Gary Reding grew up on golf, and he wanted to share his excitement with younger generations. He’s done that for years – at home and for Hazeltine. During the summer, Reding chauffeurs his daughter to various regional golf tournaments while overseeing local youth golf events.

That passion for youth golf is why he was a unanimous choice to serve as General Chair of the Drive, Chip and Putt Regional Qualifying rounds, to be held at Hazeltine in September 2024 and 2025.

Reding aims to transfer some of his passion for youth golf to as many juniors as possible.

“We want to extend an open arm to these kids, and provide them with a great experience,” Reding said. “It can be a very high-pressure situation, and these are all kids ages 7-15 who may have never experienced anything like this before. We want to make them feel at home at Hazeltine.”

Reding acknowledged the intense nature of Drive, Chip and Putt Regional Qualifying rounds, where each player’s success hinders on a handful of shots – or even just one shot.

“Each player essentially has nine shots: three drives, three chips, and three putts,” Reding said. ”There’s not much room for error, and there’s only one coveted spot in each division at Augusta. The event is also covered by Golf Channel, so the winner will be interviewed on camera afterward.”

Hazeltine last hosted Drive, Chip and Putt Regional Qualifying rounds in 2016, mere weeks before the 2016 Ryder Cup. Reding noted that the atmosphere for this year’s event will be somewhat less intimidating.

“In 2016, when players arrived, they saw these massive Ryder Cup grandstands,” Reding said, “We won’t have that element this year, but we’ll still want to make these kids feel comfortable.”

Promoting Junior Golf Development

“When kids are young, we just want to introduce them to the game,” Reding said. “Get them to like and enjoy it by playing fun games and doing some chipping exercises. At some point, they are invested enough to decide that they want to go deeper, explore tournament play, learn how to chip the ball well, and take another step up into junior or higher leagues.”

History of Drive, Chip and Putt

The Drive, Chip and Putt Championship is organized by the Masters Tournament, USGA, and PGA of America. It aims to develop youth golf skills and grow awareness of the game. Local qualifying events occur across the country, ultimately culminating in the National Finals at Augusta National during Masters week.

Youth golfers ages 7-15 can participate in Drive, Chip and Putt events, with the top scores at each level advancing to the next stage. The National Finals are broadcast on the Golf Channel, giving these kids instant notoriety in their growing careers.

For more information about Drive, Chip and Putt, please visit www.DriveChipandPutt.com or contact Hazeltine General Manager, Phil Anderson.

Phil Anderson, PGA
General Manager
952-556-5425
panderson@hngc.com