No time like tee time
UPGA Junior Golf Tourney series about to start
By Journal Sports Staff
MARQUETTE — Pictured Rocks Golf Club in Munising has been added to the schedule while a pair of Escanaba-Gladstone courses have flipped dates during this summer’s Upper Peninsula Golf Association Junior Golf tournament series.
The other seven courses will hold their spots from last year during the fourth year of this youth series.
The season kicks off at the Heritage Course of the Marquette Golf Club on Tuesday, June 13, while Pictured Rocks has been slotted into the second week on Tuesday, June 20,.
It replaces the Newberry Golf Club.
Events are held at courses across the U.P. ranging from Houghton to Drummond Island with the finals at Terrace Bluff Golf Club in Gladstone on Monday, Aug. 7.
The Escanaba Country Club, which hosted last year’s finals, has moved to take Terrace Bluff’s regular-event spot in mid-July.
The schedule mostly includes one event per week, though it takes the week off just before the Fourth of July and doubles up to hold two events per week in the second half of July.
Events generally start at 9 a.m. local time and all are open to boys and girls ages 8 to 18 competing in two-year age groups, except the oldest group for ages 16-18.
Tee assignments and the number of holes played are based on those divisions.
At each event, medallions will be awarded to the top two finishers in each age group.
Entry fee for each stop is $20 and includes greens fees, food and drinks, prizes, range balls and tees.
Participants or their parents or guardians are asked to call the host golf course at least five days prior to each event to make reservations.
To be eligible to golf in the finals on Aug. 7, golfers must have golfed in two previous junior events and be a UPGA Club member.
The top five boys and top two girls at the finals qualify to take part in the Golf Association of Michigan Junior Invitational to be held at Michigan State University’s Forest Akers Golf Course in East Lansing on Sept. 16-17.
Here is the Junior Golf Tour schedule, including the contact person and phone number for each course:
Tuesday, June 13 — Marquette Golf Club (Heritage course), Marquette, 225-0721 or (866) 678-7171, ext. 2, golf professional Marc Gilmore
Tuesday, June 20 — Pictured Rocks Golf Club, Munising, 387-3970, manager Tracy Prunick
Thursday, July 6 — Riverside Country Club, Menominee, 863-4837, golf professional Dave Spengler
Monday, July 10 — TimberStone Golf Club, Iron Mountain, 776-0111, golf professional Larry Short
Monday, July 17 — Escanaba Country Club, Escanaba, 428-2343, golf professional Jamie Davison
Wednesday, July 19 — The Rock, Drummond Island, 493-1006, golf professional Kelli Kelly
Monday, July 24 — Portage Lake Golf Club, Houghton, 487-2641, golf professional Mark Maroste
Wednesday, July 26 — Oak Crest Golf Club, Norway, 563-5891, golf professional Ryan Gordon
Tuesday, Aug. 1 — The Crossings at Sault Ste. Marie Golf Course, Sault Ste. Marie, 632-7812, golf professional Jerry Pascoe
Monday, Aug. 7 — Junior Tour finals, Terrace Bluff Golf Club, Gladstone, 786-4430, general manager Tony Pouliot
Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.