[assohillA]

Here is what Fort Worth does. I didn't grow up here and get to take part in this. But, I have lived here now for about 20 years and this has to be the best deal any city in the country does for it's City Junior Championships.

Fort Worth City Junior Championships

It began with a vision Marvin Leonard had.

The businessman who brought bentgrass greens to Fort Worth by founding Colonial Country Club envisioned a tournament in which children from all financial backgrounds could afford to play golf.

So Leonard, along with Dr. Alden Coffey, started the Fort Worth Boys Junior Golf Championship in 1936, a tournament that would be free to all players and played at some of the best courses in the city.

Homer Chokas won the inaugural event, which has gone on to produce PGA Tour players and major champions.

Mark Brooks, the 1976 champion, has played professionally since 1983 and won the 1996 PGA Championship. Hunter Haas, who won back-to-back titles in 1994-95, surpassed the $1 million mark earlier this year in career earnings on the PGA Tour. Lindy Miller, who won the 1973 tournament by a record 22 strokes, also made it to the professional ranks.

A father and son have won the tournament. Randy Berkovsky took the title in 1974, and 31 years later his son, Austin, won in 2005 and again in 2006. Austin Berkovsky is one of nine players who have won the tournament twice; no one has won it three times. Reigning champion Kolton Crawford of Mansfield won the tournament the past two years but isn't playing this year.

That means another player will join that prestigious champions' list, as the tournament celebrates its 75th anniversary. More than 400 boys have signed up to play, and country clubs such as Colonial, Mira Vista, Ridglea, Diamond Oaks, Woodhaven and Shady Oaks have opened their courses to the juniors.

And every Fort Worth municipal course will be used, as well.

"That's what makes Fort Worth so great," said Hans Haas, Hunter's brother who won the tournament in 1986 and 1989. "Every course opens its doors, and not many other cities have something like that. It was cool to be able to go play River Crest or Ridglea growing up. Those courses can be intimidating, but it's also such a privilege that you wanted to take advantage of it."

Tournament director Wendell Conditt, who has helped with the tournament since 1959, says it costs less than $5,000 to put on the tournament because of all the donations and volunteers.

"I'll tell you this, even if we had discounted green fees, it'd cost $60-70,000," said Conditt, who helped revive the tournament in 1973 after it was canceled in 1972 due to a lack of funds.
"That's how much we get donated in green fees alone."

Keeping the tournament free of charge, as well as all players being on an equal playing field, is something Conditt won't let the tournament lose. Conditt doesn't allow competitors to have a yardage book or range finders.

"If one player has it, all of them have to have it," he said. "One dad wanted to buy his son a range finder. I told him, if he buys 33 of them for everyone playing at the course that day, his son could use it.

"All are equal. Everybody has the same chance whether they are a country club guy or not. It's about getting youngsters involved in the game and having fun."

The tournament has certainly accomplished that, and provided lasting memories to its players.

Hunter Haas recalled playing in the nine-hole division as a 6-year-old at Sycamore Creek, and his sister had to keep his score because he didn't know how.

Adam Rubinson, who won in 1996 and went on to play at TCU, remembered winning a four-man playoff on the sixth extra hole in 1996. Hans Haas won in a playoff, too, as a 15-year-old in 1986.

"It's inspiring to see the young kids go out and play," said Marty Leonard, the daughter of Marvin Leonard and still heavily involved with the junior tournament. "Kids are kids and it's wonderful to watch them play. They don't fool around and go through all those maneuvers, they just swing and hit the ball.

"I knew my dad very well, and I think he'd be proud to see where the tournament is today. It's pretty special, and it's great for our city to support it as well as it has."

[xochgtlm]

That is a great idea!

[xyupi]

My home course is very involved in both the First Tee and junior golf through the Indiana section of the PGA of America. Our pro does not charge kids or juniors for lessons and we even have the funds to help out families with equipment needs for their children if needed. Our course has or will be host to at least ten events this year involving youth. Some of the funds come from the First Tee, some from the PGA, some from local business donations and the rest from member donations.

A local nine hole course down the road from me has zero events for the kids and I see very few kids playing there, which is understandable, while my home course is loaded with kids of all ages. Also, the kids on the course cause far less problems than the adults 99.99% of the time. This happens when your course is proactive in junior golf.