PGA Junior League – First Tee

What is the PGA Junior League Program?

PGA Junior League (PGAJL) is an opportunity for First Tee – Pittsburgh (FTP) participants who are course ready* to play golf on a team, with numbered uniforms, against other teams in a fun two-player Scramble format. We offer three age divisions, including 9U (Age 7-9), 13U (Age 10-13) and 17U (Age 14-17), with all games played on Sunday afternoons. All age divisions have both a Spring season (April-June) and a Fall season (September-October).

*Course ready means players in the 13U and 17U divisions can walk and carry their clubs for nine holes in two hours or less. For 9U players, they need to be able to walk for 60 minutes which is typically 3 holes depending on pace of play.

PGA Junior League Game Changer Award – Our First Tee – Pittsburgh PGA Junior League programs have won six consecutive GameChangers Awards (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025) as the largest program in the Tri-State PGA Section

General Information – 2026 PGA Junior League Program

Regular Season Eligibility (Spring & Fall) – First Tee – Pittsburgh conducts an “in house” program, and encourages participants to register for at least one of our age based Group Golf Lessons during the six-week Spring, Summer and/or Fall programming session to be eligible to play in our chapter’s PGA Junior League program during the Spring and/or Fall seasons.

9U Division (Ages 7-9) – AT BOB O’CONNOR GOLF COURSE AND ALL ABOUT GOLF– Players in the 9U division will have 3-hole games on the Palmer Loop ONLY on Sundays between either 12:00-1:30 PM or 1:30-3:00 PM. Since this group typically has less experienced players, FTP coaches and volunteers will monitor and assist the participants during the games to enhance the development of their golf skills and rules knowledge.

13U Division (Ages 10-13) – LOCATED AT BOB (Spring and Fall), VICTORY HILLS (Spring Only), & ALL ABOUT GOLF (Spring Only)– Players in the 13U division will continue to play 9-hole games on Sundays from 3:00-6:00 PM at multiple facilities (in Spring only – Fall season is only at the Bob) based on the weekly schedule and their team’s HOME COURSE designation during the Spring season.

Players in the 13U Division (Ages 10-13) MUST choose one of our programming locations as their HOME COURSE designation. We will have up to four teams at our Bob O’Connor Golf Course location in Schenley Park, one team at our Victory Hills location in Elizabeth, and one team at our All About Golf location in Butler. When registering, please choose the appropriate HOME COURSE designation for your 13U Division (Age 10-13) participant.

17U Division (Ages 14-17)- ONLY AT BOB O’CONNOR GOLF COURSE – ALL Players in the 17U Division will be assigned to our Bob O’Connor location in Schenley Park. The regular season schedule will be finalized once all participants have registered, and 17U games MAY rotate between the Bob O’Connor, All About Golf, and Victory Hills locations throughout each season.

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PGAJL Code of Conduct: we encourage ALL players, spectators, and coaches to download and review the PGAJL Code of Conduct

Code of Conduct

Schedule

Team Practice & Regular Season Games – During the Spring season, we will have one team practice and six regular season games in all age divisions.

Report Times & Start Times – Players will be expected to arrive at least 15-30 minutes before the start of their game so they have time to warm-up, find out who they are playing with and walk to their starting hole.

2026 Spring Season – Weekly Schedule (9U, 13U & 17U Divisions)
Sunday, April 12 – Uniform Kit Distribution & Team Practice (BOGC)
Sunday, April 19 – Regular Season – Week #1 (All Locations)
Sunday, April 26 – Regular Season – Week #2 (All Locations)
Sunday, May 3 – Regular Season – Week #3 (All Locations)
Sunday, May 10 – Mother’s Day Weekend – OFF (All Locations)
Sunday, May 17 – Regular Season – Week #4 (All Locations)
Sunday, May 24 – Memorial Day Weekend – OFF (Potential Rain Date)
Sunday, May 31 – Regular Season – Week #5 (All Locations)
Sunday, June 7 – Regular Season – Week #6 (All Locations)
Sunday, June 14 – Championships / Party / All Star Selection (BOGC)
Sunday, June 21 – Father’s Day Weekend – OFF (All Locations)
Sunday, June 28 – Potential Rain Date

