2017 PGA Junior League Golf Captain s Guide ABOUT PGA Junior League Golf is an innovative youth golf business model for PGA Members, Apprentices, LPGA Professionals and facility operators looking to increase participation in their facility s youth programming, drive greater family engagement and increase revenue. "PGA Junior League Golf in Peachtree City has become a big part of our junior program, with more than 100 participants this past season. Our juniors look forward to each season, along with their parents and families. The community and membership have embraced PGA Junior League Golf, making Sundays in the spring a great weekly family activity and driving additional revenue for our facility." - Chris Knobloch, PGA PGA Junior League Golf is a fun, social and inclusive opportunity for boys and girls, ages13 and under, to learn and enjoy golf. Utilizing a popular scramble format that creates a nurturing environment for learning the game, participants wear numbered jerseys and play on teams with their friends. With 2,900 teams and 36,000 kids participating in 2016, plus the star-powered support of official Ambassadors Rory Mcllroy, Rickie Fowler, Lexi Thompson, and Michelle Wie, PGA Junior League Golf has wide-ranging appeal for youth, their parents and facility operators. SEASON TIMELINE Seasonal Captain and Coach Registration: December Player Registration: February through April Regular Season: April 1 - July 31 Post-Season Qualifiers: August Regional Championships: September PGA Junior League Golf National Championship: November 16-19 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona CAPTAIN ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES In PGA Junior League Golf, PGA Members, Apprentices and LPGA Professionals play the essential role of team Captain. Whether you Captain one team, or oversee an entire league, your involvement is critical to the success of the program. As a Captain, you are the key to creating an inviting, welcoming atmosphere for your youth and their families to enjoy golf. Similar to other recreational youth sports, parents may adopt a more involved role as an Assistant Coach. If you choose to designate the coaching duties to a non-pga Member, your primary role is that of team or league manager. Here are a few things to know about Captaining a team or league: 1. The team Captain must be a PGA Member, Apprentice or LPGA Professional in good standing, but may assign any or all team duties to Assistant Coaches. Assistant Coaches may be other golf professionals, guardians or volunteers.
2. The team Captain supervises the recruitment of team players, scheduling of practices and communication to players and parents regarding the team s game schedule. The Captain does not handle transportation of players to or from practices and games. Similar to other youth sports, guardians are responsible for the transportation of their children to and from practices and games. 3. The team Captain is responsible for administering - or assigning the administration of - the team s webpage on the PGA Junior League Golf website. Your team s website will provide you and your players with automated tools to schedule and score matches, communicate with participants and guardians, and much more. 4. A player may join multiple PGA Junior League Golf teams during league play but are only eligible to participate on one All-Star Team. 5. A Captain from the home facility must be present during the game to act as the Rules Official. 6. If a Captain cannot attend an away game, a parent or other volunteer must be appointed as the Assistant Coach responsible for players on the tee, substitutions, team and parent behavior and the confirmation of the results. YOUTH SAFETY INITIATIVE As part of the PGA of America s commitment to youth safety and in accordance with the PGA of America s Youth Safety Program, all Captains, Assistant Coaches and Volunteers must successfully complete, as determined by the PGA of America, a background screen prior to having any interaction with the players. The background screen fee of $16.50 will be paid for by the PGA of America on behalf of all Captains. Any non PGA/LPGA Professionals that are going to be Assistant Coaches or Volunteers will be required to pay the $16.50 background screening fee during their registration. Upon successful completion of the entire registration process, each authorized Captain, Assistant Coach and Volunteer will be listed on the PGA Junior League Golf website for guardians to review. INSURANCE The PGA of America s liability policy extends insurance coverage to the members and apprentices of The Professional Golfers Association of America. This coverage is applicable on an individual basis only and will pay damages if legally obligated while the individual members and apprentices are playing, practicing, officiating and teaching the game of golf as well as incidental club repair. To review the details of this coverage, please visit PGAInsurance.com and view this flyer. However, business entities (LLCs, Corporations), operations, assets, liabilities and employees of such business entities are not covered through this program. It is highly recommended that each facility that implements PGA Junior League Golf purchase or maintain a separate policy to cover any business pursuits. PLAYER ELIGIBILITY PGA Junior League Golf is designed for any boy or girl who is 13 years old or younger. To be eligible for the post season, PGA Junior League Golf cannot reach their 14th birthday prior to August 1 of the current season. If a question arises regarding a player s age, it is the team Captain s responsibility to produce that player s birth certificate. While a minimum age of nine is suggested, younger players may participate if the Captain and the player s parent or guardian agree.
