The Birdie Sisters Continue to Create A Unique & Inspiring Golf Narrative

In the Autumn of 2009, when I first met up with Myah and Erica Jackson they were just 9 and 11 years old, but already the prodigious pair was well-known in Midwestern junior golf circles.

In fact, the Chicago-based sisters... having started playing golf at age four... had by that time become The Birdie Sisters... and not only did they regularly win golf tournaments, they also excelled at other disciplines; their family YouTube channel... in addition to golf and talk show clips... featured the girls (and their younger brother) participating in Taekwondo competitions and performing in music recitals.

Flash forward to the Fall of 2014: Erica is now16, Myah 14. Both have continued to compete... and excel... on a local, national and international level, despite the extraordinary cost involved.   They now attend Chicago's prestigious Jones College Prep where they play on the boy's golf team.  And, in case you're wondering, the Jones Prep boys don't really have a hard time when The Birdie Sisters beat them, because... they're kind of used to it.

The video above features the Birdie Sisters in their recent appearance on top Chicago talk show, Windy City Live.  They talk about how they started playing golf, what they've achieved in the sport, and where they feel golf may eventually take them.

It's an ultra-inspiring story and there's clearly much more to come.  Keep up with The Birdie Sisters via Facebook and Twitter.  Past posts on The Birdie Sisters.

Birdie Sisters Erica & Myah Jackson, Golf's Future Stars

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If you haven't heard of Erica and Myah Jackson yet, it's only a matter of time.

In fact, I'll go further than that and say that before the next decade is through, there's a very good chance they'll be be major golf stars, ...and with all the talk lately of promising young Americans, these girls are one more double-dose of hope for women's golf in the years to come.

The Birdie Sisters, as Erica and Myah are known by a growing group of fans, live in the Chicago area, and at 11 and 9 respectively, they've each clinched their age group's Midwest Golf Association National Champion title. Which by itself is impressive. But that's not the half of it.

Erica and Myah are multi-faceted and multi-talented. Black belts in Tae Kwan Do, pianists and students of ballet... on the family page of sister's website, their ultra full life outside of golf is featured in family snapshots, along with photos from tournaments, lessons and practice sessions.

Oh, and the sisters are excellent students too. ...and really pretty, ...and really nice.

Yes, the these young ladies definitely qualify as exceptional. However, without a family to guide, nurture and encourage them, their talents might have gone unnoticed. Luckily, the Birdie Sisters have a super supportive family in parents, Marsha and Eric ... and adorable little bro, John.

The Birdie Sisters have a website where you can follow their progress in golf, check out the equipment they're using and get a glimpse into the many other activities they're involved in. You can also follow them on Facebook. Yep, Social Media savvy too.

Catching Up With the Ever-Assiduous Birdie Sisters

Erica (left) & Myah (right) with Kim Vatis of NBC 5 News Today

I cross paths with the Birdie Sisters quite regularly on Facebook and when I do I'm inevitably impressed with their accomplishments. ~ On and off the golf course, Erica & Myah Jackson excel... and they do so with dedication, energy and humor.  They're ultra-inspiring. So much so that we've covered them nearly a dozen times over the past few years right  here at Golf Girl's Diary.

2011 has been no exception.  It was a summer of great golf for both Erica... now 13... and her 11-year-old sister Myah, culminating a month ago with the IESA State Championship where the sisters were the only golfers representing the Chicago area.  Myah shot a 74 for 1st place while Erica Jackson finished in 2nd with a 79.

 And the sisters haven't signed off on 2011 quite yet. They both made the field at the Doral Publix Jr. Golf Classic where they'll be competing against some of the best young golfers in the world at Doral Golf Resort and Spa.  That takes place December 17-23.  In the meantime the gifted golf girls have been hitting the airwaves as well as the fairways, with several recent TV appearances including an interview on NBC News 5 Today.

