Whether you are a college student or young professional, the summer is the perfect time for golf. The weather is (usually) great, schedules are more relaxed, and everyone is just in the golf mood. But finding good summer golf tournaments can be difficult... unless you know where to look.

First, you need to know what kind of events you are looking for. Sometimes you’re looking for more competition than your local charity outing, and sometimes you want to go out and compete with your buddies on a team - the future of golf just may be team play after all. Here are a six ways I look for amateur golf tournaments in the summer.

1) State and Regional Golf Association website

Your local State or Regional Golf Association (SRGA) is like a mini USGA (the guys who enforce the rules and run the US Open among many other tournaments). SRGA’s run several prestigious and highly competitive golf tournaments throughout the summer in addition to running USGA qualifiers such as the US Open local and sectional qualifiers. Just a heads up - you will probably need a handicap index to participate.

2) Team Golf Events Competitive Amateur Tours

Nextgengolf doesn’t just run hundreds of college club golf tournaments each year. We also run the the City Tour which is operating in several major cities across the country. The team format and choice between best ball and scramble play makes the events competitive, but still relaxing and fun. The City Tour has more than 80 events throughout the summer, culminating in a National Championship at prestigious courses like Pinehurst, Kiawah Island, and Whistling Straits! 

3) Competitive Amateur Tours

If competitive, individual stroke-play is your game, there are several amateur golf tours that operates across the country. This includes the Golfweek Am Tour and the US Am Tour.

4) Call Your Local PGA Professional

PGA Professionals at most golf courses host a lot of tournaments and the staff is typically very knowledgeable about different events in the area. Talk to your local course pro and let them know what you are looking for and they should be able to provide you a list of events either at their course or courses nearby.

5) Utilize a Golf Tournament Search Engine

There are several places that simply provide a list of all the golf tournaments across the country. Some are free, some cost money, but they are always a good resource to check out. We recommend GoFindGolf. It’s free to use and you can narrow down their list of thousands of events by filtering the results by location! 

6) Google It

Do what everyone does when they are looking for some info, Google it. You can simply google “Golf tournaments in Massachusetts” or “Golf tournaments in San Francisco” and a plenty of results will come up. I’m sure you will see many of the things listed above, but who knows you might find a hidden gem of an event that is perfect for you.

There are tons of golf tournaments out there but sometimes you need to do a little research to find the best event for your needs. Whether you’re looking for competitive events or a laid-back team event with your buddies, these strategies should help you find what you’re looking for. Let me know if there's any ways you look for golf tournaments that I should add to my list!