Junior Golf
The Optimist Junior Golf Program is an exciting and unique junior golf program for ages 10-18.
The Michigan District Junior Golf Tournament will be co-sponsored by the Michigan District Optimist and Top 50 Junior Tour Golf.
Michigan Optimist
District Junior Golf Tournament
- All registrations need to go through Top 50 Junior Tour Golf at top50jrtour.com – and need to be completed by June 12, 2026.
- Registration Fee is $ 75 for the 2 youngest age categories (boys 10-11 and Girls 12-13) – who play 18 holes on day 1, and $160 for the other age categories playing 36 holes over both days.
- The District Qualifier is on June 15-16, 2026 at Forest Akers GC / MSU / East Lansing, MI.
- Divisions
- Girls 9-12 – as of 7/19/25
- Girls13-14 – as of 7/24/25
- Girls 15-18 – as of 7/29/25
- Boys 9-11 – as of 7/19/25
- Boys 12-13 – as of 7/19/25
- Boys 14-15 – as of 7/24/25
- Boys 16-18 – as of 7/29/25
- Minimum scores to advance to the International Tournament @ Doral National Resort, Miami, FL
- Girls 10-12 (97), Girls 13-14 (186), Girls 15-16 (170)
- Boys 10-11 (96), Boys 12-13 (180), Boys 14-15 (186), Boys 16-18 (156)
- Tournament Date
- July 15th-20th – Girls 10-12, Boys 10-11 and 12-13
- July 20th-25th – Girls 13-14 and Boys 14-15
- July 25th-30th – Girls 16-18 and Boys 16-18
- Registration fee (either full or partial) to Florida for each class winner meeting the scoring requirement paid by the Michigan District Optimist
- Hole Sponsorships
- Clubs, Individuals and Businesses
- $100 Minimum
- Michigan District Optimist Jr. Golf Co-Chairs
- Tom Longhway, tomlongh@aol.com, (248) 568-5608
- Marc Katz, marcgoblue1@gmail.comj, (248) 219-5949
June 15-16, 2026
Forest Akers East Golf Club
2231 S Harrison Rd
East Lansing, MI 48823
Sponsored by: Top 50 Junior Tour Golf
*Advance Registration is Required
Click the button below and be sure to include your name and the best phone number for us to contact you.
District Qualifying Criteria and Policies
Scoring Requirement
In order to qualify for the international championships, golfers must meet the requirements as follows:
Golfers must qualify for one of the designated spot(s) granted to a specific District qualifying tournament plus shoot at or below the target score as indicated below. The number of qualifying spots in each age division varies by District. Please contact Michigan District Junior Golf Chair at juniorgolf@michiganoptimists.org for details.
The target scores by age division are listed below. All scores are in relation to par and are for 18-hole tournaments. For multiple-round tournaments, the amount over par increases accordingly.
District Qualifying Spots
Each District is granted a set number of qualifying spots in each age division. This represents the number of golfers in each age division that will be eligible to advance to the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships via the District qualifying tournament (provided the golfer meets the established scoring requirement).
Ties
A tiebreaker will be used to determine the District winners, ties for the last qualifying spot, and ties for alternate spots. District Chairs are responsible for determining the tiebreaking method used.
Out-of-District Golfers
If golfers from other Districts participate in a qualifying tournament, their participation will not eliminate any District residents from qualifying. If an out-of-District golfer qualifies for one of the designated spots, he/she is eligible to attend the international championships in addition to the next-highest golfer who lives within the District boundaries.
Alternates
Alternates will be admitted to the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships if a golfer who qualifies for one of a District’s designated spots decides not to attend. Alternates have the same registration deadline date. Please check with your District Chair.
Official District Tournament
A District qualifier will not be considered official unless all golfers in an age division complete a minimum of nine holes, in which case the tournament would revert back to the last hole completed by the entire age division. In the case of a District qualifier that is cancelled with no make-up date, golfers in said District will be eligible to submit an “at large” application directly to Optimist International. In this situation, the number of accepted “at large” applicants in each division will be equal to the number of qualifying spots granted for the District.
Get in Touch. Get Involved.
Whether you’re a parent of a student, a teacher, a youth volunteer or even an Optimist looking for more information, please use the form below and someone from the Michigan District Optimists Junior Golf Committee will contact you. Be as concise as possible in the Message area.