The Optimist International Junior Golf Championships (commonly referred to as THE OPTIMIST) is one of Optimist International’s major 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 official 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, and Akshay Bhatia, among dozens of prominent PGA and LPGA golfers.

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 400 junior golfers each year.  The best of these golfers will qualify for THE 2025 OPTIMIST.

Dates for the 2025 District qualifying tournaments are Thursday, May 29, at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora (Boys ages 16 – 18); Tuesday, June 3, at Overland Golf Course in Denver (Boys ages 10 – 11, 12 – 13, and 14 – 15); and Wednesday, June 11 at Meadow Hills Golf Course in Aurora (Girls ages 10 - 12, 13 - 14, and 15 – 18).

We had 186 junior golfers compete in the 2026 District Qualifiers in May and June and sent 55 of them to THE 2024 OPTIMIST, held in late July 2026 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 made up almost 10% of the international field of 600 junior golfers from 28 countries.

We had some truly outstanding results from our Colorado Junior Golfers at THE 2024 OPTIMIST.

In the Girls 13 – 14 age group Championship Flight, Landry Frost from Colorado Springs finished 2nd.

In the Boys 14 – 15 age group Championship Flight, Brayden Destefano from Peyton finished 1st, and Crew Fitzgerald from Parker finished 2nd.

In the Boys 16 – 18 age group Championship Flight, Henry Starr from Englewood finished 3rd.

In the Boys 14 – 15 age group Consolation Flight, Cooper Kelly from Centennial finished 2nd, and Murphy Rowen from Denver finished 4th.

In the Girls 15 – 18 age group Consolation Flight, Tess Morris from Franktown finished 3rd, and Aja Blankenship from Highlands Ranch finished 4th.

In other fun golfing activities at THE 2024 OPTIMIST, Chance and Jason Witczak of Parker won the Phase 2 Parent-Child Tournament, and Wyatt and Trent Isrig of Greenwood Village finished 2nd in the Phase 3 Parent-Child Tournament.

Besides these great golf results, we also had two Colorado Junior Golfers who were members of the 7-person Hugh Cranford All-Scholastic Team.  Lev Abramson of Denver and Mason Conrad of Castle Pines received exemptions into THE 2026 OPTIMIST plus $ 1,000 scholarships to the college or university of their choice. 

The Colorado-Wyoming District Optimist Junior Golf Program is totally self-funded. We sent 55 junior golfers to THE 2026 OPTIMIST and raised over $ 45,000 for that purpose.  We were able to give THE 2024 OPTIMIST registration fee of $ 670 to each of the seven age group winners and $ 500 to the 48 other qualifiers from the 2024 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 2026 OPTIMIST.

If we are to send 49 junior golfers to THE 2025 OPTIMIST, we need to raise another $ 45,000.

As part of our fund-raising activities in 2025, we will hold an adult scramble fundraising tournament TBD, at Meadow Hills Golf Course in Aurora.

We 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 are fine wine, Divot Golf Green Saver books, golf balls, putters, and framed pictures.  The online auction is now live.  Bids may be made through 10 pm, May 31.  The link is https://www.32auctions.com/cowyoptimistjuniorgolf.

We will also solicit title, hole, banner, and player sponsors for the qualifying tournaments at CommonGround, Overland Park, 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 https://www.gofundme.com/cowy-district-optimist-jr-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, Junior Golf Co-Chairman, meyerrob@comcast.net, 303-919-4532

Joe Marci, Junior Golf Co-Chairman, jmarci8999@gmail.com; 303-771-3748