During a speech in 1961, John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, said …
“We must use time as a tool, not as a couch.”
PGA Professional Aaron Cox maximises his time to make things happen rather than sitting around waiting for things to unfold.
I first interviewed Aaron when the United Kingdom was about to enter another (COVID-19) lockdown, and Aaron had established the Blackwell Grange Junior Golf Academy.
Over the intervening four years, his academy has grown significantly. Today, it is known as the ACED Golf Academy, and about 100 junior golfers aged 5 to 18 receive regular, first-class coaching and guidance. In 2022, Aaron’s work was recognised when he was named the England Golf Participation and Development Coach of the Year.
Aaron will readily admit that he has very little time to play tournament golf due to the demands of his coaching schedule, but that has not stopped him from winning the prestigious Manchester Open in 2022 and playing in final qualifying for the 2024 Open Championship.
I recently met up with Aaron to chat about the ACED Junior Tour.
Junior Tour Conception
(Golfing Herald) ~ I “teed off” by asking Aaron when and how he conceived the ACED Junior Tour.
(Aaron) ~ It came about very quickly because of the Northern Junior Golf Tour, an excellent platform for junior golf in the North of England, being taken over by PING in 2024. The organisers of (what is now) the PING Junior Golf Tour (PJGT) have made it national, a natural progression for this tour after all the great work done by Jason Budd and Mike Greener over the past fifteen years. The 2025 schedule for the PJGT has nineteen events, but only five in the North East. This means that for kids and parents to get to the events, not in the North East, you are looking at a minimum of a two to three-hour drive. This might also mean an overnight stay, which increases the overall cost of participating in an event. So, I saw an opportunity to bridge the gap and create something purely for County Durham. I have no interest in establishing a junior tour outside of (the county of) Durham.
Open-Door
(Golfing Herald) ~ Will the tour be restricted to junior golfers who live in County Durham?
(Aaron) ~ No … there are a lot of junior golfers, not just in County Durham but across the North East. If kids want to come from Northumberland, they can play; if they’re going to come from Yorkshire, they can play … so very much an open-door policy.
Fees and Format
(Golfing Herald) ~ What is the fee to join the ACED Junior Tour?
(Aaron) ~ There is no membership fee to join the tour. The entry fee for each event is £10 for juniors under 10 years of age; otherwise, it is £17.50.
(Golfing Herald) ~ What will the format be for each event?
(Aaron) ~ The format for the Under 13s, 15s and 18s will be Stableford over 18 holes. That differs from the PING Junior Golf Tour and the Robert Rock Junior Tour in that all their events are stroke play medals. I plan on making all events Stableford for these age categories based on factors such as time and pace of play. Also, a junior could lose a ball on a hole, have a blob, and go to the next tee and still be in the competition. The Under 10s will be stroke play over nine holes, but they can pick their ball up on a hole when they have taken 10 shots, write down 10 on their scorecard and move on to the next hole. So, it will be slightly different, and I want to mix up the draw so that boys and girls play in the same group in each age category. The first event is not until April, so I have time over the next few months to finalise the competition T&Cs and rules.
Handicapping System
(Golfing Herald) ~ In these events, will the juniors play with the standard handicap allowance?
(Aaron) ~ For the Under 10s, no handicap will be required, so the tour is open to anybody in that age category, but for all other age categories, the boys and girls will need a WHS handicap.
2025 Schedule
(Golfing Herald) ~ A few moments ago, you mentioned that the first event is in April. What is the schedule of events for the inaugural year of the ACED Junior Tour?
(Aaron) ~ The schedule is all set for 2025, starting on April 17th at Billingham Golf Club, then aligned to the various school holidays …
- April 22nd – Wearside Golf Club
- April 23rd – Bishop Auckland Golf Club
- May 27th & 28th – Richmond (Yorks) Golf Club … for a 2-day Major
- July 24th – Barnard Castle Golf Club
- August 12th – Blackwell Grange Golf Club … for the Junior Tour Final
(Golfing Herald) ~ The 2-day Major sounds interesting …
(Aaron) ~ I don’t believe a two-day event has been held before as part of a junior golf tour. Junior events typically consist of 18 holes played over a single day, and that’s it! What I like about the 2-day Major concept is that the kids will play on Day 1, and then the leaders will have to sleep on the lead, which I think is excellent from a character-building perspective. So, just like a proper tournament, the points from Day 1 will be added to the points from Day 2.
