The Hole Story Vol. 14, Issue 1 | Page 16

MAJGT NEWS

DEAR Players ,

The 9th season of the Mid- American Junior Golf Tour is fast approaching and there are definitely some exciting things in store ! A common question we get asked is , what do we do during the off-season . Aside from some putting competitions in the hallway , a large portion of my time is put into creating the best and strongest schedule possible . As you know , planning a competitive golf schedule can be a cumbersome task with a lot of events conflicting with one another . The same can be said with creating a schedule that works for both the MAJGT and its participants . I think this season ’ s schedule is one of our best yet ! We ’ re making stops at some annual facilities like Kenosha Country Club and Purdue ’ s Kampen Course , but we ’ ve also added some new courses as well .
Junior Golf Scoreboard ( JGS )
In the off-season , we wanted to educate ourselves a little more about the Junior Golf Scoreboard rankings so that we can help our members better understand the system . As a result we are going to be making some tweaks to help the ranking of each tournament . A key part of the ranking is individual scoring — this is the average difference of each player ’ s score compared to the USGA rating of the tournament course . This component accounts for 65 % of the player ’ s ranking . This upcoming season you ’ ll be seeing longer course yardages to help with this part of the ranking . The next 25 % of your ranking comes from a JGS formula that determines strength of field . The final 10 % is the
strength of your finish in each event . Because we use JGS for the Field Determination Policy for Spring / Fall Opens as well as first round pairings for each event , we wanted to help you better understand the ranking system . For a more detailed explanation you can visit their website . As a reminder , you must compete in four ( 4 ) multi-round ( 36-holes or more ) events within the last 365 days to establish and maintain a ranking .
Fall Shootout
Finally , we will be hosting the second Fall Shootout at Bull Valley Golf Club in northern Illinois . Last year players from Illinois teamed up to compete against players from Indiana , Minnesota , and Wisconsin . The event was a huge success and I hope it will remain that way for years to come . The players who received invitations were at the top of the MAJGT All- Midwest points standings . I think it ’ s a great goal for players to have going into the 2017 season . Not only would you be representing your state , you get the opportunity to play on a team in match play format ; something you don ’ t usually see at MAJGT events !
I look forward to seeing you all out there this season and , as always , please don ’ t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or suggestions !

Elisa Hermes

Director of the Mid-American Junior Golf Tour ( MAJGT )
16 Illinois Junior Golf Association