Congratulations to the winners of #TheOPTIMIST Junior Golf Championships

John Mancinotti, Claudio Correa, and Corey Pereira 

The 2013 Optimist International Junior Golf Championships came to a close today and the top golfers have been awarded their prizes.

For boys 16-18 category, Corey Pereira, Cameron Park, CA, landed soundly in first place with 69-70-69-67 for a total of 275.

Following were Claudio Correa, Santiago, Chile, claimed second place with 74-71-68-71 and a total of 284. He eclipsed third place golfer John Mancinotti, Toledo, Ohio by only one stroke. Mancinotti posted 74-72-68-71.

Tiana Gwenn Lau, Victoria Chandra, and Coralia Arias

In the girls 15-18 category Coralia Arias, Quito, Ecuador, claimed first place with a four round total of 290 (74-69-73-74).

In second place was Victoria Chandra, Denpasar, Bali, with a score of 291 (73-74-73).

Tiana Gwenn Lau, Hong Kong,  finished in third place with 292 (71-76-73-72).

The Optimist International Junior Golf Championships are played annually in late July-early August. Approximately 600 junior golfers from around the world are welcomed to the tournament at PGA National Resort & Spa in Pam Beach Gardens, Florida, USA. While there are some at-large entries, most golfers have earned their place in the tournament by qualifying through district-level events with a local Optimist Club. To find out more, please visit Optimist.org/junior golf.

Photos courtesy of Optimist International. See more photos on Facebook. 

Preview: Junior Golf at the OPTIMIST

July is a busy month for Optimist International and its member Optimist Clubs. Early in the month is the Optimist International Convention, currently taking place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Later in the month is the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships at the PGA National Resort in Florida.

The OPTIMIST is scheduled to tee off next weekend, July 19-24 for boys 10 to 15 and girls 10 to 14.  Boys 16 to 18 and girls 15 to 18 will play July 24 to 26.

One of the premier junior golf tournaments in the United States, the OPTIMIST draws junior golfers from thirty countries outside of the United States and players from every state within. Over 600 junior golfers will participate in 2012.

Find out more about all Optimist International Junior Golf programs by clicking here.

Find out who is playing in the OPTIMIST in 2012 by clicking here.

Find out how you can be involved with youth sports in an Optimist Club by clicking here.

Photo credit: Optimist International Junior Golf on Facebook. 

Oklahoma junior golfers are headed to Florida

With more than ten alerts in my inbox today about golf, I would say the most predominant activity taking place with Optimist Clubs this month is the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships.

The Oklahoma District held its qualifying tournament on Wednesday. Placing first in the Girls 15-18 Division was Anna Kim and in the Boys Division 16-18, Holden Crago. Both are shown here with District Governor Judy Evans with the Bixby Optimist Club.

Twenty-five golfers participated in the tournament at the Page Belcher Course in Tulsa.

Anna and Holden advance to the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships at the PGA National Resort and Spa being held at the end of July.

See all qualified junior golfers at this link. This will be updated until all Districts have reported.

Thanks to the Oklahoma District - Optimist International for the story. 

Heading toward The Optimist

With three district tournaments having already been played in South Florida, Tennessee, and Atlantic Central and with two more events being held this weekend in North Carolina and British Columbia, I think we can say the race to the 2012 Optimist International Junior Golf Championships (The Optimist) is on.

Junior golfers hope to advance to The Optimist from the
Pacific NW District Tournament in British Columbia

The Optimist takes place near the end of July each year. With more than 5,000 junior golfers participating in qualifying tournaments each year, The Optimist has developed into one of the largest and most prestigious junior golf tournaments in the world.

While there are some at-large entries and international players, about 600 junior golfers qualify by advancing through club and district level tournaments in North America.

Like all Optimist Club programs, the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships is designed to give children of all abilities the opportunity to participate.

However, it goes a step further by ensuring those golfers with outstanding skills have the opportunity to test themselves against other outstanding players from around the world at The Optimist. Only those meeting qualifying criteria are eligible to advance to the big show where they are treated to clinics, entertainment, lots of food and new friends, and the opportunity to play at the PGA National Resort & Spa in Florida.

Optimist International is largely known for the great projects performed by Optimist Clubs on a local level. However, the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships is a major event on the junior golf circuit that spans our district, state, province and country boundaries. It teaches discipline, diplomacy, and friendship and highlights achievements. Most of all, it is another avenue to share optimism with the world.