2026 Fall “In House” Schedule – 9U, 13U & 17U Divisions
Sunday, September 13 – Regular Season Week #1 (BOGC)
Sunday, September 20 – Regular Season Week #2 (BOGC)
Sunday, September 27 – Regular Season Week #3 (BOGC)
Sunday, October 4 – Regular Season Week #4 (BOGC)
Sunday, October 11 – Regular Season Week #5 (BOGC)
Sunday, October 18 – Regular Season Week #6 (BOGC)
Sunday, October 25 – Championships (BOGC)

All Fall games will be played at the Bob O’Connor Golf Course with the exact game schedule TBD.
Postseason Eligibility (All Star Teams) – Players in the 13U and 17U divisions who play at least half of their regular season games during the Spring season will be eligible for the All-Star teams and postseason competition. Players chosen for the All Star teams must meet the age requirements on July 31, 2026.

Registration Process, Timeline, Scholarships & Fees

Player Registration – REGISTRATION for the Spring season BEGINS on January 5, 2026 and ENDS on March 15, 2026. REGISTRATION for the Fall season BEGINS on August 3, 2026 and ENDS on August 30, 2026.

STEP ONE –Register on the PGA Junior League website (www.pgajrleague.com), use code 2026FTPFALL and pay the PGAJL fee. The national fee includes the Coaching Fee and the Annual Membership that includes a Team Kit (Headwear, Home & Away Jerseys, Bag Tag, etc.) for each player. In Fall, if you are returning from Spring, the membership fee is considered paid and the total cost will be $90, if you are new to the program, the fee will be $210. If a scholarship is needed, please email coach Aaron at [email protected]

STEP TWO – Register on the 2026 Fall PGA Jr. League First Tee – Pittsburgh chapter website. Participants will receive an email confirmation of their chapter registration.

PGAJL participants MUST register with both First Tee – Pittsburgh on our chapter website, AND with PGA Junior League on their national website. Your child’s registration in the FTP PGAJL program is not complete until you do both.

Other PGAJL Information

PGA Jr. League Preparation – We strongly encourage all PGAJL participants to be actively enrolled in at least one other First Tee – Pittsburgh programming class during each PGA Jr. League season. For dedicated skill development we recommend signing up for our award winning Operation 36 programming through First Tee – Pittsburgh.

Team Coaches & Scorekeepers – Our PGA Junior League program will only work with engaged Parents and Guardians, and we encourage you to get involved and volunteer. Parents and Guardians who are interested in assisting should contact Coach Aaron at First Tee – Pittsburgh.

Team Formation – Once registration closes, we will form teams, with rostering to be completed within a week at the latest. Team rosters will be determined by age, ability, member level, and programming location. We will strive to get evenly matched teams.

Team Kits & Player Uniforms – Players in the 9U, 13U and 17U divisions will receive both Orange (Home) and Blue (Away) jerseys with their number and team name on the back, and headwear to be worn during games. They will also receive a PGAJL bag tag and a drawstring bag to keep their gear in. All PGAJL teams will have their last name printed on the back of their jerseys.

Uniform Kit Distribution & Team Practice – All the players, coaches, and parents/guardians will meet together as a team on Sunday, April 12, 2026 at Bob O’Connor Golf Course. The players will get to meet their teammates and coaches, and will receive their uniform kits. The teams will have the opportunity to conduct an “intrasquad” practice together on the course. More information regarding game locations will be provided as soon as possible before the start of the regular season.

MyPGA App – The PGA of America has developed the MyPGA app to share information about the PGA Junior League program. Coaches will post pairings and results, and can communicate delays and other pertinent information through push notifications on the app. Parents can also digitally share photos and videos with each other. The MyPGA app is available at both the Apple and Android stores, and all parents/guardians are strongly encouraged to download the app to their phones, and learn how to use it, as it will be our primary communication platform during the season.

Post-Season Information – Spring ONLY

Postseason Competition > 13U & 17U Divisions – Both the 13U and 17U divisions of the Spring programs will have a postseason competition. Eight 13U players and eight 17U players will be selected to the All-Star teams that will represent First Tee – Pittsburgh at the Sectional, Regional and National levels. Additional detailed information on this process will be available at the conclusion of the regular season.

Postseason Practices & Fees – FTP PGAJL All-Star team members in both 13U and 17U divisions must be available to practice in July 2025 and compete in August 2025. All-Star team members will be asked to attend practices at a location(s) to be determined to prepare for the Section Championships. The PGA of America has introduced additional fees at the Regional and National levels, and should our teams advance to those levels, the chapter will seek a sponsor to cover the costs incurred.