#FellowFriday: Remembering my Time as a Junior Golfer

#FellowFriday

During the Southern Ohio PGA Junior Golf Programs, I mainly assisted the section with tasks such as scoring, setting up the golf course, managing different areas, etc. This experience gave me a different perspective on golf tournaments because during my time as a golfer, I never really thought about all the work and time that these events require to be successful. Before my fellowship, I underestimated the process of setting up an entire golf event. This experience has made me even more grateful for every individual who worked in any event I have ever played during my time playing competitive golf. On the other hand, I enjoyed this experience as it allowed me to see myself in all those kids participating in our events. It reminded me of my younger self playing junior golf. Whenever I saw any of those kids sinking a putt, winning the tournament, celebrating with their parents, or even just enjoying walking down the fairway, it made me feel all of those emotions all over again. I like junior golf events because I think it is great to introduce the game of golf to kids at a young age, and I believe that the competitive environment provides you with several tools that can help you later in life. 

My favorite memory of SOPGA Junior Golf was during the Southern Ohio Jr. PGA Championship when two girls went to a tiebreaker and played 11 holes until one of them claimed the title. It was exciting to see how these two girls handled the pressure and how they battled until the end through the heat and the tiredness. It was amazing to see the sportsmanship these girls showed after breaking the tie and the support that both families showed. The Southern Ohio PGA Junior Golf Events made me step out of my comfort zone and experience new opportunities that I had never experienced before as a player. One skill I will take away from this experience is public speaking. As a starter, I had to announce the names of our participants during the events. Some of these names and cities were hard for me to pronounce, but they helped me learn new and different words at every event.