NFJGF Invites Area Golfers to Black Diamond Open in April, 2021

The North Florida Junior Golf Foundation (NFJGF), the premier junior golf tour based in Jacksonville, Florida, will be hosting the $50,000 purse Black Diamond Open on April 22 and 23, 2021 at the famed Quarry Course in Lecanto, Florida.

The Black Diamond Pro-Am will be held on Wednesday afternoon, April 21st, also on the Quarry Course. Male and female players are invited to play in the Pro-Am, with the goal of raising $20,000 for the NFJGF, Youth on Course and Black Diamond Juniors.

“Chairman Duke Butler and I would like to invite area golfers to play in the Wednesday afternoon April 21st Black Diamond Open Pro-Am to help raise money for NFJGF. Our popular community outreach programs, including the Tee It Up Camps and the Middle School Program, are funded through events like this. Black Diamond is an amazing course, some of it built on a former quarry. It will be a blast to play this course,” NFJGF Executive Director Jack Aschenbach relayed.

The two-day Black Diamond Open will be held on April 22 and 23, 2021 on the Quarry Course, designed by Tom Fazio. Jason Fenstermaker, Gerry James, Nathan Carter, Todd Dempsey and others have expressed interest in playing in the tournament.

The Open is available to all amateurs and senior professionals, both men and women. Any professional golfer not eligible to play that week on any of the PGA or LPGA tours is also invited.

As one of the hosts, the NFJGF will raise money from the Pro-Am, which will help fund its many programs. Over the past year, the NFJGF has seen tremendous growth, now numbering 280 members, an increase of one hundred players in that time.

“Once the pandemic hit, players realized that the best junior golfers were right here in northern Florida. Many golfers also recognized that what the Foundation offers, including professional instruction, mentoring and skill level appropriate tournaments, is an ideal platform for young players to develop their games. Top junior golfers come from southern Georgia, central and northern Florida to play in NFJGTour events. The challenge we face is raising enough money so that we can bring along talented junior players and sponsor our annual community initiatives to find these kids,” Executive Director Jack Aschenbach reported.

Two of the NFJGF’s most important programs, Tee It Up Camps and the Middle School Program, are funded through donations. Led by LPGA Pro Lynne Kirkpatrick, the Tee It Up Camps are held at the University of North Florida Four-Hole Course between May and August with five week-long camps, Tuesday through Friday, from 8am until 4pm. Rules, etiquette, shot instruction and competitions are covered in a fun atmosphere for ages 8 through 13. The Middle School Program, held in February, is another popular NFJGF program. Middle-schooler’s from Clay, Nassau, Duval and St. John’s County receive instruction on rules, golf etiquette, all the shots and participate in tournaments so that they can get certified to play in NFJGF tournaments.

“We’ve worked very hard to grow our organization and it’s great to see our membership expand. Now, we just need the funds to continue providing these important junior golf programs to the kids who love to play golf. Come have some fun at Black Diamond and help us continue a thirty-year tradition of supporting junior golf,” Director Aschenbach added.

Other NFJGF fund raisers include Birdies for Charity, which is run through the PGA Tour. For $20, you can guess the number of birdies that will be holed at The Player’s Championship in March, 2021, and if you guess correctly, you’ll win the $10,000 prize. Every $20 ticket is donated to the organization of choice, so be sure to please select NFJGF from the list. The Hole-In-One Club offers players who have an ace to be part of this exclusive club and to play in the Hole-In-One Tournament, although players who have yet to achieve that goal also can play. Please go to nfjg.org for more information or call Jack Aschenbach, Executive Director, at 904-868-9535, about the Black Diamond Open or supporting NFJGF.