Good open competitions for a solo entrant

[Canary_Yellow]

I left my club last June as I wasn't getting value for my £1k per year subs. With a newborn son, a full time job in London, I wasn't playing much more than once a month. So, with a heavy heart, I gave up my membership.

This year, I discovered that a municipal course near to me has a golf club attached to it with a membership subscription of £47 per year. The arrangement is pretty much perfect for my needs: I pay green fees when I enter a a competition (c.£27), and there is a stableford roll up every saturday and sunday morning at 8am during the summer months. So my plan is to get my handicap back, play there on a Saturday or Sunday whenever I can, and then use my handicap to play in open comps at other courses.

I'm eager to use this period of my golfing life (i.e. not being attached to a club with £1k per year membership) to play as many different courses as I possibly can, and playing open comps looks like a great way to do so.

Only issue I have spotted so far from a little bit of research, is that a lot of open comps seem to be designed for pairs to play in rather than solo golfers.

What do others think of my plan? Is this something you've done? Got experience of playing in open comps as a solo golfer? All thoughts welcome.

Any particular open comps that you'd recommend I keep my eye out for next summer? Princes golf week looks great, so will definitely be trying to get into at least a day of that if possible.

 

[hovis]

back on black at the grove is great.

 

[Jates12]

I play in quite a few opens on my own. Have a look at golf empire, it shows all the opens in a county and you can filter it to show only solo ones. Really good place to find opens to play courses at a decent price. Thats what ive been doing.

 

[MendieGK]

yeah there is loads you can play. look on golf empire, you'll have all you need

 

[fundy]

http://www.golfempire.co.uk/category/individual.htm

 

[Duckster]

If you look through http://www.golfempire.co.uk/ most of the opens are on there. You can search by area but can also look specifically for singles comps.

Ahh, beaten to it

 

[Canary_Yellow]

Great - thanks guys.

So is playing as a solo entrant quite common?

Looks like a lot of the opens have quite a low maximum handicap requirement, so that'll limit my options. However, there still looks to be quite a few I could play in, so that's great.

 

[patricks148]

Great - thanks guys.

So is playing as a solo entrant quite common?

Looks like a lot of the opens have quite a low maximum handicap requirement, so that'll limit my options. However, there still looks to be quite a few I could play in, so that's great.

i would imagine most are drawn.

 

[fundy]

Great - thanks guys.

So is playing as a solo entrant quite common?

Looks like a lot of the opens have quite a low maximum handicap requirement, so that'll limit my options. However, there still looks to be quite a few I could play in, so that's great.

tends to be 2 types of individual opens, those that are aimed at the scratch comp (and come with low entry limit) and those which are more nett based more relaxed, almost all are drawn for playing partners

tend to find in winter quite a few courses will do a winter series and these can work well (often play some of the them at brampton heath in northampton)

 

[shortgame]

It's a good idea and gives the chance to play some great course in their best condition cheaply, plus as Patrick says most groupings will be drawn

Some planning is required though as some events fill up quickly

Pro tip - if you can plan a few with a short break (eg weekend away) with the family it can be a good win-win 👍

 

[patricks148]

It's a good idea and gives the chance to play some great course in their best condition cheaply, plus as Patrick says most groupings will be drawn

Some planning is required though as some events fill up quickly

Pro tip - if you can plan a few with a short break (eg weekend away) with the family it can be a good win-win 👍

if its anything like up here , all the top course get full up very quickly.

Not sure if you have them down south but there a a fair few 4 and 5 day opens as well. Our 4 day has guys from down south up every year a weeks cheap golf as you get a practice day as well

 

[fundy]

if its anything like up here , all the top course get full up very quickly.

Not sure if you have them down south but there a a fair few 4 and 5 day opens as well. Our 4 day has guys from down south up every year a weeks cheap golf as you get a practice day as well

nah we still get to pay the same for 1 days golf as your 5 day jaunt costs lol

 

[patricks148]

nah we still get to pay the same for 1 days golf as your 5 day jaunt costs lol

maybe

our 4 day is £160 and you get a practice round. 2 round Qual then matchplay and for those that don't qual there are consolation comps

 

[Canary_Yellow]

maybe

our 4 day is £160 and you get a practice round. 2 round Qual then matchplay and for those that don't qual there are consolation comps

For context, Princes is 5 days (with a practice round on the Sunday) and costs £250. You can also play an extra 9 holes each day for an additional £12.50.

It's a mix of pairs and individual comps. I think it's a different comp every day of the week though rather that something that builds over the course of the week.

 

[fundy]

maybe

our 4 day is £160 and you get a practice round. 2 round Qual then matchplay and for those that don't qual there are consolation comps

For 139 i can play the grove or 129 i can play Brocket Hall (18 holes only!)

 

[patricks148]

For 139 i can play the grove or 129 i can play Brocket Hall (18 holes only!)

is that for an open?

 

[spongebob59]

Both Canterbury and Chestfield have open weeks and have individual stableford comps.

 

[TheJezster]

One of the guys at the club yesterday was talking about the trilby tour, so I looked it up. You can enter this as a solo if you like.

Seems pretty decent too and you get a sack load of goodies worth more than double the entry fee too!

 

[Canary_Yellow]

One of the guys at the club yesterday was talking about the trilby tour, so I looked it up. You can enter this as a solo if you like.

Seems pretty decent too and you get a sack load of goodies worth more than double the entry fee too!

The "goodies" are only worth double if you actually would be buying them otherwise. Personally, I wouldn't be buying William Hunt clobber and hats, and I don't have a need for a tour bag either.

Also, my plan is to play opens so that I get to play great courses cheaply with good company and in a competitive situation. The Trilby Tour isn't cheap and I don't know much about the courses, but they don't seem like they're worth £285.

 

[fundy]

is that for an open?

yep they are