FORMING AND SCHEDULING YOUR LEAGUE PGA Junior League Golf is designed to be flexible for your facility and local league. Each PGA Junior League Golf league should be comprised of 4 to 7 teams. These teams can all come from the same facility (thus streamlining administration) or be formed by partnering with other facilities in your geographic area. The Section League Manager assigned to your PGA Section will work closely with you and your neighboring Captains to form leagues that work for all parties. Please note that while it is a collaborative process, the Section League Manager has final approval on all leagues. Here are some things to know about forming a league and building a schedule: 1. The minimum number of teams needed to form a league is 4. Leagues typically range from 4-7 teams. 2. An official season of PGA Junior League Golf consists of competing against each of the other teams in your league over a four to eight week regular season. 3. League games may be scheduled to begin starting April 1 and must conclude by July 31. Again, the scheduling is at your discretion: play all four to eight games (depending on the number of teams in your league) over the course of four to eight weeks, play them all over two weeks or three months. It s up to you! 4. If your league consists of teams from multiple facilities, you should coordinate with your fellow Captains to schedule home and away games that work for everyone. It is expected that Captains act in a cooperative and collaborative manner when scheduling matches with neighboring facilities. If your league consists entirely of teams from your facility, you maintain sole discretion to schedule your league s games. 5. Use the game scheduling feature of Sports Engine to coordinate and communicate your games among teams, players and parents. 6. If a game needs to be re-scheduled because a team is unable to appear at the scheduled day and time with a minimum of 4 players, notification should be made at least 48 hours prior to the game. Both Captains must work on finding an acceptable make-up date prior to the official end of the regular season (July 31). If an alternate date cannot be agreed upon, please notify your Section League Manager. Based on the circumstances, the game will be determined to either be a forfeit (in the case of a team canceling) or a draw (in the case of weather or unforeseen circumstances affecting both teams). It is critical that Captains communicate in a timely and responsible manner to their fellow PGA Members, Apprentices, or LPGA Professionals if they need to cancel a match. Please note that cancellations not only impact your families, but those of the Captains you are playing as well (thereby potentially reflecting negatively on your colleague). 7. Notification of less than 48 hours will be deemed a forfeit if the game cannot be rescheduled. 8. If the regular season standings culminate in a tie, the following tie-breakers will decide the order of finish: 9. Head-to-Head Result 10. Total number of points won during the season 11. Total holes won in head-to-head competition 12. Total holes won during the season
PLAYER REGISTRATION All players must be registered online to your team by their parent or guardian. Players may register to your team by either: Searching for your team at PGAJLG.com/register Via the direct link provided to you by Sports Engine REMEMBER: If you required an access code to join your team, be sure to provide it to the players and parents who you wish to join your team. PAYMENT 1. Captains should determine the following during Captain Registration: a. whether to collect their full program fee from parents through the website (eliminating the need to a make a second payment) b. whether to collect just the $75 PGA REACH fee through the website and collect the remaining balance offline 2. Parents of players will then need to register for your team by using the methods outlined above. 3. By providing your parents the convenience of paying the entire fee online (more than the standard $75 PGA REACH fee), payment will be distributed to the Captain by check when your Team Kit ships. 4. Upon the Team Kit being shipped, PGA REACH will retain the $75 league fee for all registrations. Parents are required to confirm at checkout their acceptance that once the team kit has shipped this $75 is non-refundable. REFUNDS AND DISPUTES 1. Parent notifies Captain that they are requesting a refund 2. Captain requests that the Parent forwards their PGA Junior League Golf Online Store Receipt to them 3. Captain forwards the parent's email to jlgrefund@pgahq.com 4. In the absence of a receipt, the Captain collects the following information from the Parent and forwards it to jlgrefund@pgahq.com: a. Payee First and Last Name (must match the name on the credit card that was used)
