Junior Golf at The Grove

As the warmth of spring approaches, so does an exciting lineup of golf programming at The Grove, a private, gated golf community in College Grove, Tennessee. From seasoned players to budding enthusiasts, there's something for everyone to look forward to this season. Let's take a sneak peek at the thrilling events awaiting our members: Men's Events: Calling all gentlemen to partake in the excitement of "The Duel" Match Play Event from May 1st to September 20th. With four flights engaging in a single-elimination Match-Play format, participants will vie for victory until a champion is crowned in each flight. Additionally, don't miss out on the camaraderie and competition of the Men's Member-Member event from May 16th to May 18th, promising three days of fantastic golf, delectable cuisine, and unforgettable camaraderie. Women's Events: Ladies, gear up for the thrill of "The Duelette," a part of the 2024 Women's season-long match play events taking place from May 1st to September 30th. Join us for the inaugural Duelette Match Play Event, where flights will engage in a single elimination match play format until champions emerge. Plus, mark your calendars for the 2024 Ladies Member-Guest event, the Ladies Grove Gallop, on April 30th to May 1st. It's a fantastic opportunity for a fun and casual golf event coupled with two days of camaraderie at The Grove Club, themed around horses and cowgirls. Junior Events: Young golfers at The Grove are in for a treat with a lineup designed just for them. The Wee Tees Golf Clinic series caters to members aged 4-6, providing a fun and educational environment to develop foundational skills. They'll learn the basics from putting to full swings while having a blast with their peers. For juniors seeking more structured training, our After School Spring Clinics offer a comprehensive curriculum focused on honing technique and strategy. From coaching to practicing, it's a holistic approach to nurturing young talent. And let's remember the Juniors Super Sunday Clinic, a dynamic session designed to take budding golfers on a journey from tee to green. They'll discover the thrill of sinking that perfect shot through gamified learning and hands-on instruction. LIV Golf at The Grove But the excitement doesn't end with our club events. The Grove is gearing up for an extraordinary opportunity as we prepare to host one of the twelve regular season events for the prestigious LIV Golf League in 2024. As the anticipation builds, we invite our golf enthusiasts to mark their calendars for June 21st to June 23rd, when The Grove's illustrious course will serve as the stage for top-notch players and thrilling competition. Golfing at The Grove At The Grove, spring isn't just a season—it's an invitation to elevate your golf game, connect with fellow enthusiasts, and create memories that last a lifetime. Whether you're a seasoned pro or taking your first swing, there's no better time to embrace the joy of golf than now. See you on the fairways!

The PGA Junior League Program at the Grove was offered this summer during June and July in its 6th year as part of our growing Junior Golf Program. PGA Junior League is a fun, team-oriented and engaging way for juniors to learn the game of golf. The program is designed for girls and boys ages 9-13 who would like to play team-style golf while receiving instruction from local professionals. This year’s Grove team included 12 juniors, 7 of whom returned to the team from last year. The team started the season with great success with an undefeated record after playing 3 matches (when this article was written). Our players were in a league this summer with Old Fort Golf Course, Indian Hills Golf Course, and Stones River Country Club. Each of these clubs have great talent, and the Grove juniors have enjoyed getting to meet and play against other kids in the area. Team leaders demonstrated leadership skills at practice and during matches, patience, encouragement to their teammates, set a great example on the golf course, and always displayed good sportsmanship. [ngg src="galleries" ids="68" display="basic_slideshow"]The Stampede / Summer 2022: The exciting growth our Club and Community has incurred over the last two years continues to prompt the evolution of Club events and operations to accommodate our new membership size and expectations. This year’s Men’s Member-Guest Annual Stampede Event was reimagined resulting in two identical events that will be offered in 2022; a Summer Stampede held in June, and a Fall Stampede that will be held in September. The Summer Stampede welcomed 140 players and proved to be a success! It was an exciting three days of competition and camaraderie.

