Coming soon!!!!!  On January 1, 2011 the tour will have a new on-line store that will have tour apparel available for our members to purchase Excel gear.  All proceeds from Excel apparel will go to benefit the Excel Junior Golf Tour Scholarship Foundation.  The on-line store will also be used to purchase event entry fees as well!

The Southern Pines Junior Open on September 25-26, 2010 in Monroe, La. will be a DOUBLE POINTS event!  Come on out and lets finish the first season strong!

The next Excel event will be held Sept 25-26, 2010 at Southern Pines Golf Club in Calhoun, La. Please register for this event no later than September 18, 2010 so we have an accurate count of players.  Contact Scott Gray at 318-303-2108 or e-mail sgray@exceljuniorgolftour.com.

Day one of this event will be held at Pine Hills Golf Club and day two will be held at Calvert Crossing Golf Club!  Come on out and enjoy a fabulous weekend!

Congratulations to Tour Member, Carter Toms father, PGA member, David Toms on his second place finish at the Wyndham Championship. 

Please welcome Scott Gray to Excel and Louisiana North.  I am excited that Scott has joined Excel and with this he brings an excitement level that will allow our members the opportunity enjoy competitive and fabulous events.  Welcome aboard Scott!

It is with great pleasure that I introduce Greg Buchanan to the Texas Southeast- Corpus Christi area. Greg will handing Louisiana North over to Scott Gray and focus on Corpus Christi to provide exciting events to this area.  As we grow, it is important to provide quality Tour Directors for you to enjoy and Greg fits this bill. 

Good evening!  As of tomorrow evening, the Event Info pages for Florida Central, South Carolina South, Tennessee East, Tennessee West, Texas East (Houston), and Texas Northeast (Dallas) will be on the site and operational.  Please take a look at the Tour News link to view information about your director and how to contact them.  Also, please take the time to let your director know of any special request you may have for future events.  We look forward to providing you with exciting events!

Congratulations to Joshua Carnes of Monroe, Louisiana for hitting his first ever hole-in-one!  The feat was accomplished at Frenchman's Bend Golf Club in Monroe, La. on July 23, 2010.  Using a pitching wedge, Joshua aced the hole from 115 yards.  Way to go Joshua!

The final results for the US Kids World Championships are as follows:

Boys 10-
Charlie Flynn (Alexandria, La) 80-83-79= 242 (53)
Daniel Pillai (Metaire, La) 86-81-84= 251 (76)

Boys 11-
Joel Boyett (West Monroe, La) 77-76-79= 232 (62)
Hunter Hammett (Hattiesburg, Ms) 74-79-83= 236 (79)

Boys 12-
Jacob Bergeron (Slidell, La) 80-72-80= 232 (62)
Derick Pillai (Metaire, La) 81-78-76= 235 (76)
Charlie Miller (Jackson, Ms) 78-79-84= 241 (101)
Connor Wilson (Baton Rouge, La) 87-83-81= 251 (127)

Congratulations to all the participants.  I am proud of each of you for giving it your all and competing at the highest level.

These are the results after 2 rounds!

Boys 10- Daniel Pillai: 86-81=167
                 Charlie Flynn: 80-83=163

Boys 11- Hunter Hammett: 74-79=153
                 Joel Boyett: 78-75=153

Boys 12- Derick Pillai: 81-78= 159
                 Jacob Bergeron: 80-72= 152
                 Connor Wilson: 87-83= 170
                 Charlie Miller: 78-79= 157

Keep going guys!  Your doing great.

The website has a new feature for our members to follow event results and area information.  Please use the TOUR NEWS tab and select your area.  As Tour Directors are brought on news will start flowing.  I am excited about the direction of Excel and look forward to the future.

Congratulations to Jules Sompayrac, Shreveport, La. for setting the low 18-hole record with a 7 birdie and 2 bogey 67 in the Red River Junior Classic. The round was played at Olde Oaks Golf Club in Bossier City, La. on August 5, 2010.

Keep up the good work Jules!

After round 1 of the US Kids World Championships at Pinehurst, N.C, several of the Excel Junior Golf Tour family have competed in this fabulous event that brings together the best junior players world-wide.

Boys 10 age division- Daniel Pillai (Metaire, La.) 86

Boys 11 age division- Hunter Hammett (Hattiesburg, Ms.) 74
                                        Joel Boyett (West Monroe, La.) 78

Boys 12 age division- Charlie Miller (Jackson, Ms.) 78
                                        Jacob Bergeron (Slidell, La.) 80
                                        Derick Pillai- (Metaire, La.) 81
                                        Connor Wilson- (Greenwood Springs, La.) 87

I will up-date round 2 as soon as it is posted.  Keep up the good work guys!

