Junior golfers enjoy teeing it up at First National Bank Junior Tour

The First National Bank Junior Golf Tour isn’t just a place for young golfers to compete; it is designed to give them an outlet to learn the game the right way while challenging themselves to go head-to-head with the area competition they will face throughout their high school careers.

On Thursday, July 17, the tournament trail led to Fire Ridge Golf Course in Millersburg, where a talented group of up-and-coming young players participated in one of the final legs of the tour’s trail, with the final showdown of the top qualifying players in the Tournament of Champions at Union Country Club in Dover July 28.

The FNBJ Tour features young talent from all over Ohio including divisions in boys and girls age 16-18, age 13-15, and age 12 and under, along with a girls collegiate level.

Director Natalie Schie said this tour has been around for nearly a quarter century, and she is honored to be able to open the door to quality competition for these young athletes.

“That these kids are getting the competitive part of golf and developing the mental part of the game out here is so important,” Schie said. “Golf is such a mental sport, and getting into a competition frame of mind and putting them in stressful situations is only going to make them better.”

She also said getting youngsters to learn to play the game the correct way is another big asset derived from this tour, and she said it also tends to develop some neat friendships between those competing.

The FNBJ started years ago when Schie was in college in the mid-1990s when it was operated by former Union Country Club pro Nick Morovich. Several years later Schie took over the reins and has been guiding the program ever since 2003.

Schie is a terrific fit, having played in high school for New Philadelphia before graduating and taking her game to Ohio State University.

“I love this game and want to give kids today the same opportunity to learn to love it too,” Schie said. “The beauty of golf and this format is that kids are all out here working to get better, working on different aspects of their game. You can come out and compete against yourself as you compete against others.”

Schie’s daughter Riley Schie grew up playing in the tour and said the experience was one that helped her learn to compete.

She said it was fun getting to play with players she would compete with over her high school years, and it was encouraging simply to get to know some of them better.

“It’s such a good opportunity for younger golfers,” Riley Schie said. “It taught me how to play in a tournament atmosphere at a young age. It’s nice for these younger kids to learn the rules of golf and to learn etiquette before they get into the high school level of competition.”

She said this tour also gives kids a good chance to compete at a high level of competition without spending a ton of money.

That alone opens the door for a variety of youth to compete, from those who have grown up playing the game to those who are stepping into something new and want to learn the game.

“It can be a great introduction to the game, or it can be a great place to find great competition and see how you stack up against your competition,” Riley Schie said.

As has been the case for years, this summer is panning out to be a fight to the finish for the top spot among some talented young players, and more importantly, it is a chance for all of the tour players — regardless of where they finish in the standings — to improve their game.