The Grove fielded a PGA Jr. League team this summer which had tremendous success. The team consisted of nine of our junior athletes between the ages of 9 and 13. They competed each week against different clubs in our area, in both Williamson and Rutherford counties. The PGA Jr. League has a unique format with teams playing in a 2-person scramble, versus two other players from the opposing team. Mid-season, The Grove’s PGA Jr. League team was undefeated with a season record of 6-0! This is the first PGA Jr. League season that The Grove competed against teams from Rutherford County, so our juniors played some of these courses for the first time and still made a mark! Similarly, we have a variety of experience levels on our team this season-some with ample competitive experience and some saw their first full nine holes at our first match. That goes to show that this team has an incredible work ethic, good dynamics with communication and encouragement, and extremely supportive parents! The junior golfers here at theGrove are something to be proud of as they are true examples of striving for excellence on and off the course.Outside of The Grove’s summer PGA Jr. League, several of our junior golfers have been working hard and finding success in other programs and aspects of the game. The Grove junior golfers mentioned below have combined for over 25 wins this season on the Sneds Tour and Mid-South golf series. We currently have eight junior girls and boys golfers ranked in the top 30 (4 in the top 5) in the state of Tennessee in their respective classes! Brayden Bennett, Walker Eickhoff, Brooke Bennett, Jake Eickhoff, Julian Edwards, Jentry Eickhoff, Stella Edwards, Gaby Diaz, Warner Eickhoff, and Elizabeth Bowman.

Grove Kids are one of the most important groups in our Community. And Golf is offering so many ways for today’s youth to get involved and learn to love the game of a lifetime. In 2020, even in the midst of a pandemic, we had over 75 kids, ages 4-17, participate in our programs. We anticipate that number will greatly increase this season as we have had even more families join our community and want to become a part of our programs. This effort has been led by Hannah Skelley. Since joining The Grove, Junior Golf Instructor Hannah Skelley has made it her mission to make The Grove the club with the best junior golf opportunities in Middle Tennessee. “When a new family moves to our area and asks, "Where is the best place to get my child involved in junior golf?", I want that answer to be, without a doubt, The Grove!" Hannah is supported by an entire Golf Staff led by Doug Oubre and Jude Lenahan. Jude in particular has created a teaching practice that attracts people of all ages and skill levels. Hannah and Jude work together to nurture the Grove Kids, helping them reach their individual goals. For kids, the sky is the limit in this great game. The Junior Golf Programming at The Grove offers so many ways for our young ones to get involved. All of our clinics focus on skills such as putting, chipping, full swing, irons, drivers, hybrids, bunkers, aim, alignment, and more. We also discuss values such as honesty, respect, leadership, and teamwork. Activities include: Wee Tees program, starting at ages 4-6. This program offers monthly clinics and two golf camps, one in June and one in July. Junior Golf Program, ages 7-15. This program includes monthly clinics (boys and girls), a girls golf class, an open range night for parents and children to come out, hit on the range, and ask questions, and two golf camps in the summer. PGA Jr. League, ages 9-13. This program runs from early June to late July and is for our more advanced juniors looking to gain that extra bit of experience as they enter middle school and high school golf. Matches are played in a 2-person scramble against 2 players from another club. This is a great way to teach our young players the importance of communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. Grove Kids League, ages 9-13 for kids who did not play PGA Jr. League and who are not playing middle school golf. It's an 8-week program from August through the end of September with weekly practices, intrasquad scrimmages, skills challenges, and more. This program is designed more for our beginner golfers who are looking to be a part of a team and gain knowledge of some of the basics of golf while meeting other kids their age! There have been countless moments of pride in our junior golfers. The 2020 PGA Jr. League team won their first 5 matches of the season. This was an incredible achievement moving forward from previous years. On the same note, The