My apologies for my rather stilted, press release style of writing today, but I wanted to get the word out about the tournaments and it seemed the most efficient way to do that was to follow the Optimist Junior Golf lead.

Find out how you can be a part of the The Optimist by joining Optimist Club today.

Junior golfers, please find a tournament near you at this link: http://www.optimist.org/e/juniorgolf/qualify2.cfm.

Optimist is fun!

Do you have a passion for golf? Then you need to know about how the Optimist International Junior Golf Championship impacts children. With 30+ countries represented by 600 or more young people, the Optimist has been challenging junior golfers for 15 years.  But don't count on me to tell you about it; find out from the golfers.  Spoiler alert: The Optimist is fun!




Every Optimist Club can sponsor a junior golf tournament. It's great practice for the golfers and all part of the fun to begin at the local level, send golfers to the district tournament and let them win their way to the PGA National Resort and Spa for the Optimist Junior Golf Championships. The tournament is held at the end of July every year. While most players earn their way to the tournament, at-large entries are also accepted.

 Find out more at Optimist International Junior Golf.

Free, free, free GOLF!

Thumbs up for junior golf!

You may have heard that there is no such thing as a free lunch, but I know that many Optimist Clubs are experts in providing free lunches for children who need them.  In fact, the Chilliwack Optimist Club has been doing so for six years.

We've also read about free swimming days, free fishing opportunities, free movies, free skating and bowling and more right here on this blog.

Yes, Optimist Club provide a number of opportunities for children to play and participate in community events and attractions at low and no cost for families; but this is one of the few times that I have seen this offer: Free GOLF. 

Hurry! If you want to take part in this unusually generous free event, and you live in Des Plaines, Illinois, you need to learn more by visiting the Des Plaines Park District right now because the Annual Free Optimist Club Youth Golf Outing takes place tomorrow, Wednesday, August 10.

According to Brian Panek with the Park District, everyone is a winner with the Des Plaines Optimist Club Golf Tournament. All junior golfers, ages 9-16, will receive a complimentary round of golf, lunch and prizes.

The outing will take place at the Lake Park Golf Course with a 10:00 a.m. shotgun start. The course and club ask that golfers have some course play experience. For more information, please call 847.803.4653.

Photo credit: PNW District - Optimist International Junior Golf Tournament CA. 

Junior golfers tee-off at THE OPTIMIST

Five junior golfers named Optimist champions.
Winning their age division at
THE OPTIMIST were:
Evan DeRoche of Key West, FL (Boys 14-15),
Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, ON (Girls 13-14),
Philip Barbaree of Shreveport, LA (Boys 12-13),
 Clare Amelia Legaspi of the Philippines (Girls 10-12),
and Parathakorn Suyasri of Thailand (Boys 10-11). 

The Optimist, a premier tournament for junior golfers age 10-18 is underway in at the PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.  There are five hundred and ninety-eight players, representing 30 nations involved in the tournament this year.

Most are sponsored by an Optimist Club, having advanced through club and district level play. Some have qualified at-large with championship scores. One of the greatest things about the tournament is the ability to raise positive young sportsmen and women, starting at the early age of 10 years.

All players spend a week at the program; golfing, of course, but also learning from leaders in the field, motivational speakers, and from each other. There's some fun time like longest drive competitions and some serious team-building activities like the Optimist Golf World Cup, where two-person teams play for their country and their teammates.  Team Chile placed first in a play-off with Team Indonesia. Only one stroke behind was Team Mexico.

Tomorrow, the 16-18 year-old players will learn their tee-times tomorrow and play will be underway on July 28. Until now, the younger players have shown their stuff. Check out the results of The Optimist 15 and under players here.

Tee times for girls 15-18 will be posted July 27. 
Tee times for boys 16-18 will be posted July 28. 
Visit Optimist Junior Golf to learn more. 

Picture provided by Optimist Junior Golf and Optimist International.

The season for golf

Over the weekend, the Masters Golf Tournament was held in Augusta, Georgia. That rite of passage says to the world that the golf season is well underway.  In Optimist Clubs, that is true as well.

District Qualifiers for the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships have begun. More than 600 junior golfers will advance from the qualifying tournaments to the Championships, held at the PGA National Resort & Spa. 

And at home, in communities everywhere, adult golfers are also making plans to take to the links with fundraising efforts to help support not only junior golf programs, but also scholarship programs, youth appreciation efforts, and the many activities coordinated by their own Optimist Clubs throughout the year.

