Tag: Amateur Tour

  • Players Golf Tournaments – Tournament Golf For The Rest Of Us

    Players Golf TournamentsSometimes as golfers we get a little burnt out and bored. You play the same golf courses all the time with the same people, and your enjoyment of the game suffers.If only there was a way to spice things up a bit, to play different courses and meet new people. Well, if you like in Central Florida, there is. It’s called Players Golf Tournaments, and it’s run by a friend of mine who’s mission is to make the game fun, competitive and rewarding.

    Players Golf Tournaments is built on the philosophy that no tour can survive without the players, and therefore the first priority of the tournaments should be to serve the needs of each and every member at all times.  Some of the highlights of The Players Golf Tournaments reflect that philosophy:

    • Member costs will be kept down while offering more value to the competitors than other amateur tours.
    • Annual memberships will be very reasonable ($69/year), and renewals in future years even more so ($39).
    • Event costs will be lower, yet will include lunch at every event. Most tournaments will be in the $95 to $100  range.
    • Members will have options on how to redeem prizes so that winning on tour has the best value for each individual member.
    • The Tour will use each player’s accurately tracked handicap to insure fair competition at every event.
    • There are only three flights, which will still allow for any level of golfer to compete while allowing for larger payouts throughout the season.
    • Most importantly, the Tour will be responsive and customer service oriented. The PGT will never take you for granted and will answer all your inquires in a timely and straight forward manner.

    The vast majority of golfers aren’t good enough to play at a competitive level, right? Wrong. On the PGT everyone has a chance to compete and win. With three flights and a unique scoring system, everyone has an equal chance every week. Flight one is for 0-7.9 handicaps. Flight two for 8-15.9, and Flight Three for 16-up. Tee boxes will be assigned based on three classifications within each flight: OPEN ( Men 54 and under ) SENIOR ( Men 55 and Up ) and Women . In some cases the tee boxes will be the same while other times they may be different. Each player will also be assigned a Course Handicap (CH) number based on their tour index and the tee box they will be playing from. The order of finish in each flight will be based on each player’s net score. Once players have participated in three Players Tournaments, they will have an official PGT Index and will be flighted based on this number at all future events. A player’s index will vary throughout the year based on his or her performance and will always be the best current reflection of their ability.

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    p style=”text-align: center;”> The PGT will award trophies for the winner in each flight and a certain percentage of players in each flight will share in the prize pool. Players winning prizes can choose between TGW.com gift cards, Tour Dollars towards future events and Visa Gift Cards. This varied approach allows the tour to present greater value to the players and still follow the rules of golf in regards to prize money. This way you aren't stuck spending your winning at a specific retailer or website, but where you want. I have played on various amateur tours in the past, and the biggest reason I enjoyed playing is to play great golf courses and meet new people. I have made some great friendships from these events, and that is worth every penny of the entry fees! The PGT kicks off in Orlando and Jacksonville the week of February 20th,  I think it will be a great season. I'll be playing as many events in 2010 as my schedule allows! To join the Players Golf Tour or get more information, Visit the tour's website at http://www.playersgolftour.com, call or email: Sean Steele Tour Director 904-333-9391 Players Golf Tournaments ssteele@playersgolftour.com

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  • Tournament Golf for Weekend Hackers

    GCAT_SkyCaddie_Color_561x500If you play golf long enough, you are bound to get bored with the usual Saturday Nassau on the same old course all the time, and unless you belong to an exclusive private club the course you play on every weekend with your buddies is not likely to be in superior condition. Playing the same game on the same course every weekend started getting old to me after a while, so I started to look elsewhere to get my golf fix.

    I found out about the Golf Channel Amateur Tour online and decided to give it a shot. The concept of the tour is not unfamiliar to many people. They play stroke play tournaments on good courses and players of all ages and abilities can participate. The Golf Channel runs over 70 local tours all over the country, expanding every year to new markets.

    The beauty of the Golf Channel Amateur Tour is that you don’t have to be a scratch player to be competitive. The tour divides players into 12 flights based on age and handicaps. The flights range from the Championship flight for zero to four handicaps, all the way up to the Snead flight for players with  a handicap of 20 or more. They also have senior flights for players 50 and over using the same handicap breakdown. Basically the flights go in increments of four. Championship (0-3.9), Palmer (4-7.9), Hogan (8-11.9), etc.GCAT Flights

    The tour hosts mostly single day 18 hole tournaments, with 3 or 4 regional majors that are 36 hole events with larger fields. The biggest event of the year is the National Championship at the end of the season. Those who qualify meet for a 72 hole tournament where a national champ is crowned in each flight. A team championship is also held a few days prior to the start of the individual stroke play finals, where players from each regional tour team up to take on the other cities. The play is very competitive and the events are always hosted by top notch golf facilities.

    Playing on the Golf Channel Amateur Tour in Central Florida has afforded me the opportunity to play tournaments at venues like Disney, Grand Cypress, TPC Sawgrass, Innisbrook and many of the area’s finest golf courses. The National Championship in 2007 was held at Innisbrook, and last year Disney hosted the event. This year the finals move to the West coast and PGA West in La Quinta, CA.

    One of the biggest reasons to play on the tour is the prospect of being recognized and rewarded. Not only can you win trophies to show off to your friends, but there is a significant prize pool available at every tournament. The more players, the bigger the prizes. Being an amateur tour, the prizes are limited to gift certificates, but the skins pot is cash, and I have seen skins payouts over $300. Combine that with Callaway Golf gift cards in excess of $200 for a major tournament win, and it makes for a pretty good weekend! Most single day tournament entry fees range from $90 to $125, depending on the venue. This fee is very reasonable, especially considering the prize pool offered and the fact that the courses often charge more for daily greens fees than you might pay to enter the tournaments.

    Tournaments on the Golf Channel Amateur tour are held on weekends, and the tournament directors are very professional and well organized. The tour’s website makes it easy for members to enter tournaments, track stats, maintain a USGA handicap and check their place on the season long points standings. All members also receive a logo shirt and hat, and their membership entitles the player to play on any event on any tour around the country. You may join the tour in Orlando, but if traveling to San Diego for example, you can enter and play tournaments there too, and any points you earn go towards your point totals on the local tour.

    You get to play on top notch courses against players of similar ability in a competitive atmosphere for prizes and cash and a chance to play in the National Championship. What more do you need to be convinced? Perhaps the biggest benefit of the tour is the friendships that can be made and the comradery that exists every week. In my 3 years playing on the tour, I have made friends and contacts from all walks of life that will last a lifetime. I’ve also collected plenty of prizes, many trophies and a few births to the National Championships, all while playing some of the best golf courses in the state.

    For more information about the Golf Channel Amateur Tour go to www.thegolfchannel.com/amateurtour

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