Grove had over 30 individual combined tournament wins of juniors ages 10-15. These wins extend across the Sneds Tour, the Mid-South Golf Series, and other juniors tours across the Southeast. Seeing so many of our juniors succeed in such a big way is something that we all celebrate! Some of the events rolling out in 2021 include: weekly golf clinics for all ages and levels of experience, Junior Club Championship, Parent-Child Scramble, Golf Camp (June & July), PGA Jr. League, Grove Kids League, & The Junior Golf Winter Fitness Program. If there are any programs that you are interested in or questions that you may have, please contact Hannah Skelley ([email protected]) or Jude Lenahan ([email protected]). [ngg src="galleries" ids="48" display="basic_slideshow"]

Grove Kids are one of the most important groups in our Community. And Golf is offering so many ways for today’s youth to get involved and learn to love the game of a lifetime. In 2020, even in the midst of a pandemic, we had over 75 kids, ages 4-17, participate in our programs. We anticipate that number will greatly increase this season as we have had even more families join our community and want to become a part of our programs. This effort has been led by Hannah Skelley. Since joining The Grove, Junior Golf Instructor Hannah Skelley has made it her mission to make The Grove the club with the best junior golf opportunities in Middle Tennessee. “When a new family moves to our area and asks, "Where is the best place to get my child involved in junior golf?", I want that answer to be, without a doubt, The Grove!" Hannah is supported by an entire Golf Staff led by Doug Oubre and Jude Lenahan. Jude in particular has created a teaching practice that attracts people of all ages and skill levels. Hannah and Jude work together to nurture the Grove Kids, helping them reach their individual goals. For kids, the sky is the limit in this great game. The Junior Golf Programming at The Grove offers so many ways for our young ones to get involved. All of our clinics focus on skills such as putting, chipping, full swing, irons, drivers, hybrids, bunkers, aim, alignment, and more. We also discuss values such as honesty, respect, leadership, and teamwork. Activities include: Wee Tees program, starting at ages 4-6. This program offers monthly clinics and two golf camps, one in June and one in July. Junior Golf Program, ages 7-15. This program includes monthly clinics (boys and girls), a girls golf class, an open range night for parents and children to come out, hit on the range, and ask questions, and two golf camps in the summer. PGA Jr. League, ages 9-13. This program runs from early June to late July and is for our more advanced juniors looking to gain that extra bit of experience as they enter middle school and high school golf. Matches are played in a 2-person scramble against 2 players from another club. This is a great way to teach our young players the importance of communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. Grove Kids League, ages 9-13 for kids who did not play PGA Jr. League and who are not playing middle school golf. It's an 8-week program from August through the end of September with weekly practices, intrasquad scrimmages, skills challenges, and more. This program is designed more for our beginner golfers who are looking to be a part of a team and gain knowledge of some of the basics of golf while meeting other kids their age! There have been countless moments of pride in our junior golfers. The 2020 PGA Jr. League team won their first 5 matches of the season. This was an incredible achievement moving forward from previous years. On the same note, The Grove had over 30 individual combined tournament wins of juniors ages 10-15. These wins extend across the Sneds Tour, the Mid-South Golf Series, and other juniors tours across the Southeast. Seeing so many of our juniors succeed in such a big way is something that we all celebrate! Some of the events rolling out in 2021 include: weekly golf clinics for all ages and levels of experience, Junior Club Championship, Parent-Child Scramble, Golf Camp (June & July), PGA Jr. League, Grove Kids League, & The Junior Golf Winter Fitness Program. If there are any programs that you are interested in or questions that you may have, please contact Hannah Skelley ([email protected]) or Jude Lenahan ([email protected]) . There are flyers in the golf shop with dates for all programs for the entire 2021 season. Please feel free to swing by and grab one and begin signing up for all the events this season! We hope to see you out on the course this spring, summer, & fall!

