Even with desert heat, 700 junior golfers playing in FCG Callaway championship this week
Chris Smeal had some reservations about bringing hundreds of junior golfers to the Coachella Valley in July when he first brought the Future Champions Callaway World Championship junior event to the desert in 2012.
“I was a little concerned that this might not work,” admitted Smeal, the founder of the FCG tour. “But the event that year was 250 kids, and we have grown to 700 kids after 10 years. We have had no issues. By teeing them off early and putting them in carts and prepping them with water and ice, they are OK.”
The 2023 event Monday at 10 desert golf courses, with play running through Wednesday. With temperatures forecast at more than 110 degrees each day, Smeal says the tour takes precautions for its players and their parents.
“We do a 7:30 a.m. start each day, so that gets them off the course by noon,” Smeal said at the registration party for the tournament Sunday at the Renaissance Palm Springs. “They are all riding carts, and that is why it is still doable. All the kids 15 to 18, they all ride together and they have no caddies. Kids 14 and under, they have a caddie (a parent).”
More: Summer golf in the desert requires caution, sunscreen and water for the smart player
The Callaway event is open to players from 7 to 18 years old, with golfers from 38 countries in the desert this week. Five age divisions for girls and five more for boys are contested, with the boys 13-14 division the largest at 160 players. The girls 15-18 division has about 150 golfers and the boys 15-18 division has about 120.
The Future Champions Golf tour might not be the best-known junior tour, but Smeal says his tour is about giving opportunities to aspiring young golfers who can’t find a place on other tours like the regional Southern California PGA’s Toyota Cup or the national American Junior Golf Association, which requires a qualifying process.
“Ours is more bringing everyone together from around the world and you come to one big event,” Smeal said. “We do over 110 events a year around the world now. Every event is a qualifier to get into this. So it is really just more opportunity.”
Among the golfers who have played FCG in the past are PGA Tour stars like Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele.
Despite the temperatures, the Coachella Valley is a perfect place for the Callaway tournament, Smeal said, because the area has so many courses that are both accessible and affordable in the summer. The tournament uses 10 courses, changing courses from time to time depending on availability.
This year the courses are:
In Palm Desert: Valley and Palm courses at Marriott’s Desert Springs, Mountain View Course at Desert Willow Golf Resort
In Rancho Mirage: Mission Hills North, Westin Mission Hills and Pete Dye Course at Mission Hills Country Club
In Cathedral City: Desert Princess Golf Resort, Cimarron Golf Resort
In Palm Springs: North Course at Indian Canyons Golf Resort, Legends Course at Tahquitz Creek Golf Resort
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Early tee times, carts, water: How to host 700 golfers in desert heat
