Growing Vancouver Tour Boosts BC Golf
December 20th, 2010 01:11 PM
Back in the days when westerns ruled on television the good guys wore white hats, carried six shooters and had names like Buck and Roy. They rode the West arresting villains and keeping the peace. Today the newest hero of the Wild West wears the title of Tour Commissioner, he carries a business strategy to save professional golf in B.C. and he goes by the name of Fraser.
Fraser Mulholland (Seymour Creek Golf Center, North Vancouver) came up with the idea for the Vancouver Golf Tour (VGT) after witnessing the demise of the once strong Canadian Tour. “As late as the middle 1990s professional golf in Canada, other than the Canadian Open, offered a nationwide total purse of one and a half million dollars. Now the prize money has fallen under $200,000 nation-wide.”
This may not be big news to the guy who plays 25-cent skins games, but for Canadian pros who use the Canadian tour stops to make a living this leaves them with nowhere to play, nowhere to learn and nowhere to make a living.
The Vancouver Golf Tour (www.vancouvergolftour.com) had one Pro-am Championship in 2006 where they sent the winner Jay Balloch down to PGA Tour Q-School. Bryn Parry, now enjoying success on the Nationwide Tour, played in this opening event before going down to try for his PGA card.
The 2007 order of merit winner for both the BCPGA and VGT was Phil Jonas. He played in 14 VGT events and placed in the money 13 times. That includes two wins and four second-place finishes. Phil is a Vancouver resident who originates from South Africa where was he was touted as the next Gary Player. For guys like him the VGT may be the ticket to the big show. This should give you an idea of the calibre of players on the VGT.
Then there are the local boys who have been around for years, struggling to find regular spots to play. Somebody like Daryl Stubbs, who uses this tour not only in hopes of winning, something he has done often over the years, but to gain more inside knowledge of the game so he can return to the practice tee and help hackers like us to play better.
But the VGT isn’t just for pros, it has something for everyone. There are pro fields of course but the tour also has corporate team events, pro-am fields and spots for juniors. There are flights for 0-5 and 6 -10 handicappers where the average person can come out and play and have a chance to win gift certificates from sponsors like IGA Market Place or Perfect Lies.
As successful as the 2007 season was (15 stops, with expansion coming in 2009) nothing comes for free. The VGT is always looking for more. “We are offering different levels of sponsorship starting at just $500,” Fraser says. “And you’ll get more than fair market value for your advertising dollar.”
The Vancouver Golf tour is a win–win situation for everyone involved. The game of golf gets to showcase some of its best players all the while offering these players a chance to play and improve their games. Meanwhile you and I can get that thrill of trying to become a “tour winner.” I won the 6-10 flight at the tour’s stop in Squamish in 2007 and it’s a thrill I won’t get over soon. Become a sponsor or a member, and then come out play and help support the game we love.
The North Shore’s Tom Cattermole is a freelance golf writer. Cattermole@telus.net
Copyright North Shore Magazine Issue Feb - Mar 08
Fraser Mulholland (Seymour Creek Golf Center, North Vancouver) came up with the idea for the Vancouver Golf Tour (VGT) after witnessing the demise of the once strong Canadian Tour. “As late as the middle 1990s professional golf in Canada, other than the Canadian Open, offered a nationwide total purse of one and a half million dollars. Now the prize money has fallen under $200,000 nation-wide.”
This may not be big news to the guy who plays 25-cent skins games, but for Canadian pros who use the Canadian tour stops to make a living this leaves them with nowhere to play, nowhere to learn and nowhere to make a living.
The Vancouver Golf Tour (www.vancouvergolftour.com) had one Pro-am Championship in 2006 where they sent the winner Jay Balloch down to PGA Tour Q-School. Bryn Parry, now enjoying success on the Nationwide Tour, played in this opening event before going down to try for his PGA card.
The 2007 order of merit winner for both the BCPGA and VGT was Phil Jonas. He played in 14 VGT events and placed in the money 13 times. That includes two wins and four second-place finishes. Phil is a Vancouver resident who originates from South Africa where was he was touted as the next Gary Player. For guys like him the VGT may be the ticket to the big show. This should give you an idea of the calibre of players on the VGT.
Then there are the local boys who have been around for years, struggling to find regular spots to play. Somebody like Daryl Stubbs, who uses this tour not only in hopes of winning, something he has done often over the years, but to gain more inside knowledge of the game so he can return to the practice tee and help hackers like us to play better.
But the VGT isn’t just for pros, it has something for everyone. There are pro fields of course but the tour also has corporate team events, pro-am fields and spots for juniors. There are flights for 0-5 and 6 -10 handicappers where the average person can come out and play and have a chance to win gift certificates from sponsors like IGA Market Place or Perfect Lies.
As successful as the 2007 season was (15 stops, with expansion coming in 2009) nothing comes for free. The VGT is always looking for more. “We are offering different levels of sponsorship starting at just $500,” Fraser says. “And you’ll get more than fair market value for your advertising dollar.”
The Vancouver Golf tour is a win–win situation for everyone involved. The game of golf gets to showcase some of its best players all the while offering these players a chance to play and improve their games. Meanwhile you and I can get that thrill of trying to become a “tour winner.” I won the 6-10 flight at the tour’s stop in Squamish in 2007 and it’s a thrill I won’t get over soon. Become a sponsor or a member, and then come out play and help support the game we love.
The North Shore’s Tom Cattermole is a freelance golf writer. Cattermole@telus.net
Copyright North Shore Magazine Issue Feb - Mar 08
Photos
