Junior Golf
Guide to junior golf competitions
Not sure which golf initiatives and tournaments are suitable for the junior golfer in your life? Then check out our handy guide, which outlines the pathways available to take young golfers from their first swings all the way through to elite competition.
Complete beginners
Before they build towards an official Golf Australia handicap, there are multiple avenues to give children a strong start in golf.
- MyGolf is a nationwide introductory program suitable for complete beginners. Classes are often available at heavily subsidised rates, with all equipment provided. Find WA-based MyGolf Centres here.
- TeeMates gives kids a chance to play golf and socialise with their peers and gain access to quality golf courses for just $5 per round. Multiple membership levels are available, helping participants build towards gaining an official handicap. Full details here.
- GolfWA’s Crunch&Sip Junior Tour offers junior golfers an introduction to competitive golf in a fun and friendly setting. The tour is open to all children aged 12 years old and below and consists of four divisions, each based on skill levels and using modified rules and scoring. Full details here.
Handicap 26+ (Boys); 30+ (Girls)
The following initiatives offer natural progression to juniors as they gain golfing experience.
- Crunch&Sip Junior Tour
- GolfWA Junior Pennants: contested over multiple divisions based on location and ability, Junior Pennants features one-on-one match play encounters and is a great test of a young golfer’s golf skills and mental acuity. More details here.
- School Sport WA stages an annual Primary Schools Championship, with separate competitions for golfers with and without GA handicaps. Ask your school about getting involved! More information here.
Handicap 19-26 (Boys); 21-30 (Girls)
At this stage in juniors’ golfing careers, they should be playing regularly with friends, able to complete 18 holes in a reasonable timeframe, be aware of general course etiquette and tracking their own scores. It’s also time to step up to more challenging competition, including: –
- GolfWA’s Junior 9 events are run concurrently with two of our biggest junior championships, the GolfWA Junior Masters and Drummond Golf Junior Amateur Championships of WA in the July school holidays. Played over two days, competitors share the course with more-experienced juniors and can test their game on courses prepared for high-level championships.
- GolfWA Junior Pennants
- Nine or 18-hole junior club competitions
Handicap 11-18 (Boys); 13-20 (Girls)
For juniors within this handicap range who can complete 18 holes in under 4.5 hours, are easily able to score, aware of course etiquette and course care, and have a good understanding of the rules of golf, we recommend: –
- The 36-hole GolfWA Junior Masters and Drummond Golf Junior Amateur Championships of WA in the July school holidays., as well as the Drummond Golf 54-Hole Junior Classic in the Sept/Oct holidays.
- GolfWA Junior Pennants
- Club Junior Opens
- Consider applying for GolfWA’s Talent Development Program. The program offers training environments where players can compete and test themselves against the best prospects in the state. Full details here.
Handicap 10 and under (Boys); 12 and under (Girls)
For juniors within this handicap range who can complete 18 holes in under 4.5 hours, are easily able to score, aware of course etiquette and course care, and have a good understanding of the rules of golf, we recommend: –
- The 36-hole GolfWA Junior Masters and Drummond Golf Junior Amateur Championships of WA in the July school holidays, as well as the Drummond Golf 54-Hole Junior Classic in the Sept/Oct holiday
- GolfWA Junior Pennants
- Club Junior Opens
- GolfWA Talent Development Program
- School Sport WA Secondary Schools Championship
- WA’s top juniors may be able to force their way into the WA State Squads to contest the annual Interstate Teams Matches
- Juniors who consistently perform at the highest levels may become eligible for funding through GolfWA’s High Performance Program
General guidance
As well as the above competitive golf options, we always strongly recommend junior beginner golfers speak to their local clubs about attending clinics and classes to aid in game development.
Once players have a little experience under their belts, lessons with a qualified PGA professional can help them realise their potential, while regularly playing with and practicing alongside friends can help refine skills and retain a competitive edge.
It is imperative that juniors learn course etiquette and how to care for the course, while gaining a working knowledge of the Rules of Golf as early as possible is highly recommended.