Dew Sweepers Golf Professional, Tony Ruggerio has been nominated as a Top 100 Teaching Professional!  Congratulations Tony and keep churning out these fabulous players.

Congratulations to future University of Alabama student Bobby Wyatt for his spectacular round of 57 at the Alabama Boys State Junior Championship at Country Club of Mobile.  Bobby is a student of the Dew Sweepers Golf School and works with Tony Ruggiero.  

Good luck Bobby and again congratulations!

Excel Junior Golf Tour has been busy over the past few weeks with several new hires. During the process of expanding Excel it will be busy on the site to introduce our new team members.

Starting on August 2, 2010, Excel has the priviledge of introducing Joseph Williams as the Vice President of Operations of Excel East.  In his new position, Joseph will be responsible for managing the Tour Directors in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.  It is a pleasure to have a member of the Excel family with the desire to make our members happy and provide a product that everybody can be proud of.

Also starting on August 2, 2010, Greg Buchanan will become the Vice President of Operations for Excel West.  Greg will be handling the managerial duties for the Excel West Tour Directors in Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas.  Greg will also be working Texas Northeast (Dallas) until a Tour Director is brought on.

Lets meet the Tour Directors for the 2011 season!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alabama South: TBA
Alabama North:  TBA
Florida Panhandle: Tish Boozer (Pensacola, Fl)
Florida Central: Joseph Williams (Ft. Walton Beach, Fl)
Florida South:    TBA
Georgia South:  TBA
Georgia North:   TBA
Louisiana South: Travis Spalding (New Iberia, La)
Louisian North:  Sam Rogers (Shreveport, La.)
Mississippi South: TBA
Mississippi North:  TBA
North Carolina West:  TBA
North Carolina East:  TBA
South Carolina South:  Scott Bunch (Myrtle Beach, SC)
South Carolina North:  TBA
Tennessee West:  TBA
Tennessee East:  Jason Mosur (Knoxville, Tn)
Texas Northeast:  Greg Buchanan (Shreveport, La)
Texas East:  TBA
Texas Southeast:  TBA
Texas South Central: TBA

Each of these Tour Directors will be scheduling events for the 2011 season starting in March.  I am excited to have these professionals on-board and ready to promote junior golf. We are excited about the direction we are taking and look forward to wonderful experiences for each of our members.  Tour Director BIO'S are being incorporated into the site and will be available soon.  See you at an Excel event very soon!

Starting in March of 2011, Excel Junior Golf Tour will be expanding! The current areas that the tour is operating will remain the same with the exception of Louisiana, which will become Louisiana South and Louisiana North.  

New Excel areas will be Texas Northeast (Dallas), Texas East (Houston), Texas South Central (Corpus Christi), Texas South Central (San Antonio), Mississippi North, Alabama North, Alabama South, Georgia North, Georgia South, Tennessee East, Tennessee West, North Carolina East, North Carolina West, Florida Central, Florida South, South Carolina North and South Carolina South.  Tour Directors are being assembled for each new area and will be announced very soon.

I am excited to expand Excel to areas near each of you and with these new areas I am confident that you will enjoy having events closer to home.  The Tour Directors that are coming to Excel are golf professionals who have a passion for junior golf and are qualified in Tournament Operations.  

Again, I hope that this expansion will allow our members to save money and time away by bringing Excel to you.  Have a great day!

The event for July 5-6, 2010 will be re-scheduled due to Hurricane Alex.

The 1st Annual Al Monroy Junior Open was held at Southern Trace Country Club in Shreveport, La. on June 20-21, 2010.  The turnout was very nice and I had the opportunity to meet some new faces.

In the Boys 10-12 age division, Joel Boyett, West Monroe, La. took home first place with rounds of 83-90=173.  Michael McMahan, West Monroe, La. was second and Rex Bryant, Shreveport, La. took third.  Jack North of West Monroe, La. took fourth.

In the Boys 13-15 age division, Corbin Cantrell, Benton, La. fired 75-76=151 to garner first place.  Jules Sompayrac took second place and Jacob Wyatt of Bossier City, La. was third.

In the Boys 16-18 age division, Blake Traweek, Shreveport, La. led the way with rounds of 84-75=159.  Chase Leone, Shreveport, La. was second and Jesse Smith, Arcadia, La. was third.

