Surrey Golf Tour

[Foxholer]

Does look quite a good set of courses targeted at the competitive 'casual' golfer.

Adequate courses without being OTT expensive, as can certainly happen in Surrey!

3/4 handicap should cut some of the bandits out, but there's still potential. Could still be worth the effort if club based events aren't an option.

 

[Sybez]

After each event your handicap is cut 0.5 for every point over 36points.....

 

[scratch]

and whilst it's not relevant, no self respecting 'bandit' is going to enter - there's nothing to win!

sounds like the new trilby tour to me

 

[OldMate]

I'm planning on entering the one at the drift to check it out and may play a few others after that. A bit frustrating that these things are never on weekends but done to get access to the courses/ keep costs down I guess.

 

[rikkitikk]

there may be a few bandits around but I am entering in for fun and to play at different courses at a price I can afford. Would like to play the european amateur tour but I could not afford to pay the fees for it.

 

[jchubs]

Hi people!

My name is Ben Phillips and I am one of the directors at Golf Days UK – we run the Surrey Tour as well as others (Norfolk, Essex and Black Cab).

Being an occasional user of this forum, I have seen the thread created about the tour and I more than happy to answer any of your questions you may have about the tour if you want…

To clarify a couple of points from the thread so far:

Courses – all though we would have liked to have used the top venues in Surrey, we aim to make the tour at an affordable price point for each player, if we started using the top courses, then entry fees would have been well over £100 per event and there are plenty of tours out there charging those sort of entry fees and we want out amateur tours to be open to all!

Prizes – at each event there is a choice of prizes for first, second, third and two nearest the pins. Examples of prizes for first are things like decent standbags, shoes, clothing etc. Also new for this year is the Loudmouth sponsorship, so as someone has already stated, each event winner will also get a pair of LM trousers or shorts of their choice (trousers are £75 each!) The main aim of the tour is be crowned Surrey Champion and you will get a break to Stoke Park in Buckinghamshire! The person with the best five order of merit scores will top the end of season order of merit and will win a set of custom fit irons. The top fifteen in the leaderboard will then play a grand final at Kingswood and the winner of that event will be Surrey Tour Champion and will go to Stoke Park.

Handicaps – Although we do not insist on h/cap certificates, the majority of the people who play on our tours are club members. As someone has already mentioned, all events are ¾ handicap and we monitor h/caps from event to event. So anyone coming in with more than 36 points is cut 0.5 per point over 36, they will then play off this h/cap for the rest of the tour. This has not been an issue for us over the last two years and the highest winning score last year was a guy who got 41 points off his scratch handicap – he then played off +2 for the rest of the tour and ended up in third place overall.

We have run two successful tours already and you can check these out on our website under Golf Days – 2012 Norfolk Tour or 2012 Essex Tour, you will be able to see all the results, final leaderboard and videos of each event if you wish. The format was slightly different last year, with the tour being based on a stableford best five system and not OoM.

Please do post any questions and I will be more than happy to help!

Hopefully see some of you this year on the Surrey Tour!

Cheers,

Ben

 

[fundy]

Ben

sorry top take you straight off track but do you have plans for any tours anywhere else in the country, either for this year or future years?

 

[jchubs]

Hi Fundy,

Indeed we do, 2014 should see another batch of new tours across the South...

 

[Oddsocks]

The more I think about this the more I fancy it.

I'm guessing it just one find per event ie 18 holes

 

[jchubs]

Yep, 18 holes per event..
From April onwards events are all afternoon starts of around 13:00..

Any other questions, just post them up!

 

[Oddsocks]

I like the fact its afternoon tee times during lighter hours, better speaks to the boss tomorrow .

If I'm entering I'd do the complete series

 

[jchubs]

Just what we like to hear!

 

[duncan mackie]

Any other questions, just post them up!

Ben

Could you please clarify the handicap T&C, quoted back in post #6

It starts by saying that your handicap when you enter will apply throughout, then seems to go on to suggest that it might not! Specificaly, what happens if a CONGU handicap is increased, or decreased, by the club/CONGU? I get, and appreciate, your own control elements.
Cheers

 

[jchubs]

Hi Duncan,

If you are a member of a club and have a handicap cert then you will need to declare that when you enter. If your handicap changes throughout the year at your club, you will be required to tell us (up or down) we will use sites like how did I do to keep tabs on players throughout the year. If you don't have a handicap cert then your handicap at the start of the year will remain for the whole season unless we need to cut it due to scores of over 36!

I can assure anyone that the handicapping system is one of highest priorities for all our tours to make it fair for everyone...

Hope that makes sense!

 

[Fish]

I would have like to enter some or quite a lot of the Midlands tour venues but the prices are quite high compared to what I could play them with my county card. Yes I know there is food available & prizes but take Kings Norton, I could play it for £22.50 so how can I justify £65.00?

I think its better value to play outside of your given area (like Surrey) and play some courses then that offer value for money whilst ticking another course off the played list.

As such I intend to invade Surrey

 

[duncan mackie]

Hi Duncan,

If you are a member of a club and have a handicap cert then you will need to declare that when you enter. If your handicap changes throughout the year at your club, you will be required to tell us (up or down) we will use sites like how did I do to keep tabs on players throughout the year. If you don't have a handicap cert then your handicap at the start of the year will remain for the whole season unless we need to cut it due to scores of over 36!

I can assure anyone that the handicapping system is one of highest priorities for all our tours to make it fair for everyone...

Hope that makes sense!

almost!

CONGU - you play off your current playing handicap unless GDUK have implemented a reduction on the basis indicate
non CONGU - GDUK may implement reductions but it's not going up during the season

?

I may be able to get along to the Drift if you are interested in additional numbers for that event, but the rest are unlikely due to prior commitments.

 

[jchubs]

Hi Duncan,

That is correct yes, so we allow the CONGU golfers to go up in handicap, but realistically, most people would only go up one shot in a year or so, which wouldn't make much difference in 3/4 handicap golf, in a lot of cases it won't affect it anyway...

You don't have to play all the tour events and if people can't make the required 5 to get to the grand final then playing the odd event here and there is a great way to play a new course and compete for some top prizes on the day! Everyone is welcome to play in any event and to play in as many as they want to...

Hopefully see you at the Drift!

 

[jchubs]

I think its better value to play outside of your given area (like Surrey) and play some courses then that offer value for money whilst ticking another course off the played list.

As such I intend to invade Surrey

We look forward to your invasion Fish!

 

[Sybez]

Huum so no club handicap starts men on 28...........?

Also, whens the closing date for the first event?

 

[jchubs]

Hi Sybez,

Golfers will have a playing handicap and that is what they will submit to us. The majority of golfers are honest people and will tell us their playing handicap, whether that be for a society they play in or just their weekly game with mates. Most of the golfers who play on our tours are club members anyway, and out of the three tours we have run, each winner has been a club golfer with official handicap...

We realise that this may not be for everyone, but what I would say to that is trust in us to monitor the situation and we do have strict policies as stated above. We do run successful tours already on exactly the same format...

Tee time are issued three days before the event in the afternoon, so 12pm, three days before is the deadline!

Hopefully see you on the tour Sybez!

Please don't hesitate to post up anymore questions people...