Arnold Palmer Junior Golf Tour replaces the Hurricane and Texas junior tours in 2027

The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour and the Texas Junior Golf Tour are becoming one national tour with Arnold Palmer's name on it. Bolt Ventures, the family office of David Blitzer, announced the Arnold Palmer Junior Golf Tour on Tuesday with Arnold Palmer Enterprises and the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation. It starts in 2027.

Bolt bought both junior tours earlier this year. The combined schedule calls for nearly 400 tournaments for boys and girls ages 8 to 18, run out of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. The first event is Jan. 2-3 at ChampionsGate in Orlando.

"Our goal with the Arnold Palmer Junior Golf Tour is simple: to create more opportunities for young people and their families to experience the positive benefits of golf, both on and off the course," Blitzer said in the announcement.

What families get

The tour's own site already lists early January events and prices. The ChampionsGate opener costs $289 for members and $354 for non-members. Sandridge in Vero Beach and Jekyll Island in Georgia also go off Jan. 2-3, and the North/South Cup at World Golf Village follows Jan. 9-10 at $489 for members.

The pitch has three parts: cheaper competition, a clearer route to college golf, and a character program. Golf Digest reports that program was built by the Palmer Foundation and Wake Forest University, and it borrows from the Arnold Palmer Cup, where conduct is part of the experience.

Cost is the hard part of junior golf, so the foundation is adding the Palmer Foundation Player Access Award to help families pay. It will apply on this tour and beyond it. How the award works and who qualifies hasn't been announced yet.

The site also lists programs coming in 2027, including long drive, closest-to-the-pin and putting competitions and a college recruiting service. Season points will be posted once the 2027 points system is final.

The TGL connection

Blitzer isn't new to golf's newer formats. He co-owns TGL's Jupiter Links with Tiger Woods, as David Rumsey noted Tuesday. Other backers named in the release include Weatherford Capital, The Team, Heights LLC, Blair Mill Capital and Blumenfeld Development Group.

What to do now

If you have a junior player, the 2027 schedule and family packages are open at APJGT.com. Watch for the access award details and the points system, both due before the season gets going.