By Susan Jenior

Staff Writer

Golfers were already making tee times for today and Monday at courses open all year as  temperatures were expected to be near 50 degrees.

As duffers and low-handicap golfers alike are looking forward to playing golf throughout the winter when available, there are additional recognitions, awards and events happening in the world of golf in Northeast Ohio.

TEAM OHIO

For the first time, Ohio will have a Team Ohio comprised of junior golfers.

Team Ohio will compete against other state’s teams in the summer of 2025.

Players earned their spots on Team Ohio with their quality of play all season in junior tournaments and events.

Earning their spot on Team Ohio 2025 that includes players from across the state of Ohio are Gracyn Vidovic of Aurora and Chris Pollak of Aurora.

Vidovic and Pollak will join seven additional girls and seven additional boys to represent the state of Ohio in quality competition.

Vidovic competed for the Aurora Greenmen and Pollak played his high school golf for Hoban. Both golfers have impressive resumes, including Vidovic winning the Ohio Girls Junior in Marion with a record-setting score and Pollak was the individual champion at the OHSAA’s Division I Ohio High School Athletic Association state tournament this season.

Congratulations to both Portage County athletes.

They join the following athletes on the state teams:

TEAM OHIO BOYS

• Noah Andry of Powell, Bric Baird of Upper Arlington, Ben Fauver of Hudson, Braden Herstich of Akron, Evan Menges of Dublin and Cameron Phillips of McDermott.

TEAM OHIO GIRLS

• Isabella Anderson of Columbus; Jodie Han of Lewis Center, Cammy Reed of Fairview Park, Elizabeth Ryu of Dublin, Meadow Tian of Delaware, Serena Wu of Solon and Lorna Zhang of Plain City.

Watch for coverage of the state team in Portage Sports next season as we follow these outstanding athletes.

GOLF SUMMIT

The Northern Ohio PGA is hosting a Junior Golf Summit on Jan. 11 at Walsh Jesuit High School in Akron.

During the summit from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Northern Ohio professionals and staff members will help juniors learn how to get recruited by college coaches, master new techniques with Northern Ohio PGA professionals, conquer the mental side of the game with expert tips and discover local playing opportunities.

The Golf Summit is free.

To register or for additional information contact Haleigh Gray at hgray@pgahq.com.

IT REALLY HAPPENED

Playing golf in the winter is nothing new. My parents and their friends often played golf on warmer days throughout December, January and February.

The dads in the group were a little more likely to play as the temps dropped. And the kids loved it.

Golf balls could be difficult to find if there were remnants of snow remaining on the course since tinted golf balls weren’t introduced until the 1970s.

And there weren’t cart covers and propane heaters adapted to a golf cart until much later.

In fact, riding carts were not allowed, but to be fair, most people were still walking when they played golf then.

There are advantages to playing in the winter, especially with that aforementioned cart cover and heater.

There are no expectations. The fun of golf is just enjoying the unexpected opportunity to play in the winter. If your family plays golf, it is the perfect family outing.