The Junior Golf Scoreboard is a phrase and entity that junior golfers and parents hear quite often, but don’t always understand. Let’s take a look at what JGS is and how a junior golfer can get ranked on their site.
The Junior Golf Scoreboard was founded in 1998 with the goal of creating a tournament database that college coaches could use to better find and recruit junior golfers for their teams. Today, the JGS receives results from over 2,100 junior golf tournaments and ranks approximately 10,000-11,000 players at any given time. The JGS is the foremost used junior golf rankings system by college golf coaches.
Tournaments recognized by Junior Golf Scoreboard
What criteria goes into deciding what junior tournaments are recognized by the JGS? A junior tournament can be recognized on the JGS if it’s:
- At-least 36 holes or longer (two 18 hole rounds)
- Players are greater than 10 years old
- Minimum of 5 competitors
- Played from a minimum of 4,500 yards
- No stroke limit rule in place
In order for a junior to have a ranking on the JGS, one has to compete in a minimum of four 36 hole events within the past year.
How do the rankings work on JGS?
The Junior Golf Scoreboard uses three criteria to determine a player’s overall ranking and ranking within their graduation class.
Individual Scoring: The JGS uses each round individually, taking 75% of the player’s lowest round scoring differentials (Scoring-course rating). Scoring differential is the average difference of a player’s individual scores compared to the USGA rating of the course for their tournament rounds within the past 365 days or 1 year.
For example: If I shoot 75-74 and the Course Rating is: 72.0 — I would take my round of 74 (since that is my lower of the two rounds) minus the course rating of 72, giving me a scoring differential of: 2.0 — you would then take 75% of that differential which gives you: 1.5
Strength of Field : The number displayed here is the result of JGS’s proprietary ranking formula that determines a score for all the tournaments played by an individual. In simpler terms, a lower number means that the competitor played against stronger players, and the closer to competitors’ strength of field numbers are, the more similar of a competitive field that they competed in.
Strength of Finish : This criteria measures a player’s finishes in events competed in. If you win an overall combined age group competition or if you win an age group not part of an overall competition, you get credit for a win. (Winning an age group that is part of an overall competition does not qualify for a win). For example, if you win the boys 13-14 age division – you would receive credit for a win.
If there are 10 or more players who finish in your age group and you finish 2nd thru 5th for that tournament, you receive credit in the Top 5 column. If there are 20 or more players who finish in your age group and you finish 6th thru 10th for that tournament, you receive credit in the Top 10 column. You only receive one credit in these columns per tournament played in.
Breakdown of Percentage of Ranking:
Individual Scoring: 65% of player’s ranking
Strength of field: 25% of player’s ranking
Strength of finish: 10% of player’s ranking
If you have further questions on the Junior Golf Scoreboard or tournaments to compete in this summer, please contact me directly at chris@highschoolgolf.org