Fort Myers and the Verandah Club. The Verandah Club will incorporate natural elements, amazing fairway vistas, and challenging greens. The course that the tour will play on this weekend will be the Old Orange course. The Old Orange course has many live oak trees to set the tone for a serene, natural style of landscaping that provides its own challenges for our golfers this weekend. Looking at the course itself there are four par 5s with two on the front nine and two on the back. The 5th and 6th holes will be two of the most challenging holes back-to-back. Both will require you to shoot over water. The 6th hole will be a shorter shot over the water while the 5th hole will make you shoot twice over the water. Pack some patience this weekend if you’re going to Fort Myers. The 18th hole should be a sigh of relief to end your round, but not at Old Orange. Here the 18th hole will give you a tough dog leg left and a potential shot over water as well.
Fort Myers will give you a great deal of challenges throughout the weekend and that will include the weather. Just as with other course closer to Orlando, the high on both days will be 89 degrees. Unlike Orlando though it will be raining both days in Fort Myers. In addition to the patience needed for this course, an umbrella would probably be good too.
Chicagoland Junior Open at Pine Meadow
For the next junior golf tournament of the weekend, we will travel to the Pine Meadow Golf Club in Illinois. The Pine Meadow Golf Club has its fairways lined with towering blue spruce pines and wildlife, so it is easy for players to forget they’re here to play golf. The course was once the No. 1 best “new public golf course in America” by Golf Digest in 1986, it continues to be ranked among the top 10 public access courses in Illinois. Looking at the course, it will play pretty standard to the others with four par 5s scattered throughout. But be cautious as there are four different holes that will require a shot over the water. Holes 11, 13, 14, and 15 will all require a shot over a creek. The 15th will make you shoot over the water right from the tee box. This course has some long holes, so make sure you don’t forget the driver at home this weekend.
Looking at the weather this weekend, it will be the one thing that seems agreeable. It will be overcast and warm both Saturday and Sunday this weekend. Saturday will be ever so slightly warmer with a high of 68 degrees and Sunday will have a high of 67 degrees. Even though it is overcast, the UV Index will still be high in Illinois this weekend. Good luck navigating this beautiful yet challenging course.
Philly Junior Open at Golden Pheasant
For the next junior golf tournament, we travel to the Garden State, New Jersey. The Golden Pheasant Golf Club will host the Hurricane Tour in New Jersey this weekend. The Golden Pheasant Golf Club has been around since 1963 and is known for its strategically placed water hazards, dense foliage, and challenging mixture of fairways, greens, and bunkers. This course has a few interesting holes scattered throughout and definitely starting with the second hole. It is a short par 3 with the distance from the longest tee box being only 137 yards. Outside of that, there are a few challenging holes starting with an over-the-water shot on hole 8 and also on holes 12, 15, and 17. The 8th and the 15th hole are both short ones, but you will have to navigate a small creek on both. The 9th hole will give our golfers a nice challenge with a 400+ yard shot from all the tee boxes and a dogleg right. This course will provide plenty of challenges and some fun.
The weather this weekend will be pleasant on Saturday and wet on Sunday. Saturday will have a high of 61 degrees and mostly overcast throughout the day. The overcast will turn into rain in the evening. The rain will continue all day Saturday and the high of 61 degrees will hold for Sunday as well. Good luck with this fun yet challenging course this weekend.
Pittsburgh Junior Open
For the last junior golf tournament of the weekend, we hop over to Pennsylvania. The Glengarry Golf Links, which has been voted the 16th best public golf course in Pennsylvania by GolfPass. This course is just an hour away from downtown Pittsburgh which is convenient for after you finish your round. The course only has three par 5s scattered throughout. The 18th hole appears to be the most challenging hole based on the satellite read. This hole features a nice dogleg left on the way to green which should provide a fun challenge. On the flip side, holes 2, 5, 7, 13, and 15 are all easier holes with short distances and almost a complete straight shot from tee to green. The mix of challenging and easier holes on this course should make for a fun weekend.
What won’t be fun this weekend will be the weather. Saturday is promising to be hot with a high of 70 degrees but will feature rain for most of the day and some light wind. Sunday will be more of the same with rain throughout the morning, though it is expected to clear up in the afternoon. If you can get through the wet conditions on Saturday, Sunday will reward you with some nicer weather.
