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 If asked in 2000 whether the junior golf tour they had just launched would last 10 years, Cindy and John Warren (pictured above) probably would have said yes — but with their fingers crossed. “We dreamed it, but we really didn’t know if it’d be possible,” said Cindy, who started the Junior Amateur Golf Scholars (JAGS) Tour with her husband out of their Cypress home a decade ago. “We’d never done anything like it before, and hadn’t heard of anyone else doing it.” While entry into JAGS events is open to all junior golfers, those with grade point averages of 3.0 or higher can join as Gold or Silver members and receive added benefits, such as lower entry fees, priority tournament entry and the opportunity to apply for JAGS academic scholarships when they are a graduating high school senior. Some 5,000 golfers have participated in JAGS events, and some have gone on to play at major universities, on mini-tours and on the PGA and LPGA tours. But what Cindy takes the most pride in is that “about 95 percent of our players go on to college, and many of them receive some kind of athletic or academic scholarship.” The JAGS calendar includes 36-hole competitions at courses in Orange, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego and Riverside counties, in addition to one-day championships and all-star events. Last year, JAGS expanded into Arizona and has scheduled a 54-hole event there this season over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Future plans are to hold events in Nevada, Texas and Utah within the next two years. Entry fees range from $195 to $250 for members and as much as $315 for non-members. The Warrens try to work with families who can’t afford the fees, but topping the wish list for 2010 is a corporate sponsor or philanthropic individual who could help offset the expense for less affluent families. The cost is worth it for serious golfers who hope to parlay their golf skills into a college education, Cindy said. “Convincing parents of the need for serious golfers to compete regularly in nationally ranked events has always been the most difficult obstacle,” she said. “But what we really try to stress is that college coaches know the rankings and are looking for consistent scores, so competing in a number of tournaments is very important for juniors. Anyone can go out and shoot a great score and then fall back the next week. But to compete regularly at a high level is what college coaches are really looking at.” Parents and alumni agree that the tour is worth the cost. “It’s an exceptional tour that really strikes a balance between academics and athleticism,” said Robert Lopez, whose daughter Lee was a four-time JAGS player of the year and is currently a redshirt sophomore at UCLA. “A lot of tours don’t monitor how juniors are doing in school, and it was important for us to have Lee in a program that didn’t forget that part of her high school life.” Katelin Dilger, who played five years on the JAGS Tour and is currently a sophomore on the women’s golf team at the University of Illinois, said her JAGS experience helped pave the way for her partial golf scholarship to the school. “The first tournament that I ever broke par at was a JAGS event, and the crazy thing is that Mrs. Warren was as happy and excited as I was,” Dilger said. “I don’t see that at other tournaments. But JAGS is always a very comfortable environment to play in.” Dilger also said the setup at tournaments gets players ready for the future. “They do an excellent job in setting up the course longer for girls,” she said. “That’s important because a lot of junior tours don’t set up the courses to prepare girls for the longer distances they’ll play in college.” Neither Warren draws a salary from their work with JAGS. Cindy is a graphic designer and marketing director for an orthodontist; John works for the U.S. Census Bureau and teaches a real estate class. “I think it’s our way of giving back to the community, and there also is nothing better than seeing a young man or young woman make their first birdie or eagle,” Cindy said. “There is a brightness in their eyes when they realize that maybe this is something they can succeed at and that won’t let them down.” Well, maybe there is one thing better. “The most gratifying thing is to see juniors who enter the tour struggling with their academics and strive to hit a 3.0 in order to become a Gold member on the tour,” Cindy added. “I couldn’t count how many players we’ve seen really buckle down to achieve that.” For more details: (562) 493-8416 or visit jagstour.com. |
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