Tadpole Junior Golf Tournament

It simply wouldn’t be a sport if you didn’t have some sort of finishing tournament followed up by a trophy presentation.  We had our annual Tadpole Junior Golf Tournament last Thursday.  I have found one thing over the years.  The kids may forget their swing, stance or grip from year to year, but they absolutely do NOT forget what style of trophy is presented.  I made the mistake one year of having the same trophy with a different colored back drop from the previous year.  Yep.  I heard a kid say, “Oh.  It’s like last year’s only it’s blue.”

I tried handing out medals last year and they simply didn’t have the same appeal as a full fledged personalized trophy.  I was on a hunt this year for something fun for the kids.  Then.  I found these.

That’s right.  Those would be bobblehead trophies.  I.  Was.  In.  Love.  Having three kids myself, I knew these would be a huge hit.  They definitely were, too.  There was plenty of head shaking going on once the trophies had been handed out.

We could also name this tournament, the yearly event where Allison has lost her mind.  I’m quite certain that when other golfers glance over at what’s happening, they are immediately concerned.  It isn’t every day that you see 10 carts that make up a foursome of golfers!

We have parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles come to watch the little ones show off their skills on the golf course.  The golf carts are their traveling bleachers.  I always say that these kids will grow up to be rock star golfers because they are completely not phased by hitting the ball in front of 20+ people’s eyes.

Moms and dads help out to make sure everything runs smoothly.

Our oldest group of kids come early and play for two hours before quitting.  Next group play for 1.5 hours, while the small ones play for an hour and our 8 and under age group only play one hole from 150 yards out.  In case you were wondering, playing one hole takes about 45 minutes.  Yikes!  Luckily, that is why this all takes place after 7:30 at night.  It also conveniently coincides with the longest day of the year, so we don’t run out of sunlight!

I truly love watching all these young kids learn the great game of golf.  It’s so heartwarming to see their parents instruct and teach the next generation of golfers.

Many kids couldn’t make the tournament.  Summer time is very demanding with camps and other activities.  Here are pictures of each of our age groups.  Here are our 8 and unders that were taught by Lance.

Our second young 8 and under age group that was taught by the girls high school golf team.

Next up was Bruce’s group which were 9 and 10 year olds.

Followed up by the 11 and 12 year olds that were taught by Mark.

Troy taught all the kids over 13 years of age.  Many of them have been with us for several years.

It was another great year!  Thanks to all those parents who are training up their kids to be fabulous golfers.  It’s a lifelong sport and can bring so much joy to their lives.