PGA Of Alberta 2020 Tournament Season – What To Expect
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2020-03-05
With the 2020 tournament season just around the corner, we wanted to provide an update on what to expect for the summer! PLEASE NOTE: Tournament Registration will open for ALL tournaments on Wednesday, March 11, at 10:00 a.m. Please read the information below for important updates on registration as well as other new initiatives being implemented this season.
Tournament Registration Process
After review by the Committee, registration for all tournaments will open for all tournaments on March 11th. Members will not have to pay for the event until 28-days prior to the tournament date. This will allow members to better plan their schedules in advance when determining which events they will sign up for.
Withdrawal Policy
The withdrawal policy will see a few changes as follows:
- Withdrawal up to 28-days prior to event date, before Withdrawal Deadline = 100% Refund
- Withdrawal after Withdrawal Deadline but 14-days prior to event date = $50 Administration Charge
- Withdrawal less than 14-days prior to event date but before Registration Deadline (Thursday prior
to event date) = 50% Refund of entry fee
- Withdrawal after draw is posted, after Registration Deadline = No Refund
Tournament Eligibility
There will be several changes to tournament eligibility this season that will allow members to play in more events. As we want to increase participation as much as possible, the following changes will be implemented:
Category II and III Members will now be able to participate in the Pro-Junior, Pro-Lady, and Pro-Senior Pro-Ams and the Pro-Pro Best Ball and Scramble team events. The Tournament of Champions and Pro-Assistant will remain Category I eligibility only as members must be employed at an approved facility to participate as per the conditions of competitions.
Category III will also be eligible to play in the Team Match Play Championship. Registration will come on a first come, first serve basis. There will be no restrictions or priority given on when a certain category can register.
Tournament Skins/Entry Fee
Tournament Skins will now be added to the entry fee for all stroke play events which are the Golf Supply House Series and Championships. Since the vast majority of members play skins at tournaments, it was decided to include the $20 per round into the entry fee to make it easier for members to enter skins and not have to carry cash to the tournament.
Impact Tournament Systems will continue to sponsor the Skins attached to all GSH Series events. There will again be a starting skins pot at all GSH events.
Pro-Assistant
The event will be hosted at Jasper Park Lodge GC this year on September 8 & 9. The Association has not held a tournament in Jasper since 2011 so we are excited for the opportunity to go back and host the Pro-Assistant there. The tournament will be an afternoon start day 1 and morning start day 2.
The office will announce several room blocks shortly for the event so we encourage you to sign up once registration opens and secure your room as early as possible to take advantage of the preferred rates.
Team Match Play Championship
The Team Match Play Championship will keep the same format as last year with the opening rounds being held at the beginning of the season to determine teams seedings. The opening rounds will be hosted at:
- South Event – Country Hills GC on May 11th
- North Event – Sturgeon Valley G&CC on May 13th
The format for the opening rounds will again be a 2-man best ball qualifier to determine rankings for the first round of the Team Match Play Championship. Purse money will be attached to the qualifiers for the top placing teams.
After the opening qualifying rounds, matches will resume as normal with the brackets being created based on the results from the qualifiers. The top ranking teams from the qualifiers will play the bottom ranking teams. If byes are needed due to an uneven number of teams, the byes will go to the top finishing teams from the qualifier.
All teams will be guaranteed the qualifying round plus the first round of the tournament, two rounds total. If you lose your opening match (after the qualifier), the team will be knocked out of the tournament.
Removal of Fall Championship
After much discussion, it was decided to remove the Fall Championship from the 2020 season as it has been increasingly difficult to justify the cost of running this event. With the removal of the Championship, the Association can spread the sponsorship dollars to other tournaments to increase purses.
Pro-Ams - Net Stableford
The format this season for Pro-Ams will be a Net Stableford for the Pro-Junior, Pro-Senior, and Pro-Lady’s. This will ensure scoring is transparent and the focus remains on the team aspect while giving Pro-Ams a fresh new format.
Seniors’ Division
Seniors’ Division will again be added to two 1-day events this year, one in the North and one in the South. Members must be 50-years and older by the tournament date to be eligible to participate. This will give members 50-years and older an opportunity to play in more events during the season playing against their peers of a similar age. Locations will be announced shortly.
Ladies’ Division
Similar to the Seniors’ Division events, we will be adding a Ladies’ Division event to the GSH Series to give female Professionals another opportunity to compete against one another rather than just the Ladies’ Championship. Location will be announced shortly.
Shorts Policy
We will be removing the temperature policy for wearing shorts at tournaments this season. Members are permitted to wear shorts at any tournament they choose as long as the dress code policy including the host club’s policy is adhered to.
Club Pro Championship
The Club Pro Championship details are still being secured for the 2020 season. The venue/dates will be announced as soon as possible once confirmed.