Mega Meet 2013??

[MadAdey]

The central point of Britain is Sheffield, so I would suggest people start looking arond that area for courses.

That was my point earlier. Anywhere along the M62 area will be the mid point for most forumers and most can get there in under around 4 hours, well enough to make it a mega meet anyway. To set up a mega meet it really needs to meet certain criteria IMO.

Within reasonable driving distance for most
It needs to be a top course and play 36 holes if people are going to travel a fair distance, as people will not spend 4 hours driving to play some local average course
It is going to require a stop over either one night with playing over 2 days like the game we had at Woodhall, or 2 nights with 36 holes on one day
The price needs to be reasonable

So to get a mega meet together is going to be near impossible I would have thought. Then again Rick did a good job with the HFH day at Blackmoor and there was a huge turn out for that, somewhere in the region of 80 if I remember correctly. So it is possible but would take picking the correct venue.

 

[MadAdey]

no chance of a 3/4 nighter overseas meet in 12/18 months time? I'd be well up for that

Nice idea GIBBO and that would be fantastic, at least we would be able to guarantee good weather. Not sure how many people on here could justify the cost though.

 

[thecraw]

The only thing I can guarantee is that not everyone will be happy!

 

[MadAdey]

The only thing I can guarantee is that not everyone will be happy!

As a wise man once said "build it and they will come!" Well pick somewhere decent that wets the appetite and they will come!

 

[Val]

The only thing I can guarantee is that not everyone will be happy!

As long as those that want to make the effort to go are happy then so be it.

As a wise man once said "build it and they will come!" Well pick somewhere decent that wets the appetite and they will come!

:thup:

 

[Val]

4 hours is about as much as I'd be prepared to stick in so for me, M6 junction 15 or immediate surroundings. Anything decent around Chester?

What about Vale Of Llangollen?

 

[Qwerty]

Another option........St Andrews.I know it's Not exactly central but it is St Andrews and well worth the effort

You can just roll up to the Starters hut to play The New and Jubilee at weekends and pay there and then. Forrumers could state their interest on here and if there was enough interest we just pick a suitable weekend then sort the format etc.

Theres also the old course ballot for another day if anyone fancied their chances. If plenty were willing to travel to Castle Stuart a couple of years ago is St Andrews worth a shout?

 

[MadAdey]

Another option........St Andrews.I know it's Not exactly central but it is St Andrews and well worth the effort

You can just roll up to the Starters hut to play The New and Jubilee at weekends and pay there and then. Forrumers could state their interest on here and if there was enough interest we just pick a suitable weekend then sort the format etc.

Theres also the old course ballot for another day if anyone fancied their chances. If plenty were willing to travel to Castle Stuart a couple of years ago is St Andrews worth a shout?

not really going to work is it? It is pushing the distance I would be willing to travel and I live at Spalding, anyone from further down south is not going to travel all the way to St Andrews for 1 night. Some might be willing to travel long distances to to play but not enough to make it a mega meet.

Also like I said people will travel 4 maybe 5 hours to a meet for somewhere a bit special. I do like the New and Jubilee courses but what would be the point of travelling all that way and not play the Old Course?

 

[patricks148]

not really going to work is it? It is pushing the distance I would be willing to travel and I live at Spalding, anyone from further down south is not going to travel all the way to St Andrews for 1 night. Some might be willing to travel long distances to to play but not enough to make it a mega meet.

Also like I said people will travel 4 maybe 5 hours to a meet for somewhere a bit special. I do like the New and Jubilee courses but what would be the point of travelling all that way and not play the Old Course?

The benifit of St Andrews is that there are prob 10 top courses within a few miles Unlike down south.

 

[MadAdey]

The benifit of St Andrews is that there are prob 10 top courses within a few miles Unlike down south.

????????????????? we only need one course though. I know what the area is like for golfing as I lived there for 5 years at RAF Leuchars. My point was that you are now going beyond the distance that most will travel. To get people from all over the place it will have to be quite centrally located.

 

[G1BB0]

if I was gonna make the trek (which I happily would given plenty of notice), I would want 2 or 3 days of golf to make it worth while.

Its ok having a 1 round mega meet but with travel etc surely a mega mega meet would be even better

 

[Fish]

The benifit of StAndrews is that there are prob 10 top courses within a few miles Unlike down south.

d

So a 3/4 day invasion tour then

 

[G1BB0]

d

So a 3/4 day invasion tour then

sounds like a plan

 

[MadAdey]

d

So a 3/4 day invasion tour then

Be careful what words you use mate...... last time someone used words like that they painted their faces blue and started moaning about us not taking their freedom...

 

[Fish]

Be careful what words you use mate...... you will have them painting their faces blue and telling us about not taking their freedom....

Is there a course at Bannockburn?

 

[MadAdey]

Is there a course at Bannockburn?

I suppose we could go play the Scottish at Sterling golf club, that is where bannockburn is..

 

[Crow]

I don't thnk you can find a location for a Mega-Meet to attract the whole UK.

Last year was at Hillside; fairly UK central, great venue and very well organised, but the turnout was disappointing.
Too far for most people in Sctoland, too far for most people down South, so the turnout was mostly those within a 150 mile radius.

I think it would be better to have two meets, one in the North and one in the South. The overall turnout would be much higher and if GM were doing it and funds would stretch then there could be a final for the top 8 at each meet at a central course such as Forest of Arden as there was in the Centenary year.

Okay, North won't meet South, but they didn't when last year's meet was held at Hillside. Anybody that wants to meet their Northern/Southern sparring partners can always enter both meets.

Living in the Midlands I'm ideally located for a central Mega-Meet so I'm probably increasing my driving distance saying this but I can't see it working otherwise.

 

[sawtooth]

I was in the minority but I drove from Reading to Hillside (450 mile roundtrip) for the mega meet last September. I think it being a Monday put a lot of people off and it was the first day back to school for many peoples kids as well.

Choose the right course at the right price on the right day and I'm confident that you'll get the numbers. Of course allow a bit of notice as well.

 

[Junior]

As long as the course is a cracker I don't mind where it is.

 

[GB72]

Just to be really controversial, if there is to be one of the these then it is the turn of the South to get one. As far as I recall the Midlands have had 2 (the first one at the Belfry and the Third one at Beau Desert) there has been one in Scotland (Castle Stuart) and one in the North (Hillside). All have been great days but the success or not depends alot on what the forum arranges around the meet. The Belfry was an exception as it was the first one and was a bargain for 2 rounds and an overnight stay. Castle Stuart was also a massive success not only because the course was og a quality to attract people from all over but also because the Scottish contingent were excellent hosts and arranged rounds before and after. Beau Desert was reasonably attended from what I here but many by those not too far away. I suspect that this was due to a bit of a lack of notice (it was a little last minute), the course was excellent but not that well known and there were few forum events around the date to make the trip worthwhile. There have been a few valid comments about the lack of attendance at Hillside. The cost was an element as well as £80 for a round was not a massive bargain and whilost the course is well known if, for example, it had been next door at Birkdale then you would have massively increased the attendance.
The best events were the centenary events but you need to get a chain of courses involved to make that affordable and nationwide.

From my point of view, if there is an event I am not worried where it is. These events are what we make of them (and the value comes from the rounds that we organise around the event). I have driven 300 miles to Goswick and 30 miles to Gainsborough and everything inbetween. I personally would love a weekend in the South West as the next venue, god courses, good beer and somewhere I have not golfed before.