Read all of our posts on the Birdie Sisters
Check out the Birdie Sister's Website

Keeping Up With the Birdie Sisters

They're a lot busier than the Kardashians, and they don't even have a reality show... yet. Not to say there won't be one in the future, but for the time being, Erica and Myah Jackson have too much else going on.

"Busy" doesn't even begin to describe what their days are like. To get an idea of what I'm talking about, check out their June/July schedule:

June 1: Chicago Public Schools’ Golf Skills Competition
June 2: Erica Jackson’s 6th Grade trip to Springfield, IL
June 12-15: World Youth Challenge @ Bolingbrook Golf Course
June 13: Dance Recital at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park
June 14-16: Optimist Qualifier in Decatur, IL – Myah
June 16: Little Brother John’s Preschool Graduation
June 20-23: Little People’s Golf Championship – Quincy, IL
June 28-30: Country Youth Classic — Bloomington, IL
July 11-15: Callaway Junior World Championships, San Diego, CA
July 11-15: Tiger Woods National Junior Golf Team Banquet and Golf
July 16-18: Mid-West Golf Association, Junior Golf Championships, Lima, OH
July 20: Illinois Junior Golf Association (“IJGA”) Erica
July 22: IJGA – Erica   July 23: IJGA – Myah
July 29: IJGA – Myah  July 30: IJGA – Erica

Is that not amazing? And the golf these young ladies are playing this summer is highly competitive... with many national and global tournaments included.

In early June, Erica played on the USA Mid-West Team in the World Youth Challenge, a 4-day tournament with teams from across the country and around the world. Though her team didn't win, they remained competitive and the team golf experience was a valuable one according to the elder Birdie sister, who turned 12 not long ago.

That event overlapped with Myah's amazing showing at the qualifier for the Optimist International Championship tournament. She finished with the lowest score of all the girls and received an exemption to participate in the International Championship” that takes place in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, July 22-27. Unfortunately she won't be able to take advantage of her exemption this year due to financial constraints, but doing so well in the qualifier was a great confidence-builder.

At the end of June both Birdie Sisters were huge winners at the Country Youth Classic in Bloomington, IL. Myah won the long-drive, putting and overall short game contests, Erica won putting and short game... and both "brought home the gold" in their age group by winning the 2-day, 36 hole tournament.

Right now Myah and Erica are on the west coast, in the San Diego area for the prestigious Calloway Junior World Championships, where they'll be playing with the most promising young golfers from all over the world. Looking at the roster of players I was amazed by all the countries represented and past winners have included the stars of today. People like Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson, Lorena Ochoa, Corey Pavin, Nick Price, Amy Alcott, David Toms, Jennifer Rosales and Tiger Woods. Play starts tomorrow and runs through Friday and I'm hoping to get a couple of updates as the week goes on.

So that's a brief update on he exciting, action-packed lives of Myah and Erica Jackson. We hope to resume our radio show in the fall once things calm down a bit, and maybe we'll even consider that reality show one of these days. In the meantime be sure to visit the Birdie Sisters' website for current updates.

The Birdie Sisters Get Ready to Meet Global Golfers

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Just over a month ago I told you about the uber-talented Birdie Sisters.

At that point Erica and Myah Jackson had just been accepted into the prestigious Doral-Publix Junior Golf Classic, and were looking forward to the challenge of playing with over 680 young golfers ...from almost every country in the world.

Well, time flew by, and the exciting international event is set to begin on Friday at the Doral Golf Resort in Miami. That day all golfers 13-and-under (the girls are 11 and 9) will tee off at 7:30 am to play 36 holes. For the older golfers, play starts on Monday, for 54 holes.

In addition to the tournament, there are a couple of awesome activities planned including a show with Dennis Walters, the inspiring motivational speaker and trick shot artist, and a clinic with the world renowned Jim McLean who's worked with such top PGA and LPGA golfers as Sergio Garcia and Cristie Kerr.

The experience is sure to be memorable and guess what? ...Erica and Myah are going to try provide Twitter updates! You can follow them at: @EricaMyah. You may also wish to follow the tournament @doralpublixjr and @firstteemiami who puts it all together.

