Since 1987 the Indiana Junior Golf Program has been providing competitive events for junior golfers in Indiana. What began with just 10 events and 200 junior golfers has evolved into one of the premier programs in the country and there certainly seems to be evidence to back up that claim. Currently, there are 300 former members of the Indiana Junior Golf Program who are on collegiate rosters.

How does that compare to other junior programs?

“Three hundred former junior tour players on collegiate rosters! That is amazing,” exclaimed Doug Cook whose daughter Kristine is a senior member of the University of Illinois Women’s Golf Team. “The first tournament I remember Kristine playing at the state level was a prep tournament. I remember five players from that tournament and of those five, four are now playing in major Division I college programs. I can’t imagine many state programs can equal that,” added Cook.

Cook believes that the quality of events and the level of competition offered in Indiana give junior golfers an experience second to none. Currently, Indiana has 6 former junior girls players ranked in the top 250 for the Golfstat Cup, a national ranking system for collegiate golfers. Former junior Amanda Blumenherst, who is a member of the Duke Women’s Golf Team, is the number 1 ranked Division I Women’s Player. Meanwhile, Franklin College’s Katie Tewell, is the number 1 ranked Division III player. In addition to Blumenherst and Tewell, the University of Indianapolis’ Kristi Piepenbrink is ranked number 15 in Division II. Piepenbrink recently captured medallist honors at the 21-team, 130-player Northern Kentucky Spring Invitational, winning by five shots, and Tewell is undefeated in Division III play this season.

“The Indiana Junior Golf Program is superior to most states in that it provides a great deal of competition from the prep level throughout the junior level,” says Cook. “Many states don’t provide much competition, particularly in the girl’s area, which forces kids to play in regional and national tours.”

Cook’s feelings seem to be consistent with other parents, players and collegiate coaches.

“The Indiana Junior Golf Program is one of the finest junior programs in the country,” said Ball State University Men’s Golf Coach Mike Fleck. “Not only does it provide competitive opportunities for juniors of all ages and levels, but it really gives junior golfers the opportunity to make progressions with their games, and the program is a really good preparation for those interested in pursuing golf at the collegiate level,” continued Fleck.

Today, the Pepsi Indiana Junior Golf Program includes 75 events and encompasses over 1,500 Indiana junior golfers. The Junior Program is divided into three Tours: The Aquafina Prep Tour is designed for those junior golfers in the 8-12 year old age group, the regular Mountain Dew Junior Tour is for 13-18 year olds and the Diet Pepsi Masters Tour is designed for those with the lowest stroke averages. The Masters Tour gives Indiana junior golfers the ability to play at a higher level of competitiveness on courses set up more like they will see at the collegiate level.

“The competition in our program is strong enough to give our players a sense of how they ‘stack-up’ against any level of competition,” says Todd Smith, a former All-American at Auburn University. Smith’s son, Brad, is a freshmen member of the Ohio State University Men’s Golf Team and was recently named Big 10 Player of the Week. “Brad saw the success of his peers in college golf and knew he was capable of the same. It was a waste of time and money to chase all over the country playing when great competition was right here in Indiana,” said Smith.

Anthony Novak, a freshman on the Ball State University Golf Team agrees that Indiana’s program is a step above the rest. “I believe that the Indiana Junior Golf Program has developed leaps and bounds over other states’ junior programs,” stated Novak. “Whenever I would be in a national event I would talk with players from other states and ask them about their junior programs. Many of them said it was just a series of events that were kind of thrown together in the summer to keep the players busy. What I loved about the Indiana program was that it not only allowed the beginning tournament players experience, but it also catered to the more experienced and competitive players. The Masters Tour, Tour Championship and especially the Boys State Junior were tournaments that all felt like the Indiana Majors.”

This high level of competition seems to bode well for those making the transition to golf at the collegiate level. College coaches and former players agree that Indiana junior players are well-prepared for competing at the collegiate level.

“I think the biggest thing that the junior golf program did for me is allow me to develop my game before moving to college,” said Andy Winings, the 2007 Indiana Amateur Champion. Winings, a junior at the University of Kentucky, added, “It is a great way to get acclimated to competitive golf.”

Cole Turner, a sophomore at George Washington University in Washington D.C. echoed Winings comments. “I think that Indiana Junior Golf helped prepare me for collegiate golf by having a chance to play very talented players within the state, getting used to playing under pressure, and it also mentally prepared me to be as consistent as possible.”

University of Missouri Women’s Golf Coach, Stephanie Cooper Priesmeyer, a Seymour, Indiana native, has two former Indiana junior golfers on her roster. Muncie’s Michelle Morgan and Granger’s Julia Potter are both sophomores making a major contribution to the Missouri program. Potter has captured two collegiate wins and tied the school record with a 66 last fall. She was named the Golfweek Player of the Week after capturing her second tournament title last fall and was the Big 12 Conference Player of the Month for October. Morgan has a third place finish to her credit and played in six tournaments as a freshman.

“The players I have recruited from Indiana have been well-prepared,” said Priesmeyer. “They are ready to perform when they get here and they don’t need to start over, they can just begin their college career right where they left off in high school.”

Given the fact that all nine players currently on the Ball State University roster are former Indiana junior golfers it is no surprise that BSU Coach Mike Fleck has strong feelings about the program.

“I definitely feel like the Indiana juniors are prepared for most of the aspects of collegiate golf,” said Fleck. “With the increased level of competition on more challenging golf courses our junior players are able to make the adjustments needed to be successful at the Division I level.”

While the Pepsi Indiana Junior Golf Program has been successful in turning out collegiate players, the goal of the program remains to provide professional, competitive junior tournament opportunities for players of varied skill levels and to be sure that the various life lessons that can be learned from the game are passed along.

“While turning out collegiate players is a nice by-product, our goal of the junior program remains to provide professionally administered events for the junior golfers in Indiana,” says Mike David, Indiana Golf Office Executive Director. “We want to be sure that our players are learning the rules and etiquette that go along with the game and are having an enjoyable introduction to tournament golf,” added David. “Whether they become college players or not, we want them to continue playing and enjoying the game.”

While gaining tournament experiences that helped them transition to collegiate golf is a nice benefit, former participants agree that there was more to the Junior Tour than just competition.

“There were many things I enjoyed about the Indiana Junior Golf Program,” says Cook. “The greatest things I can take from the program are the experience I gained and the friendships I made. There are so many girls I still see during collegiate golf that I played with when I was twelve years old. Indiana’s golf program made golf very fun for me and helped me learn many fundamentals and skills in the game of golf.”

Other former players agree with Cook. “The thing I enjoyed most about Indiana Junior Golf was the friendships that I made that I still have while playing college golf,” stated Turner. “I love going to tournaments and seeing guys that I played with for years growing up in Indiana. I think that junior golf offers players a commonality that can keep them connected well after they stop playing competitive golf.”

“I enjoyed a multitude of things from being in the Indiana Junior Golf Program including the competition and experience,” said Novak. “Yet the thing that I will love the most are the players I met and the friendships I made through the six or so years that I played in the program. It is awesome to play in tournaments around the country and see former players that you feel like you just played with in your own backyard only yesterday. I may not remember what people shot, who won, or where we played, but I’ll never forget the camaraderie that I developed with everyone I met, players and directors alike, while participating in the program.”