Category: Tournaments

Not all golf vacations are created equal. Sometimes it’s about golf, sometimes it’s about the food, sometimes it’s about the price, and sometimes a bit of a competition is the main enticement. There’s one golf package that can offer all of the above – and then some.

The Vegas World Amateur – an event going into its teen years –  continues to grow and attract golfers from all over to the sun-soaked fairways and pure vacation destination experience that Vegas is. This coming Vegas World Am is slated for February 26-28, 2024, and includes three rounds of golf and some great competition. 

The event tries to change venues at least every two years to give its players a varied experience in Vegas, allowing them to see more of the city and play new golf courses. This year the Vegas World Am is partnering with Summerlin Golf and will challenge its players with two new tracks – Palm Valley and Highland Falls. Add to that a player-favorite Siena Golf Club (in nearby Las Vegas proper), and you have the makings of a great three-day golf trip.

The most unique part of this event is that it is designed to allow its players to experience all of what makes Vegas such an attraction. Golf rounds start at 8am so players are free to spend the full day taking in the signs, sounds and tastes of the city.

Here are a couple more unique attributes of the Vegas World Am

1. Play in division/flights that match your skills and age.
2. Play with friends the first two days – one of the main reasons to take a golf trip is to play with friends in new places. We set up groups on days 1 and 2 to make sure you get to experience this with friends. Now day 3 is for deciding champions – so we set up final day tee times based on score.
3. Win Cash and Prizes. We use $75 from each entry and place it into the event prize pool. We also have product prizes for special shots and other individual accomplishments.
4. For those of you who decide that’s not enough to play for – we also have a daily honeypot by flight/division where you could win more cash.

Check the event out online at www.vegasworldam.com or use the website to reach us via email so we can answer any other questions you might have.

Gearhart Golf Links will host the 2021 US Hickory Open, a nod to the club’s historic roots.

Gearhart Golf Links, the oldest golf course west of the Mississippi River, made a big announcement in March: the North Oregon coast course will host the 2021 US Hickory Open.

Presented each year by the Society of Hickory Golfers, the US Hickory Open is the premier hickory golf tournament in the United States. 2021 will mark the event’s 14th year and only the second time a course in the western United States has played host.

“We are thrilled to return to the West Coast,” said Society President Greg Smith. “In 2020 the sold-out Open is welcoming hickory golf enthusiasts from over 22 states, and Canada, at Happy Hollow Golf Club in Omaha, Nebraska. The chance to visit the Oregon Coast and play the brilliant and historic links at Gearhart is something very special for our international members.”

The US Hickory Open is scheduled for September 12-14, 2021.

“Gearhart Golf Links is an exceptional venue for this tournament,” says Northwest Hickory Players tournament organizer Rob Ahlschwede. “David McLay-Kidd, acclaimed architect of Bandon Dunes and Mammoth Dunes, ranked Gearhart in his ‘Top 10 Favorite Places’ in the March 2020 edition of Golf Magazine. The seaside course offers a true links-style experience, perfectly suited to the original equipment used by global hickory golf collectors and enthusiasts.”

The course already has a relationship with Hickory golfers in the Pacific Northwest, having hosted a three-day event each year since 2015. Director of Golf Jason Bangild says hosting the US Hickory Open is an honor for the course and will put the club in the spotlight in a good way.

“Gearhart Golf Links is a course with a long, rich history, going back to 1892. Our clubhouse is full of pictures showcasing the earliest players in Gearhart, many playing hickory clubs and walking in coat and tie, or long dresses,” said Bangild. “The hickory game is just a great fit for the course. We have really enjoyed working with Rob and all of the Northwest Hickory Players over the last few years, and we’re thrilled to host their national Open next year. The course is located right in the center of Gearhart, so when the tournament comes to town, it’s sure to draw a crowd!”

While all USGA rules are in effect for the stroke play tournament, there are some equipment restrictions that players must follow. All golfers must use pre-1935 authentic wood-shafted clubs or Society-approved replicas. Tournament organizers may modify local rules to help players experience the game as closely as possible to the way it was played nearly 100 years ago.

Visit www.NWHickoryPlayers.org for more information about the event. Click here to read our feature story on Gearhart Golf Links!

The golfing community consists of many different types of golfers. There are driving range players, charity scramble players, weekend warriors, and more serious competitive players. Amateurs who enjoy playing competitively but aren’t ready for some of the bigger state or national events are always looking for opportunities and a new one is now available in Oregon and Washington.
The Golfweek Amateur Tour – already popular throughout most of the country – has launched in the Portland and Seattle/Tacoma areas with 11 and eight events, respectively.

The Tour provides amateurs with the experience of competitive stroke-play golf at courses that are both challenging and enjoyable to play. More importantly, though, is the opportunity to compete against a new group of players.

“I like to find places to play competitive golf,” said Oregon/SW Washington Tour Director Stotz Thoda. “Golfweek events have been very successful for the last 25 years, and I wanted to give players in the Pacific Northwest access to those great events.”

Founded in Charlotte, N.C., in 1995, the Golfweek Amateur Tour celebrates its 26th season in 2020 with more than 50 divisions across the country. This year’s Portland and Seattle Tour schedules include visits to: Chambers Bay, Heron Lakes GC, Club at Newcastle, Orchard Hills and Rock Creek CC, Hawk’s Prairie, Stone Creek GC, and Black Butte Ranch.

“Amateurs can play a Tour just like the pros, with minimal travel,” said Thoda “Our events are held locally mostly on the weekends, perfect for the average golfer. Our goal is to provide fun, fast, competitive events with affordable pricing. Our goal is 4 and half hour rounds, so slow play will be monitored and addressed. In addition, we have coordinated our tour dates with both tours so you can travel and play the neighboring tour events in either Portland or Seattle areas.”

The Golfweek Amateur Tour is for amateurs of all ages and abilities. Members are placed in one of five flights based on handicaps. Flights are: Championship (0-3.9 handicap), A Flight (4- 8.9), B Flight (9-13.9), C Flight (14-18.9) and D Flight (19 and over). Tournament format is gross stroke play, with USGA rules in effect. The Tour tracks tournament handicaps to ensure players are flighted correctly.

Entry fees for the Golfweek Tour range from $85-$180 for single day events. Those fees include cart and green fees, range balls and prizes. There will also be separate sponsored par- three contests and an optional skins game at each event. Trophies will also be awarded to the winners of each flight. Golfers who qualify receive invitations to the 2020 Golfweek Amateur Golf Tour Championship 54 hole event, Oct. 23rd – 25th on Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Dues for the 2020 season are just $63 until July 1st and then increase to $78. Those dues include a $125 Tour credit, a subscription to Golfweek Magazine, a welcome bag, and handicap through US Handicap. Guests are allowed in all local events but won’t earn points or have access to regional and national events.

The tour’s first events will be a dual event weekend May 30 and 31st at Chamber’s Bay and Heron Lakes, respectively. Events previously scheduled prior to May, have been postponed for later in the year. Visit www.AmateurGolfTour.net for schedule updates.