We’ve waited almost a year for this weekend to come around and we are excited that it’s finally here!
2020 has been a year like no other…mostly for all the wrong reasons! As we close it off and Christmas and 2021 approaches there are lots of signs of hope that what’s ahead is already looking a lot better than what’s behind and it’s with that thought in mind that we want to ensure we should all enjoy the simple events of the next few days….we can have fun and watch our talented group of young players as they entertain us, and challenge themselves, over 36 holes of junior competition golf!
We are determined to see off 2020 in style…we are bringing our biggest and best yet and we plan to celebrate the good things that we’ve enjoyed about this year and the things we love about our great game.
Starting tomorrow at Eagle Ridge GC and continuing at Harbor Hills on Sunday we plan to celebrate our game! We will recognize its history, its origins and the fact there is no greater sport on god’s fine earth than GOLF. It brings us together with friends and families, it excites and thrills, it makes us laugh (and sometimes cry!) and in the end it makes us all better people for being a part of it!
What’s different about this weekend you might ask ? Well first thing to be aware of is we are running two 36-hole competitions side-by-side. The first being a regular HJT junior competition where ALL players will be entered and separated by age groups into our 3 normal flights ( Old Tom, Young Tommy and Bobby Jones) and medals for lowest score will be presented to each flight winner. There will be no Claret Jug Flight on this occasion.
Our second competition running alongside will see one qualified HJT Member player from the field take home The Claret Jug Trophy and a unique Claret Jug Medal. Winner will be the single player after 36 holes with the lowest number of strokes. He/she will also receive an FJT (Florida Junior Tour) single tournament exemption certificate for 2021. Players competing in this additional competition will be identified on the scoreboard as CJ players. We will also provide a 2nd and 3rd place medal in this competition. What better gift can there be than your very own Claret Jug Trophy for Christmas?
As if that’s not enough…we also have gifts for all…its that time of year and while we can’t offer snow and reindeer we can bring our players some nice HJT gifts to enjoy!
There will also be extra activities with prizes! Make sure you arrive a little earlier than usual as we have a putting competition lined up for you like no other…with a great prize for the winner but don’t think it’s going to be as simple as every other putting competition out there ….NOOOO….that wouldn’t be much fun now would it? Our wonderful supporter and great friend Greg Curtis will be on hand to operate our memorable putting challenge at Eagle Ridge on Saturday and at Harbor Hills on Sunday….don’t miss it!
During both days competitions we will also add a par-3 nearest the pin challenge too…again with great prizes on BOTH days so, not one, but two chances to win!
Fancy some FREE golf lessons? One of our wonderful sponsors (Panigoni Golf Academy) will be giving away 5 Hours of FREE expert tuition to one of our HJT players…when you register tomorrow don’t forget to tell Fiona if you want to be included in the draw for that amazing prize that’s sure to help you on the path to even better golf!
Speaking of Fiona…each time we do something special she just can’t help herself! The oven goes on and her unique top secret recipe for THE very best Scottish Shortbread is removed from the large McColl family vault! Yes, there WILL be shortbread biscuits on Sunday at Harbor Hills for everyone courtesy of Fiona McColl.
Sunday’s play will conclude with prizegiving for both competitions AND some unique entertainment that we’re keeping quiet about for now!
Please, if you possibly can, come along and share in the prizegiving occasion with us ? We know that many of you do already and we thank you for it…Sunday is going to be very special for us and we want to share it with as many of you as we possibly can, and even more important, is the fact we have the opportunity to celebrate and support the achievements of ALL of our players over a whole year. They ALL deserve the best support we can give them on Sunday. We expect prizegiving to begin around 5pm.
This afternoon we will forward you player tee times and pairings for tomorrow at Eagle Ridge. First tee time is 12pm. After play closes on Saturday we will reconfigure player tee times and pairings and email them to you on Saturday evening.
We would like to also take this opportunity to thank our sponsors and local supporting businesses for their support of this event. We are extremely grateful to you for your assistance.
They are as follows:
Mr Todd Coon – TCL (Tri-County Landscapes) – more info HERE
Parvesh Khirbat – Tri-County Hearing – more info HERE
Marc Iceberg – Liquid Lights Led’s – more info HERE
Bob Flynn – The Villages
FJT (Florida Junior Tour)
Justin Hamrick – Edwin Watts Golf
Mark Panigoni – Panigoni Golf Academy- More info HERE
Laure Folland – Ambrosia on the Square (Sumter Landing- The Villages) – More info HERE
Dale Smauder – Eagle Ridge GC
Tom Leimberger – Harbor Hills CC
Fiona McColl – HJT Registration Queen, Shortbread biscuit baker and Wee Highlander Tour Manager.