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Changes for a New Millenium |
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FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE - HAPPY NEW YEAR! Along with a New Year come resolutions.
One of the Minnesota PGA Junior Golf Association's is to continue to improve the learning and playing opportunities for our members.
In order for this to happen, the Minnesota PGA Junior Golf Committee realizes that we must make some changes to our existing programs. Two programs that we offer to our members are the Players' Tour and Junior Tour.
The Players' Tour is a program that we introduced last year and found to be very successful. This program is specifically designed
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| Dana Moening of Cold Spring, MN kisses the Tournament of Champions Trophy |
for the TOP junior golfers. Unlike the Junior Tour, the Players' Tour will NOT be based upon a lottery system. Selected members
will compete in one of four separate series, with each series featuring 6 exclusive events. There will be NO age categories, so
juniors will compete directly against one another. A pre-determined number of juniors will receive an invitation to play in this
program. Scoring averages from the 1999 Players' Tour and Junior Tour events will determine who receives an invitation. More
information and applications for the 2000 Players' Tour will be mailed to those juniors who are eligible by the first part of
February.
The Junior Tour is a program that is designed to give juniors of ALL levels of playing abilities a chance to play in some stroke
play events. Any junior ages 8-18 can become a member of the Junior Tour. (A membership application for the 2000 Junior Tour
can be found inside.) We use a computerized lottery program to determine which juniors play in the events. You will receive
more information in the March/April newsletter on how to go about registering for the lottery. Look inside this newsletter to
find a sneak preview of some of the courses that are scheduled to host a 2000 Junior Tour event.
A few changes will be put into place for the 2000 Junior Tour season. The changes were agreed upon by the Minnesota PGA Junior
Golf Committee to make our entire program (Players' Tour & Junior Tour) better for ALL of its members. We will no longer have
the Player of the Year award on the Junior Tour, but will acknowledge those juniors with the best scoring average in each age
division. With the evolution of the Players' Tour, the committee agreed that it was ridiculous to have eight juniors win the
Player of the Year award. The other change is the elimination of the Mid-Summer Classic. We decided to do this to put the
excitement and thrill back into qualifying for our end of the year event, the Players' Cup. More information on both of these
subjects will be published in the March/April newsletter.
NEW: In April and May of 2000 the Minnesota PGA Junior Golf Association will be conducting orientation meetings
for ALL (Players' Tour & Junior Tour) MEMBERS to attend. At this meeting we will be going over some rules & etiquette to follow,
guidelines for parents to follow, distributing the 2000 Minnesota PGA Junior Golf Association membership kits plus much more.
The meeting is designed to give you juniors and parents the chance to ask any questions you might have about the Minnesota PGA
Junior Golf Association. Local PGA Professionals will be conducting these meeting. These meetings will be held at different
locations through out the state of Minnesota. A mailing will be sent listing the dates, sites and locations of these meetings.
I would also like to welcome Melanie Lepp aboard as our new Assistant Junior Golf Director.
Melanie worked for us several years ago as an on-site administrator.
Melanie not only has a great game on the golf course but she brings some very valuable insight to the
Minnesota PGA Junior Golf Association. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Melanie or me at the
Minnesota PGA Junior Golf Association office at (612-754-6641). We're looking forward to having another great year!
Bob Bush, Junior Golf Director |
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BOB'S NEW NEIGHBOR! |
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Hi, everyone! My name is Melanie Lepp, and I would like to tell you a little about
myself. I grew up in Easton, a small, Southern Minnesota town that is about 2 hours south of the Twin Cities. I attended United
South Central High School, where I played volleyball, and of course, golf. I won the Minnesota State High School League Class A
tournament in 1994 and 1995. I also played summer golf, and I won the 1993 Minnesota Maxfli-PGA Junior Championship. I decided
to continue my competitive golf career at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. I played a lot of golf all over the country
in four years. I even got to play seven courses in Scotland with my teammates. The highlight of my collegiate golf career was
finishing 5th at the Big Ten Championships at Purdue, which happened during my senior year. I was Academic All-American for three
years, and Academic All-Big Ten for two years. I also was a member of the CLA Honors Program, and I graduated with high honors.