At The Grove, we believe the core values one takes away from golf, such as honesty, sportsmanship, integrity, and respect are valuable life skills. The old adage that children are our future holds true for the game of golf as well, and that is why we began The Grove Junior Golf Program exclusively for our residents, where kids can participate in clinics, camps, private instruction, and even our PGA Junior League team. We are honored to be trusted with growing the game with these remarkable young players and proud to report that The Grove’s PGA Junior League Team is flourishing. The excitement, dedication, and energy these young players bring to the Club is palpable. It is our intention to harness this excitement, to welcome new players to the game, to encourage and grow players, of all ages and skill levels, to exceed their own expectations. It is our intention to become the best Junior Golf Program in the state of Tennessee. We will achieve this goal by continuing to make learning golf fun and rewarding. Golf Instruction  Junior golf instructors, Jude Lanahan and Hannah Skelley introduce our young players to the fun and rewarding game of golf with one-on-one sessions, sports camps and group clinics with skill-based games and activities, friendly competitions, and weekly practices with our PGA Junior League team. PGA Junior League The PGA Junior League is a team sport with emphasis is placed on teamwork and communication. The Grove participants have been playing exceptionally well this summer. “The players work so well together, they’re great team players,” says Junior Golf Instructor Hannah Skelley. “These young players range in experience, from the very experienced to the fairly new, but talented. The dedication and sportsmanship these young players show is incredible. It is rewarding to see the more experienced players coaching the less experienced players and offering words of encouragement.” The Grove is an active participant in the PGA Junior League’s Sneds Tour, Tennessee's premier junior golf tour for golfers ages 4-19. The Grove PGA Junior League team has 13 kids participating in the Sneds Tour, with a four to one winning record. 2020 our winners include: Jake Eickoff: 4 Individual Tournament Wins Jentry Eickoff: Shark Division Winner, 18-hole winner, 1 Tournament Wins, Junior Club Champion Brayden Bennett:  3 Tournament Wins Brooke Bennett: 3 Tournament Wins, 5 Top 3 Finishes, Junior Club Champion, Shark Division Winner Kellan Spaude: 3 Tournament Wins Gabby Diaz: 2 Sneds Tour Wins, 2 Top 3 Finishes Elizabeth Bowman:  1 Sneds Tour Win, 2 Top 3 Finishes, Junior Club Champion: 18 Holes  Girls Junior Golf  The Grove Junior Girls have had some great tournaments of the 2020 season. We would love to spotlight them and congratulate them on a few of their accomplishments! Of the 5 Sneds Tournaments Brooke Bennett (11) has played this year, she has won 3 and finished in the top 3 for all 5. Her wins came at Harpeth Valley, The Little Course, and Cedar Crest. More importantly, Brooke has been dedicated to doing 50 up and downs a day. This has made a huge impact on her game over the past few weeks. She took 99 minutes to get 50 up and downs on her first day, and recently it only took her 54 minutes. On the course, this has translated from a 99, to a 93, to an 85! She reduced her putts from more than 40 to 31 on 9 holes. Another one of our Junior Girls, Elizabeth Bowman (13), has competed all Summer in the 18-hole division of both the Junior Club Championship, and Sneds Tour events. She placed 1st in The Grove Junior Club Championship, second at Champion's Run, and third at both Harpeth Hills and Sewanee Golf Course. She is finishing her season this week in a two-day event. Finally, Gabby Diaz (13) has made a great showing for Junior Golf at The Grove. Gabby has had 2 first place finishes at Cheekwood Golf Course with a score of 40, and at Ted Rhodes with a score of 43. She’s also placed 3rd in two other tournaments and missed third place by one stroke in two others. Junior Golf Clinics For players ages 4-17 that are new to the game or not quite experienced enough for PGA competition level, we offer Grove Kids League clinics. These clinics are an excellent opportunity to improve skills and learn the fundamentals of the game. Clinics are great for beginners, strengthen collaborative efforts, a really fun way to dip your toes into the game of golf. Currently, there are approximately 50 kids in the grove junior training program. With a maximum of 8 players in a clinic, the popularity of our junior program has resulted in a waitlist for most clinics. The Growth of a Young Grove Golfer  “It is amazing that these kids put in so many hours of practice and at such a young age,” Skelley explains. “They just love it! One of our players, Cooper Mueller, is in his first year with the PGA junior league. We started working with him one-on-one in lessons. His improvement from May until now is amazing! Cooper works so well under pressure.”  One morning Cooper’s dad woke up to find him on the treadmill at 6:30am. When asked what he was doing Cooper replied that he wants to get golf ready. He was excited to be a part of the team and didn’t want to let them down. He knows his teammates rely on him and wants to continue to grow and excel. Cooper now works with younger kids in junior clinics to share his experience and provide encouragement. These young players have formed meaningful friendships, they have fun and have the drive to win, but at the end of the day they have a strong support group that will always be there for each other. Looking Toward the Future Hannah hopes to see the Junior Golf Program expand from 1 PGA team to 2 next year. We hope to encourage our young players to take the lessons learned here at The Grove and continue on to participate in high school golf, the Sneds tour, then onto college scholarships. We are so proud of the progress of all our Junior Golfers here at The Grove and can’t wait to see what the future holds for each of them!