I'll be writing more about the Doral-Publix Junior Golf Classic, the history of the event and past winners, as the tournament gets underway. Last year's winners came from France, Belgium, Denmark and Japan. How's that for Global? And it's exciting to think that some of these young players may well be representing their countries in the 2016 Olympic Games.

This weekend in Miami however, I know I'll be pulling for a couple of beautiful Birdie Sisters from the U S of A.

Summer's Over... But The Birdie Sisters Play On

The Birdie Sisters had an ultra-busy summer; working hard on their games while competing in tournaments all over the country. And though school is back in session, golf goes on for Myah and Erica Jackson.

In fact, over the weekend they participated in "The Legend Tour" a Ted Rhodes charity event benefiting Local Junior Golf Programs and a Ted Rhodes Scholarship to the HBCU’S golf programs. It was a 36 hole event open to all, and included a Putting Contest, a Skins Contest and a Hole in One Contests among lots of other activities, and from the looks of the photos on their new Facebook fan page, an awesome time was had by all.

You'll also want to check out the Birdie Sister's website for details of their non-stop season, including posts on their media and tournament appearances... and lot's of lots of new photos. I'm sure you'll be impressed and inspired... which is nothing new when it comes to Myah and Erica Jackson.

Strong Start to the Golf Season for the Birdie Sisters

Chicago was chilly and wet this past weekend but that didn't deter the Birdie Sisters as they headed to the course for the Illinois Junior Golf Classic.

The tournament took place at St. Andrews Country Club in West Chicago about 34 miles from their home, and several times on the drive out, the girls looked skyward, hoping a warming sun would appear.

But that didn't happen. Temperatures remained stubbornly entrenched in the low 50's throughout the weekend while intermittent rain ensured an added chill... and the prospect of a couple of bad hair days. But Erica and Myah Jackson don't take their golf lightly, and this was the season opener. So, they put on a couple of layers and tackled the tournament

Conditions were tough as was the competition both girls felt like they were still shaking off some winter rust by at the end of the day Myah held onto 2nd place in the competitive 9-10 age group and Erica won the 11-12s. You'll find details of each of the Birdie Sister's rounds are on their website.

Oh, and in addition to their golf Erica and Myah are also doing radio. They've got their own show on WSTR Radio where each week they interview golf luminaries from all facets of the game. I help them out with the show and they're a pure pleasure to work with. Keep up with their progress throughout the summer and tune in to the show every Friday. I promise you'll be impressed.

The Birdie Sister's Golf Show Welcomes Nan Ryan

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It's hard to keep up with the amazing Birdie Sisters.

Junior golfers Erica and Myah Jackson have so much going on.

Their latest venture is The Birdie Sister's Golf Show, a radio talk show with Erica and Mayah interviewing fascinating figures from the world of golf. I'm going to be working with them... helping with scheduling and production, as well as assisting On-Air as needed. The show will air on Fridays at 11:00 ET on wstrradio.com. ~ This is a totally new experience for the girls, they're learning a lot... quickly, and they've got some great guests lined up.

Their first show airs tomorrow... Friday, March 5... and their guest is Nan Ryan a former LPGA Tour player and founder of one of the largest junior golf tournaments in the world, Pepsi Little People's Championship in Quincy, IL. Nan has some amazing stories about the early days of the LPGA and weighs in with unique insight, on some of the issues facing junior golfers today.

The Birdie Sister's Golf Show
Women's Streaming Talk Radio Network
Fridays at 11:00AM ET

Rain Delay at Doral-Publix Junior Golf Classic

The global group of young golfers in the ages 7 and 13 age group learned first-hand what a weather delay looked like when treacherous weather conditions forced officials to cancel play on Friday at the Doral Publix Junior Golf Classic.

Heavy rains fell throughout the late morning, forcing bringing the first round to a halt. There will be a condensed one-round tournament for all golfers in that age group on Saturday.

The Birdie sisters are among those are looking forward to get the rain delayed round underway. Wish them luck.