I have not written about the Junior Masters since 2020. In that year Close House was the host venue of the event. Now the PING Junior Masters’ final round will return to Close House: 27th October.
The reason why I thought to write about the 2022 Junior Masters is the very low share of junior golfers in England. It is only 7% (Source: The R&A and EGA’s European Golf Participation Report 2021).
The European average is 8%. The previously mentioned 7% is equal to 45,304 juniors. Only in Sweden (11%), we can find more junior golfers 61,839.
The 2022 events see PING Europe continue their support of the event, providing all the prizes at the grand final with the aim of giving the next generation of golfers a special and unique experience.
There are now nine qualifying events spanning across eight counties in the UK. Some of these locations include the well-known Lady Bank in Fyfe, Scotland, and Worksop in Nottinghamshire.
From each of the qualifying locations, there are three age categories: 12 and under, 15 and under, and 18 and under. One girl and two boys from each age group will qualify for the final at Close House – where they will be offered a tour experience on the fantastic Championship Colt Course.
Close House is also offering free school coaching to local schools to further develop the younger generation of golfers. With the support from Close House, Lee Westwood, and PING Europe, the 2022 Junior Masters is an exciting prospect for any junior looking to take their game to the next level.
Generation Z & future generations
I would love to hear that the other golf clubs will offer similar help to local schools to grow the game among the new generation. Since Generation Z was brought up by Millennials who emphasized healthy food and lifestyle we can suppose their kids will follow this path.
I heard Gen Z is more interested in practicing sports than watching them. According to Nielsen, Generation Z is less interested in golf vs the age group 25-69. Basketball and extreme sports are the two most popular sports among them.