PGA Junior League Golf regular season

The new PGA Junior League Golf season is upon us, with leagues nationwide beginning regular-season play this spring.

When it comes to junior golf’s team concept, there’s no bigger proponent of the idea than PGA Professional John Mason.

And that was even before he captained the winning Team California squad in last fall’s PGA Junior League Golf championship.

As Director of Instruction at the Encinitas Ranch Golf Course in Encinitas, Calif., a suburb of San Diego, Mason knows how well the PGA Junior League Golf format works, because he’s seen all the positive ways it’s growing the sport.

Because of the weather and the quality of golf in the San Diego area, Mason says there are two types of junior golfers: those who play year-round and others who just play golf in between other sports seasons.

And when they see PGA Junior League, they change their mind about the game of golf.

The elite junior players have other avenues, Mason said, but he’s seeing a lot of intermediate players using PGA Junior League Golf — plus the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship — as a stepping stone to the next level as well.

Having a positive experience like being part of a team in PGA Junior League Golf may propel a youth golfer into wanting to continue playing the sport.

Players who play high school and college golf, they tend to play their entire lives.” According to a recently released report on the game by the National Golf Association, junior golf has grown by some 500,000 players in the past five years.