It's very humbling to see a 10-year-old girl hit the ball as far as I do while swinging half as hard. I saw displays like this for two days straight when the PGA Junior Tour kicked off the season with a stop in Stockton.

The younger kids, some under the age of seven, were a real treat to watch. They really looked like tiny professional golfers with their mannerisms and golf apparel. They would step off distances, check the contours of the green from all angles, and most importantly, fix their ball marks.

The event was very well received by the membership at Stockton GCC. I believe it would be rare for a private club to give up the course to a bunch of kids on a beautiful spring weekend. Not only did they forgo their personal weekend tee-times, they also volunteered their time by marshaling, checking in guests, and helping to score the event.

The Nor Cal PGA pulled out all stops with this event. Everything looked very official with a brand new scoreboard, vests for the caddies, and banners, tents, and sponsors scattered around the entrance.

The putting green surround served its last tour of duty this weekend and was ripped out early the next morning. As you can see in the photo above, common bermuda has contaminated the turf and was spreading towards the green.

The new sod spruced up this area instantly and should hold up for a couple of years before foot traffic takes its toll. Laying sod is an art form and doing it correctly will save a lot of time hand watering and repairing bad spots. The crew is good about monitoring each others work and pointing out mistakes in a teasing sort of way. Every one of them is getting very good at laying sod, but nobody is begging me to buy any more.