Tournament day for a junior golfer is more logistics than golf. Get the logistics right and the player can focus on playing. Get them wrong and you spend the first three holes recovering from missed warm-up, wrong-pocket ball markers, or a parent panic about a missing rules sheet. Here's how it actually goes, from the night before through the post-round. The night before This is when 80% of the work happens. A tournament-eve checklist: - Confirm tee time and check-in time. Most events open check-in 60-90 minutes before the first tee. Late arrival = penalty strokes or DQ at most ranked events. - Pack the bag. Clubs (full set), at least 6 balls, 30+ tees, ball markers (multiple — they get lost), divot tool, glove (plus a spare), towel, rangefinder if allowed, scorecard holder/pencil. - Pack the person. Hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, rain gear if any chance of weather, layers if morning is cool, golf shoes (cleaned), spare socks. - Pack food and water. Two bottles of water minimum, plus electrolyte drink for hot days. Snacks the junior actually eats — granola bars, sandwich, fruit, nuts. *Don't experiment with new food on tournament day.* - Lay it all out. Bag at the door, clothes laid out, alarm set with a 15-minute buffer. - Print or screenshot the rules sheet and pairings. Most tournaments email these the night before. Save offline; cell signal at golf courses is unreliable. Morning of - Eat a real breakfast 90+ minutes before the tee time. Carbs and protein. Avoid heavy fat or fried food. - Arrive 60-75 minutes before tee time. Less than that and the warm-up gets rushed. More and the player gets bored or anxious. - Check in immediately. Get the scorecard, pin sheet, and any rules updates. Confirm the starting hole and group. - Use the bathroom before the range. Then again before the tee. Warm-up routine A good junior warm-up is ~30-35 minutes: - 5 min: Stretch and short, slow swings (no balls) - 10 min: Range — start with wedges, work up through irons, finish with driver. Maybe 30-40 balls total. *Don't hit 100 range balls.* That's practice. This is warm-up. - 5 min: Putting — start with short putts (3-4 footers) to feel the green speed, then a few longer lag putts - 5 min: Chipping/short game if there's a chipping green available - 5 min: Walk to the tee, hydrate, breathe, find the starter Parent rules at most junior events This is where families get DQ'd. Know the rules of *your specific event*: - Spectator zones. At AJGA, US Kids, and most ranked events, parents stay on cart paths or in designated spectator areas. They are not in fairways or near greens. - No coaching. Period. This includes verbal coaching ("hit a 7-iron"), gestures, eye contact with messages, or "advice" during a round. Penalties range from 2 strokes to disqualification. - No carrying clubs, no help with bag. The junior carries their own bag or uses an event-provided cart/caddie. Parents can't touch the bag during play at most ranked events. - No talking to the player during play. A wave or thumbs up is fine. Conversations are not. - Drink and snack handoffs vary. Some events allow them at designated holes; others don't at all. Check the rules sheet. The "right" parent position is far enough away that the player isn't looking at you between shots, but close enough that you can see how things are going. Behind the green or down the fairway, not on the tee or near the green. Scoring and pace of play - The player keeps their own score (except in very young US Kids divisions). At most ranked events, players exchange scorecards with playing partners and verify each other's scores. - Sign and turn in scorecards immediately after the round. Wrong score signed = disqualification. Players should add carefully and double-check before signing. - Pace of play matters. Most ranked events have a target pace (e.g., 4:15 for 18 holes) and penalty groups falling behind. Pace warnings → stroke penalties → DQ. The post-round What you say after the round matters more than what they shot. Order of priority: 1. "How was it out there?" Open-ended, lets them talk about whatever. 2. "What did you learn today?" Not "what did you shoot." 3. Wait until they bring up score. They will. Until then, let them process at their own pace. 4. Don't talk about specific shots in the car unless they want to. Definitely don't replay the bad ones. The single biggest tournament-day mistake parents make is treating the score as the headline. Score is one number on one day. Tournament process — preparation, warm-up, focus, recovery from bad shots, finishing a round — is what builds the player. Reinforce the process. The biggest first-tournament mistakes (recap) - Underpacking. (Bring more, not less.) - Eating something new for breakfast. - Skipping or rushing warm-up. - Coaching during the round. - Asking "what did you shoot?" first. - Treating the result like the test. For broader emotional support, see [Supporting Your Junior Golfer](/topic/parent-playbook/supporting-your-golfer). For the rules and etiquette the player needs to know, see [Golf Etiquette & Rules](/topic/parent-playbook/golf-etiquette-rules).
Last verified: 2026-05-27