FARGO — It was 40 years ago when the thought of organizing a summer junior golf tour started in western North Dakota, with some wanting to call it Bismarck Junior Golf. Dan Waldoch, a PGA professional in Bismarck, thought otherwise.

He suggested Dakota Junior Golf Association.

“He specifically said, we are Dakota Junior Golf because we’re going to go everywhere someday,” said DJGA executive director Chris Geiss.

That someday is today.

DJGA membership has gone from 167 players in 2020 to 580 this summer. In perhaps the most striking figure, in the last 12 months alone, DJGA-sponsored or supported events have engaged over 17,000 participants statewide.

“We’re starting to hit every golf course, it’s just not the easy stuff of Bismarck, Minot and Fargo,” Geiss said. “And that’s the most i

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