Elliott Rollins, Shreveport, La. took the Boys 19-23 age division with rounds of 98-93=191

The tour will make it's next Louisiana stop at Palmetto Country Club (TBA) in Benton, La. on July 20-21!   The following week, July 26-27, the tour will be in Bossier City at Stonebridge Golf Club in Bossier City, La. for the Bossier City Junior Open.  I hope to see a lot of good golf and smiling faces.

Congratulations to Charlie Flynn, Jacob Bergeron, Hunter Hammett and Joel Boyett for competing in the Future Masters at Dothan Country Club in Dothan, Alabama.  Each of these young men made the cut and were able to participate in the final round!

Charlie Flynn competed in the Boys 10 and under division and shot 41-41=82

Jacob Bergeron fired rounds of 78-77-82=237

Hunter Hammett shot rounds of 84-79-81=244

Joel Boyett finished with rounds of 77-86-87=250

Way to go guys!  I am very proud of each of you.

Due to Hurricane Alex, the event for July 1-2, 2010 is cancelled and will be re-scheduled at a later time. 

Starting July 1, 2010, Excel will offer a $25.00 discount for each member who brings a new member (s) to an event.  Each guest needs to register for the tour and e-mail the tour to notify the staff that the individual will be playing and who the sponsor is.  The sponsoring member will have the discount applied to the entry fee of the particular event.  Lets promote Excel to our friends and build the tour to become the largest and most enjoyable tour in the South!  Have a great day.

Welcome Dew Sweepers Golf School as the Presenting Sponsor for Excel!  It is with great pleasure that I welcome Tony Ruggiero and Wayne Flint and the entire Dew Sweeper Golf School staff to our tour.

Dew Sweepers Golf School is located in Florida and Alabama, with expansion in to Mississippi coming soon. Not only does Excel offer competitive events, but now with Dew Sweepers Golf School on board, we can offer the perfect opportunity to improve our golf games and continue to work toward college golf opportunities.  

Also, check out the Dew Sweepers website to find out about the Dew Sweepers Golf Show in your area.  This show is fabulous and provides valuable information whether it is teaching tips or player interviews.

Please check out the Dew Sweepers website at www.dewsweepersgolfschool.com and again lets welcome this awesome group of golf professionals to our team.

The End-of Year Awards Tournament is in the planning stages an will be held on December 11, 2010.  I am in the process of scheduling this event and awards dinner at a very special venue and will announce the location as soon as I finish the preparations.

Not only will we be handing out the "Player of the Year" awards, but we will also award our scholarship award winners and three other special awards!  As Excel becomes larger and the tour of choice, I think it is only fitting that our NEW awards have a special meaning for why they are given.  These three new awards are;

1. Lowest Scoring Average- This award will be given to the individual who has the lowest scoring average during the current season.  

2. Sportsmanship Award- This award will be given to the individual who shows "Outstanding Sportsmanship" during the current season.

3. Most Improved Award- This award will be given to the individual who shows the most improvement during the current season.

I think rewarding our members is very important and with this I have one more important announcement!  These awards have to have a name associated with the award, so as you grow with me and Excel, we will be establishing the award to carry on the winners name for future seasons!  This tour can not become bigger and better without YOU making it happen and I wanted to be able to give back to each of you for all the help in making Excel something special for our tour family.  

Have a great day! 

Jeff

Excel events will be taking on a new look in the near future.  Here is a sample of what the set-up will look like.  As always, feedback is always appreciated.

For those of you who are interested in expiriencing a fabulous golf camp, please contact Chris Burkstaller at 225-718-1107 for additional details.  The following is information to these valuable golf camps;

Santa Maria Golf Academy Summer Jr. Golf Camp is coming.  It is open to golfers ages 8-17.  Camps run from 9 am. to 12:30 pm.  The cost of each camp is $250.00 per golfer per session.  Fee includes all golf fees, range balls, instruction from PGA Professionals, drinks, snacks and lunch each day..  Sign-up early as space is limited.

The summer is here and our juniors will be playing lots of junior golf for the next few months. Take advantage of the savings by purchasing a 10 event package and choose the events you would like to participate in!  Yearly memberships are also available with huge savings.  Simply click on the Membership link and follow the simple steps.  Have a great day and see you at a golf course soon!

Great news!!!!!!!!!  Effective May 1, 2010, Excel Junior Golf Tour events will be ranked with Junior Golf Scoreboard.  I am excited to be able to offer events that will help our members to compete for college opportunities.  I will have additional information very soon.  Have a great day.