Story by Brian Hurlburt, SNGA Member & Writer
Photography by Steve Spatafore, SNJGA
Mark it down and make your plans. The annual Audi Lake Las Vegas Classic at Reflection Bay Golf Club at Lake Las Vegas is Sept. 26-27, and will feature the popular golf tournament, food, wine and cocktail feast extravaganza, live music, fun, and more.
This is the place to be, whether you are a golfer or a wine and food connoisseur—or both. And for the first time, proceeds from the event and the silent auction will benefit the Southern Nevada Junior Golf Association as well as the University Medical Center Foundation.
“The partnership is a natural one between the Lake Las Vegas Classic and the SNJGA,” says Ryan Chackel, event founder and Las Vegas Golf and Leisure Magazine publisher. “It’s fitting that the largest golf and culinary event in the state partners with the SNJGA to help further the game of golf with the next generation and provide positive outlets for kids through the game of golf. Our guests who play in the tournament and attend the dinner are passionate about the game of golf, so I think they will really like the fact that the SNJGA is our beneficiary this year and hopefully years to come.”
The Southern Nevada Junior Golf Association is the junior golf universe in the Las Vegas area and offers a full tournament schedule, travel team qualifications, a Mini Tour to get kids into competitive golf in a less stressful manner, Get Into Golf Clinics, and more. Plus, each SNJGA member also becomes a Youth on Course member with access to playing golf for just $5 per round at 20+ area courses. The SNJGA also offers the Adopt-a-Junior program that offers financial assistance to kids and families who need a little help with golf’s expenses. Graduating seniors also have the opportunity to earn scholarships for higher education.
“We are thrilled to partner with the Lake Las Vegas Classic to extend our exposure to a high-level of golfers and businesses who play and participate in one of the top social events on the calendar,” says Ann Sunstrum, executive director. “This will be another way for us to attract new members and also share our message of how we impact youth in Southern Nevada.”
Chackel is also excited about the overall 2025 event that will, once again, wow attendees. “We want people to understand and feel the depth of the event, and also the fact that it’s not just for the person who loves to play golf and has a foursome in the tournament on Friday,” Chackel says. “People can just buy dinner tickets to the Culinary Feast on Saturday night and put together a group, or come as a single that night and enjoy some of the best chefs in the region and more. It’s really a jam-packed night of fun on Saturday night. We have wine tastings, whiskey tastings, custom cocktails, brews from Able Baker, a silent auction with tons of fun packages to bid on, and dancing under the stars. For three hours, Emmy Award winning singer and songwriter Patrick Sieben plays all of your favorite hits and keeps the dance floor packed. We’re both a golf tournament with a fun day on the course on Friday and an amazing dinner the next night. There is truly something for everyone.”
The Culinary Feast brings together a who’s who of chefs and restaurant partners each year. In 2025, the list includes Capital Grille, El Dorado Cantina, Topgolf Las Vegas, Le Thai, SouthShore Country Club, Slaters 50/50, Marssa, Kona Grille, Rock ‘n’ Grapes Wine Pub, Reflection Bay Golf Club, DragonRidge Country Club, Salt & Spoon, and more. There are also wine and whiskey tastings and all-inclusive food and drinks with the Culinary Feast ticket purchase.
There are limited VIP dinner packages with table seating that include 10 seats for $1,600. Tournament and sponsorship packages are also available and all information is available at wwwLakeLasVegasClassic.com.
The golf tournament is played on the beautiful Jack Nicklaus-designed Reflection Bay Golf Club with five holes played directly on the shoreline of Lake Las Vegas.
About the Southern Nevada Junior Golf Association
SOUTHERN NEVADA JUNIOR GOLF TOUR
The Southern Nevada Junior Golf Tour helps develop our members into high-level high school, college, and professional level golfers. Our events are a pathway to the best in junior golf including United States Golf Association, USWING MOJING Junior World, Notah Begay Junior Golf National Championship, and American Junior Golf Association events.
The SNJGA also operates several Nevada State High School State Championships.
SOUTHERN NEVADA JUNIOR GOLF MINI TOUR
The new Mini Tour helps introduce competitive golf to young golfers who may be nervous about playing in tournaments. This is the perfect stepping stone into the SNJGA Tour, high school golf, and other local and regional events.
OPERATION 36
The innovative Operation 36 is a fun and simple way to introduce golf to youngsters. In 2024, the program taught 96 participants. “Operation 36 is fun, engaging, and we get instant success automatically. Every little success counts as something positive in their golf journey,” says John Woodside, Director of Operation 36 Instruction Program.
ADOPT-A-JUNIOR Through community donations, the SNJGA remains committed to helping underserved youth get into the game via our Adopt-a-Junior program that assisted six kids in 2024 with plans for more in 2025 via a donation from the Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
WARD 5 YOUTH GOLF EXPERIENCE
Annually, the SNJGA along with Ward 5 Councilman Cedric Crear, the City of Las Vegas, the UNLV Professional Golf Management program, the Southern Nevada Golf Association, and Las Vegas Golf Club hosted the 2nd Annual Ward 5 Youth Golf Experience to introduce the game to deserving young kids who may not otherwise have the opportunity to play the game. Each junior participant received a new putter at the 2024 clinic.
YOUTH ON COURSE
Youth on Course provides young people with access to life-changing opportunities through golf and the SNJGA is all in with this mission. Our members play golf at more than 20 top Southern Nevada golf courses due to community donations and course partnerships via Youth on Course.
GET OUT AND GOLF CLINIC
In partnership with the Southern Nevada Chapter, Southwest Section PGA of America, the SNJGA hosts free Get Out and Golf Junior Clinics a few times a year in different parts of the community.
To learn more about the impact of SNJGA visit:
www.SouthernNevadaJuniorGolf.com