The rescheduled Junior Club Championship was an incredible success! A large crowd gathered to watch 12 of our junior golfers hit the links for a remarkable day of camaraderie and competition. Grant Clark and James Korjenek went head to head in the 18 Hole Boys Division with Grant taking home the win! Four participants of our largest group, the 9 Hole Boys Division, remained in close competition throughout the championship with Jentry Eickhoff prevailing. The 9 Hole Girls Division ended with a dramatic finish as Elizabeth Bowman and Brooke Bennett were tied with a score of 39 after 9 Holes. Brooke Bennett came out victorious after a playoff on Hole number 1.    Participants:  18 Hole Boys Division Grant Clark  James Korjenek   9 Hole Boys Division Brayden Bennett  Jake Eickhoff  Jentry Eickhoff  Blake Goode Brown Nielsen TC Schreiber    9 Hole Girls Division Brooke Bennett Elizabeth Bowman  Gabby Diaz  Warner Eickhoff    Champions:  18 Hole Boys Division Champion Grant Clark - 77    9 Hole Boys Division Champion Jentry Eickhoff - 41   9 Hole Girls Division Champion Brooke Bennett - 39 [ngg src="galleries" ids="28" sortorder="239,240,241,242,243,236,238,237" display="basic_slideshow"]

The Grove PGA Junior League team concluded their 2017 season with a home course match on Thursday, July 20th. The team competed against the team from The Little Course at Aspen Grove. Unfortunately, despite a valiant effort, their season ended with a loss. However, on a positive note, The Grove team saw a marked improvement during the 2017 season with several new faces and most of our 2016 roster returning. The 2017 PGA Junior League Season The juniors enjoyed learning the game of golf in a fun environment open to all experience levels. The players displayed great sportsmanship throughout their matches while supporting their playing partners and fellow teammates. Several of the players experienced competitive golf matches for the first time through the PGA Junior League. Everyone had a great time this season and couldn't wait to get back on the golf course after each match. The most rewarding aspects of the Junior League team are the friendships and the values that are formed on the golf course throughout the season. Coach Elaine Pearce is already looking forward to next season and she can't wait to observe the team's continued progress. 2017 The Grove PGA Junior League Team Record 1 Win, 2 Losses, and 1 Tie in 4 Matches June 8 at The Little Course - Little Course 9.5, The Grove 2.5 June 20 at Old Natchez - The Grove 9.5, Old Natchez 2.5 June 29 vs Westhaven - The Grove 6, Westhaven 6 July 20 vs The Little Course - Little Course 8, The Grove 4 2017 PGA Jr League - Team Grove Roster Elizabeth Bowman Hunter Brackin Tyson Cobb Evan Davis Cason Hill Nico Jaeckle Reid Lackie Wilkes Marlow Matthew McCarter Finn McConnell Brown Nielsen Catherine Schreiber TC Schreiber Luke Washburn Tommy Wells