Junior Tour Final
(Golfing Herald) ~ Looking at the schedule, the tour builds to a climax with the Final at Blackwell Grange Golf Club.
(Aaron) ~ The junior tour will have an Order of Merit (OOM) for every age group, both boys and girls. OOM points will be awarded at every event, from 100 points for 1st place, 90 points for 2nd place, and so on down to 10 points for 10th place onwards, meaning every player will score points. The best three scores in the qualifying events will be counted. The top 6 players in each age category will play in the OOM Championship Final, and those juniors outside the top 6 will play in the Reserve Junior Final and still play for a Trophy. Thus, unlike other tours, every junior can play on the final day and not miss out if finishing outside the top 6 qualifying spots. However, I have not decided whether the OOM points will be carried forward into the final. Or maybe model the points allocated on the Fed Ex Cup, where the points in the OOM Championship Final are staggered from 1st to 6th.
Preparation
(Golfing Herald) ~ I assume you are working closely with the respective golf clubs as you and they prepare for each event?
(Aaron) ~ Very much so … fairways cut, greens cut, pins located in suitable positions. Around the 1st tee, I will set up some boards to make it look professional. I have also asked each club for a 2 to 3-hour tee-time window, though I will not know until about March a more accurate number of entries per event. Without exception, they have allocated me that window in the afternoons so that the club members can book tee times accordingly. They have all been very accommodating and think the junior tour is a great idea, and the respective club committees are all on board.
Sponsorship
(Golfing Herald) ~ Have you managed to secure any sponsorship?
(Aaron) If all goes well, I will get sponsors and businesses to advertise the tour more. Local businesses are welcome to get involved. Whatever help the tour receives will help the juniors. Any money or donations received will go back to funding the tour and supporting the juniors with items such as golf balls, tees, and caps. I am not taking anything from this tour and aim to keep it affordable.
Benefits
(Golfing Herald) ~ The ACED Junior Tour will undoubtedly provide superb opportunities and benefits for junior golfers of all ages in this region, but what specific benefits do you envisage for the junior golfers at your Academy?
(Aaron) ~ I have juniors at the Academy across all the age categories, so it is good in a way that I can advertise this tour to my juniors. I have a lot of county and elite-level juniors between the ages of 13 and 18, so it will be very beneficial for them to play in some or all the tour events. I also have an abundance of Under 10s, so it will be great for them to play at that next level. They play here (Blackwell Grange) on the kids’ course where they play golf sixes, so playing on the tour will be the next level up, and they will experience a junior tournament away from Blackwell Grange.
Organising Committee
(Golfing Herald) ~ Outside of the golf clubs hosting the events in 2025, what other help have you received to launch this innovative Junior Tour?
(Aaron) ~ I have been able to create a Parents Organising Committee! I have set up a WhatsApp group with several parents whose kids have been playing on the Northern Junior Golf Tour. I have used the group to bounce ideas and to request honest feedback. They have shared their experiences (as parents) of the various junior tours and junior opens, which have been invaluable to me. We talked earlier about the 2-day major, which evolved following a suggestion from one of the parents via WhatsApp!
Registration
(Golfing Herald) ~ How do a junior golfer’s parents enter their son or daughter for one or more events?
(Aaron) ~ Details of all the events are on my website, ACED Golf Academy, via the menu selection JUNIOR GOLF TOUR, where you can view the schedule and register/book for each event.
Aspirations
(Golfing Herald) ~ Without looking too far ahead, what are your aspirations for the ACED Junior Tour?
(Aaron) ~ To be the tour for ‘the kids’, the North East and the County of Durham. Eventually, I hope to create links with the Durham County Golf Union to utilise the tour as a stepping stone, providing assessment opportunities for the scouts to monitor the progress of the up-and-coming junior golfers, boys and girls, assisting in selecting their squads.
(Golfing Herald) ~ What a great way to finish. Thanks so much for your time today, and I wish you all the best for the inaugural ACED Junior Tour. I will do my best to attend one of the events to watch some exciting and competitive junior golf.
Acknowledgements
Finally, I thank Neil Clarke (Honorary Secretary, Blackwell Grange Golf Club) and Steve Belchamber (Secretary, Wearside Golf Club) for allowing me to use stunning photographs of their respective courses in this article.
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