The ladder
Junior golf pathway
This is a map, not a rule. Players skip rungs, stay on a state tour, or never enter the AJGA. Each step links to the official idea behind it. Costs, stars, and exemptions change every season.
- 1
Learn the game
First Tee, PGA Jr. League, and Drive, Chip and Putt are development programs. They are not ranked stroke-play tours. U.S. Kids local tours are often the first individual events, with a parent caddie.
Development programs - 2
Play close to home
The state golf association and the PGA section junior tour are the weekly calendars. A state can have both, plus an independent tour. Their player-of-the-year points stay on that tour unless a specific event is also on the AJGA PBE schedule or submitted to Junior Golf Scoreboard.
How local tours work - 3
Add ranked regional starts
Tours such as HJGT, Future Champions, Golfweek, the Southeastern Junior Golf Tour, and the Texas Junior Golf Tour publish multi-day events. Some of those events, not the whole schedule, carry AJGA PBE status or a Junior Golf Scoreboard tag. Read the event, not the logo.
How PBE stars work - 4
National fields
AJGA Opens and Junior All-Stars use Performance Based Entry. Invitationals use the Rolex AJGA Rankings and exemptions. The U.S. Junior Amateur, U.S. Girls' Junior, and Junior PGA Championship are separate championships with their own qualifying.
AJGA breakdown - 5
College is a different process
Rankings help a coach sort a list. They do not create NCAA eligibility. Grades, amateur status, and a fit with the program decide this, not a star total.
Rankings side by side
The development link opens the tours directory. Set the type filter to Development program if it does not apply on its own. Guides cite the AJGA, USGA allied associations, and the tour sites named on each page.