My major is Geography, and my minor is History. If I had to give one piece of advice to any college-bound junior golfers, it would
be to understand where your priorities are. I was always told that I was a student first, and an athlete second. You can always
fall back on a great education.
During my summers at college, I worked at The Pines at Grandview Lodge, Interlaken Golf Club, University of Minnesota
Golf Instruction Camps, and I was a Minnesota PGA Junior Golf Association On-Site Administrator in 1998. After graduation,
I worked for the Minnesota Golf Association as a Tournament Manager. As you can probably tell, I really love being around golf,
even when I am not playing. I also like to read, listen to music, travel, be outdoors, and spend time with my boyfriend, Matthew.
I am looking forward to working for the Minnesota PGA Junior Golf Association! I have always felt the program is one of the best
in the Nation. Also, I heard Bob Bush does a great job, so he will be fun to work with. It will be great to get to know all
of you. Feel free to call us with any questions or concerns. Good Luck on the links!
Melanie Lepp, Assistant Junior Golf Director |
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RECIPIENTS OF 1999 MINNESOTA PGA JR. GOLF ASSOCIATION SCHOLARSHIPS |
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The Minnesota PGA Junior Golf Association is proud to announce the four scholarship recipients for 1999. The winners are
Naomi Schwegler of Albany, MN; Marni Lundbohm of Baxter, MN; Neil Johnson of River Falls, WI; and Ben Greve of Annandale, MN.
Each recipient will receive a $1,000.00 scholarship to apply towards his or her college tuition for the fall of 2000.
The Minnesota PGA Junior Golf Committee awarded the scholarships on criteria from a combination of high school grades,
class rank, ACT/SAT scores, playing ability and extra-curricular activites. To have been eligible for the 1999 Minnesota
PGA Junior Golf Association Scholarship, the individual must have been a member of the 1999 Minnesota PGA Junior Golf
Association and currently a senior in high school. The Minnesota PGA Junior Golf Committee would like to thank all applicants.
All the applications were excellent and the committee had a very difficult time determining only four recipients for
the scholarships. Congratulations again to Naomi, Marni, Neil, and Ben!
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CURIOUS ABOUT COLLEGE GOLF?
DON'T MISS THE 2000 COLLEGE SEMINAR |
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Back by popular demand, the Minnesota PGA Junior Golf Association College Seminar is here. We have the privilege of welcoming
two new speakers, John Means and Scott Moe. John is the Head Coach for the University of Minnesota Men's Golf Team, and Scott
is the Head Coach for the Gustavus Adolphus College Men's Golf Team. John and Scott will focus mainly on "How to Receive a Golf
Scholarship, " guidelines to follow NCAA Rules, official/unofficial visits to campuses, and tips on how to expose yourself so you
will be recruited. John and Scott will also present how to write a resume and what to include in your resume. If you already have
a working resume in progress, it would be extremely beneficial to bring it along with you.
Another helpful topic this seminar will touch upon is how to prepare yourself in the classroom before college arrives. The main
focus will be on important classes that should be taken in high school to meet NCAA requirements. This seminar will include
interesting discussions, handouts and videotapes. Following the presentations, there will be additional time for questions to
be answered.
The 2000 Minnesota PGA Junior Golf Association College Golf Seminar will be held at Majestic Oaks GC on Saturday, March 18, 2000.
Rolls, juice and coffee will be available at 9:30 during registration. At 10:00 a.m., the seminar will begin and will last
until around 12:00 p.m. The seminar is open to 2000 Minnesota PGA Junior Golf Association members only! This seminar is NOT
open to students in their senior year of high school. You must be a junior in high school or younger to attend. There is no
charge to attend this seminar BUT you must PRE-REGISTER by checking the blank on the membership application and return it to the
Minnesota PGA by Wednesday, March 10 or you can pre-register by calling the Minnesota PGA Junior Golf Association at (612) 754-6641. Parents are strongly encouraged to attend this seminar with their child. Please let us know how many family members will be attending when you pre-register.
Birdie Briefs - the Official Newsletter of the Minnesota PGA Junior Golf Association
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