By Susan Jenior

Staff Writer

This weekend marked the end of the Portage County Amateur season as the 56th Senior Amateur concludes play at Windmill Lakes Golf Club and awards champions in three divisions following the first round at Raccoon Hill Golf Club.

It has been an exciting season with golfers ranging from age 6 to over age 70 competing in one of the four amateurs: 12th Kids Am, 20th Junior Am, 96th Am and the current 56th Senior Am.

Thank you to everyone who helps make these tournaments a success: The host golf courses, golfers who return year-after-year, high-school golfers who help with the Kids Am, providing a great tournament experience and parents who want their junior and youth golfers to begin loving the game of golf.

Special continued thanks to Bryan Harvey, coach of the Kent Roosevelt varsity girls team, who continues to encourage the growth of the Kids Amateur and additional golf coaches who encourage their high school golfers to compete in the summer tournaments. Rootstown, Mogadore, Waterloo, Kent Roosevelt, Southeast and others from the greater Portage County area were all represented in the Junior Portage County Amateur.

Administrators of the Amateurs continue to take no salaries or payment, putting any profits into the junior and kids amateurs to encourage the future of golf.

CONTINUED ENCOURAGEMENT FOR THE FUTURE OF GOLF

After the success of youth programs this summer, with more than 70 juniors participating on Sunday night and Monday morning, Olde Dutch Mill Golf Course in Lake Milton is hosting the annual Fall Junior Golf League beginning in September.

Running Sundays from Sept. 13 to Oct. 11, the action begins at 4 p.m.

The league is recommended for youth ages 6 to 14 and includes: on-course instruction from Mike Jenior, certified US Kids Instructor, Olde Dutch Mill Golf Professional and Southeast High School Golf coach.

Junior golfers will enjoy fun drills and competitions hone the junior golfer’s skills and knowledge of the game. Prizes are given each week.

Each junior plays nine holes of golf. Parents are encouraged to watch the junior golfer or caddy each week.

There will be an end-of-season banquet and prize raffle on Oct. 11.

Cost is $150 per junior golfer.

For information and registration call 330-654-4100.

WILBURN SENIOR CLUB CHAMPION

RANDY WILBURN

Randy Wilburn of Deerfield, a frequent and successful competitor in the Portage County Amateurs recently took his golf on the road to Tannenhauf Golf Club in Alliance to compete in the 2026 Senior Club Championship at the course in Alliance.

Wilburn tied in regulation for the lead and won a sudden-death playoff on the first hole to earn the club championship.

GOLF CALENDAR

SEPT. 8: 1^ST PORTAGE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP, Raccoon Hill Golf Club, Kent. Contact Bryan Harvey, bharvey7526@gmail.com, or Susan Jenior, golffam2@gmail.com.

SEPT. 12: Randolph Fire Department Golf Outing, Paradise Lake Golf Club, Suffield. 8 a.m. shotgun start, four-man scramble. Registration starts at 7 a.m. $125 per golfer. Call or text 330-931-2961 for information, to sponsor a hole or registration.

SEPT. 28: Ben and Candace Curtis Foundation Golf Outing, Congress Lake Golf Club, Hartville.

OCT. 3: Chubbs Peterson Memorial Golf Classic, Olde Dutch Mill Golf Course, Lake Milton.