b. Captain Name c. Order Total (Registration Fee + Processing Fee) 5. Refund is processed and parent receives an auto-notification NOTE 1: If the Team Kit has already shipped, the $75 registration fee paid to PGA REACH is non-refundable NOTE 2: If the Parent requests a refund directly from PGA REACH the refund will be issued and the Captain will be notified NOTE 3: In the event that a chargeback dispute is initiated by a parent, the PGA will immediately send notification to the Captain via their email to confirm if the chargeback is valid. If a refund is not due, the Captain will be required to submit documentation to refute the chargeback within 7 days. If the chargeback is lost and the Captain has already received the registration fees, the Captain will be required to send payment to refund PGA REACH for the amount previously funded. The expectation is that whenever possible, the Captain should handle communication with the Parent in resolving the chargeback within the 7 days. PARENT AND VOLUNTEER INVOLVEMENT PGA Junior League Golf, like many other recreational youth sports, is designed to have parents, guardians, and other volunteers assisting Captains in the administration of their teams. Below are a few ways in which you might involve parents: Volunteers can serve in an official capacity as Assistant Coaches Team parents and guardians can volunteer as scorekeepers during matches, post scores or arrange for postcompetition refreshments Parents and guardians are encouraged to attend matches, cheer and be supportive of your PGA Junior League Golf team FORMAT OF COMPETITION Course Set-Up As the hosting Captain, you are responsible for the set-up of the nine-holes to be used during your game. REMEMBER: PGA Junior League Golf is recreational and developmental in nature. Note that 80% of participants in 2016 identified themselves as either beginner or recreational players. The goal is to create and encourage a fun environment for players of all abilities! At no time should the total distance of your course set-up exceed 2,800 yards No par-5 should exceed 450 yards No par-4 should exceed 350 yards
No par-3 should exceed 150 yards No forced-carry from tee-to-fairway should exceed 125 yards In PGA Junior League Golf s signature 2-player scramble, you are encouraged to allow players to occasionally try to reach a par-4 green on a drive, especially once a pairing s partner is safely in the fairway You are not required to adhere to the traditional par-36 nine hole set-up. If you find that all par-4 s and par-3 s make for a faster, friendlier set-up - go for it! 16u DIVISION PGA Junior League Golf continues to offer a 16 and under division. If a Captain elects to participate in the 16u pilot program during Captain Registration, this will appear on the facility s search results on PGAJLG.com/register. The process for player registration remains the same for parents. Players will receive the same materials as PGA Junior League Golf participants, including branded 16u jerseys. 16u Timeline The 16u division of PGA Junior League Golf operates on a similar schedule to standard PGA Junior League Golf, as follows: Seasonal Captain and Coach Registration: December Player Registration: February through April Regular Season: April 1 - July 31 Post Season: Determined on a Section or State basis 16u Player Eligibility 16u is designed for any boy or girl who is 16 or younger. Participants are eligible if they will not reach their 17th birthday by July 31 of the current year. If a question arises regarding a player s age, it is the team Captain s responsibility to produce that player s birth certificate. 16u division players who are 13 or younger are permitted to play on one 16u team and one PGA Junior League Golf team. 16u Format 16u is designed for recreational players. Similar to PGA Junior League Golf, 16u will follow the same format, scoring, and rules, with the exception of, each game includes two matches instead of four. Team size of 4-6 players is recommended depending on desired use of substitutes. It is strongly encouraged that leagues are built to reflect PGA Junior League Golf Leagues. This allows for consistent scheduling with 16u games being played immediately before or after PGA Junior League Golf games.
