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The Professional Golf tour began a program for young children to compete at a high level in 1996. Age divisions ranging from 12 and under, 13-15, and 16-18 give young golfers the chance to compete amongst the best golfers of their respective age group. The Tour also helps teach young golfers the etiquette of the game and give them a grasp on the rules of golf. The junior PGA is split into 41 sections with more than 1,650 tournaments across the United States each year.

The Junior World Golf Championships are held in San Diego, California, USA each year, currently in July. They include tournaments for six age groups ranging from under-6 to 15–17 and for both boys and girls. Each age group plays at a separate course, ranging from a par-3 course for the youngest to Torrey Pines for the 15–17s, which is also the venue for the Buick Invitational on the PGA Tour and the site of the 2008 US Open.

The event was founded in 1968. The inaugural tournament numbered 475 entrants from 20 U.S. States and six other countries. By 2003 there were 1,040 participants from 43 U.S States and 45 other countries. Qualifying events are held in the U.S. and elsewhere. In 2005 the top tens of the 15–17 boys' and girls' tournaments featured golfers from ten different countries between them. The most notable trend in the results in recent years is a dramatic increase in the number of wins and ten top finishes by boys and girls from East Asia. This trend has already translated to LPGA Tour level, but not so much onto the PGA Tour.

Past boys' champions include Notah Begay III, Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson, Corey Pavin, Nick Price, Craig Stadler, David Toms and Tiger Woods. 1984 was a vintage year, with David Toms winning the 15–17 event, "Ernest" Els the 13–14s, and "Eldrick" Woods the 9–10s (despite still being age 8).

Past girls' champions include Amy Alcott, Brandie Burton, Lorena Ochoa, and Jennifer Rosales.

The United States Junior Amateur Championship is one of the thirteen U.S. national golf championships organised by the United States Golf Association. It is open to amateur boys who are under 18 on the last day of the competition and have a USGA Handicap Index of 6.4 or less. The competition was established in 1948. It consists of two days of strokeplay, with the leading 64 competitors then playing a matchplay competition to decide the champion.

The first tournament in 1948 was won by Dean Lind from a field of 495 enties. In 1999, the tournament set a record with 4,508 entries.

Tiger Woods, who won the tournament in 1991, 1992, and 1993, is the only player to have won the Junior Amateur more than once. Woods, who was 15 years and 220 days old when he won in 1991, remains the youngest champion, although the 2004 champion Sihwan Kim was only 22 days older, and his defeated final opponent David Chung was just fourteen and six months. The number of winners who have gone on to become leading professionals is quite modest. This reflects not only the young age of the competitors, but the more random results of match play tournaments compared to stroke play events. Apart from Woods, well known winners include Johnny Miller (1964) and David Duval (1989). Jack Nicklaus's best result was a semifinal loss.

The equivalent competition for girls is the United States Girls' Junior Championship (below).

The United States Girls' Junior Championship is a golf championship organized by the United States Golf Association for amateur girls under the age of eighteen, first held in 1949. The inaugural championship was won by Marlene Bauer from a field of 28 entries.

Aree Wongluekiet, now Aree Song, is the youngest winner at 13 years, 3 months, 7 days in 1999. Hollis Stacy is the only three-time winner of the tournament.