In Idaho, the Middleton Area Optimist Club is planning a golf scramble and they sent flyers out to the community today. I thought I would share it here as an activity that other Optimist Clubs may wish to do.  If you live in the Boise area, please join them. Contact information is included on the flyer. 

Optimist International Junior Golf Champion Jeff Overton returns to the PGA National

Jeff Overton as a college
player for Indiana

The Honda Classic tees off this week on the Champion Course at the PGA National Resort and Spa, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. For player Jeff Overton, it's sort of like going home.

You see, the PGA National is home to the Optimist International Junior Golf Championship, an event that Overton won ten years ago.  Driving from his family's home in Evansville, Indiana to play in that year's event, Overton claimed the only junior golf tournament that he ever won.

Overton went on to play for the University of Indiana before turning pro six seasons ago. According to some, Overton is the best player without a PGA Tour title. Optimist Club members around the world will be cheering on their champion this week to make a similar charge to victory as he did ten years ago.

From Optimists everywhere - best of luck Jeff!

The Optimist International Junior Golf Championships begins later this month as golfers under 18 years of age work through club and district play to qualify for the summer championship series.  Junior golfers can also qualify for additional tournaments. Read more about the series at Optimist International Junior Golf. 

Leading the way in Junior Golf

Leaders come in all shapes and sizes.  Some of them are even junior golfers. Last week the Optimist International Tournament of Champions for junior golfers was held in Orlando, Florida at Disney's Palm Golf Course, Walt Disney World Resort.

At the end of the 2-day tournament, the leaders and winners were Giovana Maymon, girls 14-18; Evan Deroche, boys 14-15; and Harrison Winger, boys 16-18.

Winger, hailing from Orlando, dominated the tournament with two eagles and ten birdies and finished with 66-68 --134, ten under par and six strokes ahead of the competition.

Find out more about Optimist International golf at this link: http://www.optimist.org/e/juniorgolf/toc1.cfm or follow the Optimist Junior Golf Flickr stream.

Optimist International Junior Golf Championships on tap this week

Play begins this week at the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships. This year more than 600 young golfers will converge on the PGA National Golf Resort and Spa. They represent 43 states in the United States and 33 nations.

Golfers 10 to 15 will compete July 24-26 and golfers 16 to 18 will compete July 29 through August 1.  See the player list here.

You can also keep updated on daily activities, pictures and news releases at www.golf.optimist.org.

Optimist Junior Golf Championships add new tournament in 2010

Optimist International is well known for the junior golf program known as the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships.  Each year, players through age 18 qualify in tournaments held throughout North America and the Caribbean to play in the championships held at the end of July at the PGA National Resort and Spa. Golfers from countries where there are not tournaments also qualify with at large entries.  There were thirty-eight countries represented in the 2009 tournament.

The qualifying tournaments have been finalized. Please find an Optimist International Junior Golf Championship qualifier at this link.   Find out more about the tournament schedule with the fact sheet.

In addition to the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships, golfers will have the opportunity to experience a new championship tournament in 2010.  Presented by Seminole Hard Rock Gaming, young golfers will also participate in the Optimist World Golf Cup.    Ten teams, representing ten countries will play in the inaugural event.

Optimist International has been a leader in youth sports and junior golf since 1978.  The Optimist International Junior Golf Championships has expanded every year since 1999 adding more countries, more golfers and more opportunities for tournament play. 

Optimist Club and First Tee work together

The Optimist Club of Grand Strand, SC and The First Tee of Myrtle Beach combined forces to host a junior golf tournament on August 29.  They have shared a 3-minute video of the fun.

New life for old clubs

Gotta love that headline, especially if you are an old-timer in an Optimist Club. You can probably guess that old-timers are senior members of any Optimist Club. They are a revered group and these days, being an old-timer doesn't always refer to age, but rather to length of service. With more than twenty years of service in my Optimist Club career, I have in fact become officially an old-timer.

But I digress. The reason for this post was both to smile at the headline and to recognize a really great project being performed with the Optimist Club of Pembroke Pines, Florida. The Optimist Club has started up a  junior golf program. To support their efforts the Hollybrook Golf and Tennis Club Men's Golf Association is collecting used golf clubs and donating them to the children in the Optimist program. One look at the picture and you can tell these "old-time" golfers are happy that their old clubs will receive a new life with the Optimist junior golf program.

Each year in July, Optimist International sponsors the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships.  Competition begins at the club level.  We love to hear when new programs take hold in a community.  Great job Pembroke Pines Optimists.  Many thanks to you and your supporters.