Participants from last summer’s Portage County Kids Amateur pose together.

By Susan Jenior

Staff Writer

Mark your calendars for the annual Portage County Amateurs, four tournaments that welcome golfers from preschool to seniors at Portage County area golf courses.

First on the calendar is the 10th Kids Amateur on July 21 at Sunny Hill Golf Course in Brimfield.

The popular event welcomes more than 50 youth golfers from preschool to ninth grade on the middle nine at Sunny Hill and offers the opportunity for a fun event and often first tournament experience for young athletes.

Divisions include third grade and under playing four holes ($15), grades 4 and 5 play 6 holes ($20), grades 6-7 and 8-9 play nine holes ($20).

High-school golfers, including girls from the Kent Roosevelt varsity golf team, walk with the threesomes in the Kids Amateur to help with rules, scorekeeping and find golf balls.

Parents and spectators are welcome to walk the sides of the fairways or rent a cart to watch the young golfers as they compete.

Deadline to register for the Kids Am is July 18.

Register online at pcagolf.net or in person at host golf courses. Registration forms are also available on the amateurs Facebook page.

Questions may be directed to golffam2@gmail.com or 330-206-9083.

Looking forward to another successful season of the Portage County Amateurs as each event is previewed in this column the next three weeks including:

94th Portage County Amateur (July 27-28) and the 54th Portage County Senior Amateur (Aug. 24-25), both competed at Raccoon Hill in Kent and Windmill Lakes in Ravenna and the 18th Matt Mishler Junior Amateur (July 22-23) at Windmill Lakes and Sunny Hill.

Appreciation is extended to the host golf courses and the Portage County Amateurs sponsors: Portage Sports, Fairways at Twin Lakes and Birdie Shack.

JOE HAASE CUP

Gracyn Vidovic of Aurora is one of the 18 members of the Northern Ohio PGA junior team competing in the Joe Haase Cup at Firestone Country Club on April 20.

One of the first junior events of the season, the Cup welcomes junior teams from the NOPGA, Toledo Junior Golf Association, Central Ohio Golf Academy and North Coast Junior Tour.

Teams compete in a Stableford format.

OHSAA STATE TOURNAMENTS

The Ohio State University Golf Course decided to opt out of hosting the OHSAA state golf tournaments this fall.

This season, with the announcement of the new host golf courses and dates, fans will be thrilled to find a state competition in Northeast Ohio.

The boys and girls competing in Division II will play the 36-hole state tournament at Firestone Country Club in Akron on Oct. 13-14.

The selection of golf courses offer many fans to watch the state tournaments as host clubs are located around the state.

Division I boys and girls are hosted by NCR Country Club in Kettering on Oct. 14-15 and Division III boys will return to NorthStar Golf Course in Sunbury on Oct. 11-12.

OHIO STATE TEAM PROGRAM

Juniors have a unique opportunity as Ohio is launching a state team as part of the USGA’s U.S. National Development Program.

The junior golf team expands to include Ohio this season as one of seven states participating in the initial phase of the pilot program. Additional participating states in 2024 include California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Tennessee.

Ohio’s committee includes David Griffith, executive director of the NOPGA.

Ohio expects to have 16 players, eight boys and eight girls, as part of the initial team chosen from across the state’s junior programs including Ohio Golf Association, Greater Cincinnati Golf Association, Miami Valley Golf Association, NOGA and Southern Ohio PGA.

Interested juniors and their parents should attend the Team Ohio FAQ Webinar on Wednesday. Liz Fradkin, Senior Director of Player Relations, will be on the call to answer questions about the U.S. National Development Program.

Sign up at the Northern Ohio PGA Instagram and follow the link in the bio of the Team Ohio FAQ Webinar.

Participants from last summer’s Portage County Kids Amateur pose together.

TOURNAMENTS AND EVENTS

(To add an event to the calendar, text or call 330-206-9083 or email golffam2@gmail.com.)

JUNIOR EVENTS

(Register for NOPGA Junior Events at northernohiopga.com)

May 5—NOPGA Junior Series, Trumbull Country Club, Warren.

May 28—NOPGA Junior Series at Lake Forest Country Club, Hudson.

July 15-16—48th Ohio Junior Girls Championship, Marion Country Club, Marion. (WOSGA.org)

July 22—Ohio Girls Golf Foundation High School Showcase, Avon Oaks Country Club, Avon. (Sponsored by NOPGA)

July 15-16—NOPGA 36 Hole Jr. Series, Windmill Lakes, Ravenna.

July 30-31—41st NOPGA Jr. Tour Championship, Club Walden, Aurora.

OUTINGS

Monday—Solar Scramble Eclipse Golf Outing, Olde Dutch Mill Golf Course, Lake Milton. (330-654-4100).

Wednesday—Masters Par 3 Tournament, Olde Dutch Mill Golf Course, Lake Milton. (330-654-4100).

April 14—Masters Fantasy Pro-Am, Olde Dutch Mill Golf Course, Lake Milton. (330-654-4100)

June 1—The Golden Flash Bash, Fairways at Twin Lakes, Kent. (KentStateSports.com/FlashBash).

WOMEN

June 6-8—Ohio Women’s Open, Heatherwoode Golf Club, Springboro. (ohiowomensopen.com)

July 22-25—101st Women’s Ohio State Amateur Championship, Belmont Hills Country Club, Clairsville (WOSGA.org)

July 22-25—8th Women’s Mid-Amateur, Belmont Hills Country Club, St. Clairsville. (WOSGA.org)

PORTAGE COUNTY AMATEURS

Register at host golf courses, online at pcagolf.net or via mail. For info call/text 330-206-9083 or email golffam2@gmail.com.

July 21—10th Portage County Kids Amateur, Sunny Hill Golf Course.

July 22-23—18th Matt Mishler Junior Portage County Amateur, Sunny Hill and Windmill Lakes Golf Courses.

July 27-28—94th Portage County Amateur, Windmill Lakes and Raccoon Hill Golf Courses.

Aug. 24-25—54th Senior Portage County Amateur, Windmill Lakes and Raccoon Hill Golf Courses.