There is no National Championship for 16u due to high school eligibility requirements, but many Sections are organizing a Section Championship. LOCAL SPONSORSHIP Similar to other youth sports, team Captains are encouraged to secure local sponsorship from their community in support of their team or league. A team Captain and local sponsor should consider the following rules before entering into a contractual agreement: 1. A PGA Junior League Golf Captain has a restricted right to procure local sponsorship for their team(s). Sponsorships can enhance the benefits offered to your players (additional clinics, snacks, post-season travel) or can simply add to the bottom-line profitability of your program. Please note, sponsorships are limited to one-year agreements. 2. A local sponsor can receive tee-marker recognition at your home games and can have their logo on the right sleeve of your team s jerseys. Only sponsors deemed appropriate for involvement in youth sports activities will be considered for approval by the PGA of America. 3. Branding of local sponsors is restricted to the right sleeve of your team s jersey and home course tee-box signage. 4. The only involvement-identity the sponsor can receive at their place of business is a team photo indicating appreciation for their sponsorship. 5. Prior to contracting local team sponsorship, a Captain must receive written approval of the sponsor from the PGA of America. 6. PGA Junior League Golf operates under the sponsorship guidelines of the PGA of America, and at no time will a sponsor, deemed in conflict with PGA national partners, patron sponsors or with primary Section sponsors, be approved. 7. Sponsorships from the following list of PGA of America protected business categories are precluded from PGA Junior League Golf involvement: Any golf club, ball, or apparel manufacturer. Dedicated PGA HQ staff will look to drive support both nationally and locally from these categories. Foreign and/or Domestic Automotive Manufacturers (Captains are still authorized to do non-branded local sponsorships with dealer groups (i.e. Smith Automotive Group, provided that no automotive manufacturer name or logo is referenced) Timepiece (this includes a restriction on wearable technology that has time display functionality) Technology (i.e. SAP, IBM, Intel, etc.) Rental Car Soft Drink/Sports Drink/Bottled Water/Iced Tea Energy
8. Businesses in the alcohol, tobacco or firearms industry are deemed inappropriate for youth sponsorship. In all cases, the PGA of America maintains ultimate rights of approval or denial of local sponsors. Process Should a team Captain wish to secure a local sponsorship for his or her team or league, please use the following process to secure the agreement: 1. Team Captain or representative solicits local team sponsorship (estimated value of approximately $200 to $500) from local area businesses, organizations and individuals. Should a Captain need clarification on the eligibility of a local sponsorship, please submit the name of the sponsor to Erika Pirkl at epirkl@pgahq.com who will secure approval from the PGA of America. 2. Upon general agreement with local sponsor, team Captain or representative sends the sponsorship request to their respective Section League Manager. 3. Captain submits name and profile of sponsor to their Section League Manager for approval. No sponsorship will be authorized without this approval in writing. This process will be expedient and approvals will not be withheld without just cause. 4. Captain will receive email notification with approval or denial from the PGA of America. 5. Upon notification of sponsorship approval, the Captain may move forward with contracting, fulfillment and activation of sponsorship commitments. CODE OF CONDUCT Violations of the following guidelines should incur a warning and then a loss of point for that parent s team if circumstances escalate. Each team Captain has full authority over visitors to their facility. For Parents and Spectators Spectators acknowledge that the goal of PGA Junior League Golf is for players to have fun with friends. Spectators agree to refrain from participating in players strategic decisions. Spectators agree to defer the enforcement of rules to players and team leaders. Spectators agree to abstain from coaching or giving advice to the players. Spectators agree to abstain from caddying. Spectators are encouraged to cheer, have fun and be supportive of the players. Spectators agree to demonstrate sportsmanship, respect and a positive attitude. Spectators must stay near the cart path and never step on the green.
Spectators agree to abide by any rules and regulations of the host facility (dress code, cell phone policy, spectator policy, etc.) For Players Players acknowledge that the purpose of PGA Junior League Golf is to learn, and enjoy golf while having fun with their friends. Players agree to demonstrate sportsmanship, teamwork and a positive attitude. Players agree to be respectful of fellow players, spectators, coaches, and facility staff. Players agree to care for the golf facility and leave it in better condition than they found it.