In a major announcement, TJGT President Dave Jones announced that all age groups on the Elite Mini Tour will allow caddies. When asked why they were allowing caddies in all age groups and not just the younger ones, Jones stated “that in order to provide a competitive experience on the Elite Mini Tour along with creating a great positive/family atmosphere, the TJGT will welcome caddies at the events and in all age groups.”
Please remember to read all the Elite Mini Tour Policies on caddiy conduct and rules etc. The first Elite Mini Tour event is August 23rd-24th at Bear Creek Golf Course near DFW airport and the first Elite Mini Tour Major is September 6th-7th at Cottonwood Creek Golf Course along with the “Big Tour” Invitational in Waco, Texas. All players are invited to the evening banquet at the Waco Convention Center. The Guest Speaker will be Junior Golf Scoreboard President/CEO Mr. Mac Thayer. This will be a fun and very informative evening for players & parents. World famous Waco restraurant “Georges” will cater the banquet along with surprise Nike Golf gifts at the banquet in addition to the tournament gifts.
The new Elite Mini Tour was developed as a result of the experiences of the TJGT Board of Directors & staff. The purpose of the Elite Mini Tour is to offer competitive, well run nationally ranked tournaments ( 36 & 54 holes events) to expose the younger players to national rankings and the AJGA PBE system earlier to educate & inform parents on the roadmap to elite junior golf & college scholarship opportunities. This will allow players to start playing the AJGA earlier with greater knowledge of the Performance Based Entry System. The Elite Mini tour will offer age divisions for boys & girls ages 8-9, 10-11, 12-13. This allows players to enter the rankings earlier and learn valuable information about navigating the TJGT and AJGA systems.
The Texas Junior Golf Tour (TJGT) was founded in 1989 in Austin, Texas, when several Austin High School golf coaches and parents realized a need for a higher level competition during the fall and winter season that would supplement high school golf along with regional PGA/USGA events and provide more national exposure to collegiate golf programs. The TJGT started with just eight tournaments and has since expanded to include more than 60 events during the 2008/09 season. Tournaments in 1989 consisted of only local Austin/San Antonio players and have grown into some of the strongest fields in junior golf. Players from coast to coast as well as many international countries, such as Mexico, Scotland, Venezuela, Ecuador, Canada and Korea, are now participating.