SNJGA alum Billy Harvey knows of what he speaks. And what he is speaking about is earning coveted spots on SNJGA travel teams to rep the association, the area and sometimes the state of Nevada.

Harvey has captained teams and as a junior he played on them.

“One of the few times these kids get to play and represent their state and each other is when they play on these teams,” Harvey said. “That’s why it’s so much fun for them compared to a solo event. Whether you’re having a great day or rough go at it, it’s so much easier to always ‘give it your best’ no matter what when you’re playing for your team & Nevada.”

In 2022, the SNJGA board of directors has implemented a new plan about how young members can earn the spots on the travel teams. Here is a recap.

Good luck to everyone.

Team qualification to be finalized by April 30, 2022.

The qualification will be based on the top BEST FOUR (4) differential scores taken from sanctioned tournaments, as listed below. The USGA differential process is detailed below.

The junior golfer must have played in at least TWO (2) SNJGA events to qualify for travel teams. There is no exception to this. One-day events count towards the mandatory 2-event total.

The Junior Golfer must be an SNJGA member in good standing.

Juniors are welcome to play in as many sanctioned tournaments (listed below) as desired, but only the four BEST differential scores will be used for team qualification.

The Score Differential process utilized is based on the calculations used by the World Handicap System.

OVERALL – A Junior golfer may only play in ONE event plus the SNJGA vs. Utah Border War. Golfers will be given choice of event to play based on ranking with top ranking players given preference before other ranked players can choose.

TRAVEL TEAM EVENTS

Girls Junior Americas Cup (4 girls 14-18)

Boys Junior Americas Cup (2 boys 14-18)

Hogan Cup (2 boys 14-18)

Mary Cave Cup (4 girls 14-18)

SNJGA vs. Utah Junior Border War (12-16 players boys and girls 12-18 – special qualifying process below)

SNJGA vs. Utah Border War Qualifications:

Team will be determined by 8 weeks prior to the event.

Only need 1 SNJGA event for this year’s (2022) team

50% of the field is determined by the score differential system (best 4 differentials)

Remaining players are chosen by the captains.

Sanctioned Events that can be counted towards BEST 4 differentials.

(As noted, certain 2021 events that already have been played will count toward 2022 qualifying)

• Nevada State Amateur (Men’s & Women’s – 2021 event counts towards 2022)
• SNGA Clark County Amateur (2021 event counts toward 2022)
• SNJGA City Amateur (2021 event counts toward 2022)
• NV State Junior Amateur (2021 event counts towards 2022)
• SNGA City Amateur (2021 event counts toward 2022)
• SNJGA Henderson Amateur (2021 event counts toward 2022)
• SNJGA Reflection Bay December tournament (2021 event counts toward 2022)
• High School Championships (Boys – 2022 regional champs; Girls – 2021 State champs)
• Futures Tour tournament at Primm (April 2022)
• USGA Girls Junior Amateur & Boys Junior Amateur Qualifiers (2021 event counts toward 2022)
• SNJGA Club @ Sunrise (March 2022)
• SNJGA @ Las Vegas National (January 2022)
• SNJGA IMG Junior World Qualifier (April 2022)
• SNJGA IMG Junior World Qualifier (February 2022)
• US Amateur Qualifier (2021 event counts toward 2022)
• AJGA December tournament (2021 Angel Park & Legacy GC)
• Futures Tour tournament in San Diego
• AJGA Reflection Bay (2021 event counts toward 2022)

*If you are playing in an event that is NOT an SNJGA tournament, it is the junior player’s responsibility to report the leaderboard, score, slope and rating, and the tees/yardage they played from to the SNJGA. If you do not fill out the form and report these scores, they will not be considered as potentially one of your best 4 differentials.

Score Differential system:

A score of 80 on a difficult course may be a better performance than a 77 on an easier one, and it is the Score Differential calculation that allows this to be captured.

A Score Differential measures the performance of a round in relation to the relative difficulty of the course that was played, measured by the Course Rating and Slope Rating. The result of the daily Playing Conditions Calculation (PCC) is also included in the Score Differential calculation, which may provide an adjustment if course and/or weather conditions significantly impacted scores on that day.

A Score Differential is calculated using the following formula:

(113 / Slope Rating) x (Gross Score – Course Rating – PCC adjustment)