Rancho Buena Vista High junior Marco Gomez plans to play golf and more golf this summer. So does Torrey Pines High senior James Erkenbeck, who will play a stepped-up tournament schedule on his way to college.

For years, the two have been honing their game on golf courses during the summer, with the results reflected during the high school season in the spring. Gomez won the San Diego Section title last month, and Erkenbeck helped his team reach the Southern California Regional after advancing to the state finals as an individual a year ago.

“In the summers, I've always been consistently busy (with golf),” Gomez said. “But I don't feel pressured to play tournaments. I enjoy playing them a lot. So the more, the merrier.”

Erkenbeck, who is bound for the University of New Mexico, recalls taking no break longer than three days over the past three years while playing the same type of schedule that Gomez and other underclassmen have planned for this summer.

“That (break) felt like a long time to me,” said Erkenbeck, who is scheduled to graduate today at Torrey Pines. “If I took three days off in the winter, I wouldn't notice the difference because I'm not playing that much, but when I take three days off in the summer, the club feels way different to me. Heavier or lighter, it just feels different.”

The busy tournament schedule doesn't leave much time for practice, so the high school season can represent a final tuneup for the summer.

“I have a couple of weeks to get as good as I can get, then whatever happens happens,” Gomez said. “I'm just going to try my best, trying to get better every day.”

Junior golfers are more likely to be seen by college coaches on the lookout for recruits during summer tournaments.

“This is like when the real golf season kicks in, at least as a junior golfer,” Erkenbeck said. “This is when all the big tournaments are and the weather is the best, so there's more golf being played. Also, you get to play with the best competition.”

There's no better test than the Junior World Championships, which represent a hometown tourney with global competition at Torrey Pines and other local courses in midsummer.

Gomez missed the cut in the boys 15-18 age division a year ago, but he's on pace to qualify this summer. In his Junior World finale last year, Erkenbeck entered the last round tied for second and finished eighth.

Erkenbeck plans to play amateur tournaments more than junior events this summer while gearing up for college. His schedule may include fewer tournaments, but his travel will expand to cover about 4,000 miles over the summer.

Gomez expects to stay mostly in Southern California while wrapping up his final full year of junior golf.

“I can remember my first tournament (at age 11),” Gomez said. “I got second-to-last place, and I was very sad. But it just takes will. If you love the game, you can always get better.”

Especially with a summer full of golf and more golf.