The Optimist International Junior Golf Championships (commonly referred to as THE OPTIMIST) is one of Optimist International’s signature youth programs for boys and girls ages 10 – 18 and is one of the largest and best-known junior golf events in the world.  More than 3,000 boys and girls across the United States, Canada, Mexico, and several dozen other foreign countries compete in Optimist qualifying tournaments.  The best of these junior golfers, along with additional international junior golfers from around the globe, advance to THE OPTIMIST.

Each year, THE OPTIMIST is held at Trump National Doral Resort - Miami and fields over 600 of the world’s best junior golfers from more than 28 countries around the globe.  In addition to top-level tournament golf, junior golfers have the opportunity to make new friends and to have a great deal of fun.  What makes THE OPTIMIST unique from other tournaments, junior golfers and their guests are housed, play golf, enjoy group meals, special events, entertainment, and fun all at a world-class resort.  College coaches come from all over the U.S. to scout some of the best junior players in the world.

Past age group winners at THE OPTIMIST (and its predecessor, the Optimist Junior World Golf Championships) include Denver's own Mark Hubbard, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Davis Love III, Lorena Ochoa, Beth Bauer, Nancy Lopez, Brittany Lincicome, Lexi Thompson, Brooke Henderson, Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Scottie Scheffler, Akshay Bhatia, and Chris Gotterup, among dozens of prominent PGA and LPGA golfers. 

Other Denver area golfers that have played in THE OPTIMIST include PGA and LPGA stars Wyndham Clark and Jennifer Kupcho.

The Colorado-Wyoming District Optimist Junior Golf Program is recognized as the best Junior Golf Program in all of Optimist International and serves 300 junior golfers each year.  The best of these golfers will qualify for THE 2026 OPTIMIST.

Dates for the 2026 District qualifying tournaments were Tuesday, June 2, at Overland Park Golf Course in Denver (Boys ages 10 - 11, 12 - 13, and 14 - 15); Monday, June 8, at Flatirons Golf Course in Boulder (Boys ages 16 - 18); and Wednesday, June 10 at Meadow Hills Golf Course in Aurora (Girls ages 10 - 12, 13 - 14, and 15 – 18).

We had 246 junior golfers compete in the 2025 District Qualifiers in May and June 2025 and sent 45 of them to THE 2025 OPTIMIST, held in late July 2025 at Trump National Doral Resort in Miami, Florida.  Dozens of local Optimists and their friends volunteered at the three District Qualifiers, acting as forecaddies (ball spotters) and marshals, maintaining pace of play, and ensuring that the junior golf competitors played in professionally run District Qualifiers.

Our Colorado junior golfers usually make up almost 10% of the international field of 600 junior golfers from 28 countries.

The Colorado-Wyoming District Optimist Junior Golf Program is totally self-funded. We sent 45 junior golfers to THE 2025 OPTIMIST and raised over $ 40,000 for that purpose.  We were able to give THE 2025 OPTIMIST registration fee of $ 700 to each of the seven age group winners and $ 500 to the 38 other qualifiers from the 2025 District qualifying events. The registration fee covers five nights at Trump National Doral Resort, three rounds of tournament golf, a meal badge good for five breakfasts and four dinners served buffet style, and other fun activities during the five days and nights of THE 2025 OPTIMIST.

If we are to send 60 junior golfers to THE 2026 OPTIMIST, we need to raise $ 50,000 or more.

As part of our fund-raising activities in 2026, we will hold an adult scramble fundraising tournament TBD, at Meadow Hills Golf Course in Aurora.

We will have an online auction of over a dozen donated golf foursomes from top Metro Denver country clubs and public golf courses.  Other items in the online auction will be fine wine, Divot Golf Green Saver books, and framed pictures.  The online auction will go live in early May 2026.  The link is https://www.32auctions.com/cowyoptimistjuniorgolf.

We will also solicit title, hole, banner, and player sponsors for the qualifying tournaments at Overland Park, Flatirons, and Meadow Hills from many Colorado-Wyoming District Optimist Clubs and individual Optimists and friends of Optimists and their businesses.

In addition, we solicit cash and in-kind donations from local golf courses, parents of our junior golfers, and the general public.

We also have a GOFUNDME page at Fundraiser by Bob Meyer : Support CO-WY Optimist Junior Golf .

Please continue to help support the Colorado-Wyoming District Optimist Junior Golf Program to “Bring Out the Best in Kids”.

For further information, please contact:

Bob Meyer, President, Optimist Junior Golf Board of Directors, meyerrob@comcast.net, 303-919-4532