September 2020, Canterbury, Kent: Canterbury Golf Club, The PGA and specialist installers of virtual reality golf simulators, Reality Golf, have joined forces to launch a new Winter Alliance competition to be played over Canterbury’s famed Harry Colt-designed championship course in Kent.
The format of the Canterbury PGA Winter Alliance gives amateurs with a maximum handicap of 12 the opportunity to play with and compete against some of the best Professionals in the south of England.
Roger Hyder, General Manager of Canterbury Golf Club, comments “We are really pleased to be working with a golf-related company like Reality Golf in bringing this exciting tournament to the club.
“When Chris Stock and Darren Coumbe, Directors of Reality Golf, approached us with the idea of running such an innovative event, we jumped at the chance.”
Reality Golf, established just 18 months ago, specialises in custom-built golf studios working with two of the best launch monitors on the market, Trackman and Foresight.
“As a relatively young company, we are very proud to be working with two great organisations in the golf industry; The PGA and Canterbury Golf Club,” says Stock.
“Since we started a year and a half ago, we have been installing studios around the world and have had to open an international office in Dubai to cope with the interest and demand. We have been also commissioned by individuals to install studios installation in their private homes as well as by schools, driving ranges, golf shops and other golf clubs. Pros love the system as it has proved to increase teaching revenue and club sales.
“By supporting this new competition at Canterbury, we hope to raise the profile of Reality Golf whilst at the same time putting something back into the game of golf,” he concludes.
There will be five winter meetings with a grand final played on the 9th April, 2021.
The competition is an individual stableford with the top ten competitors in each event earning points towards an Order of Merit. First place in each event will earn 12 points, 2nd will earn 10 points, 3rd place gets 8 points and thereafter 7, 6, 5, 4 etc.
The top ten amateurs and top ten professionals will then be invited to enter the April final which will be run alongside another competition on the same day for those who did not qualify for the final.
The entry fee per event, which includes a bacon bap and coffee on arrival, is £45 for both Professionals and Amateurs whilst Canterbury Golf Club members will benefit from an entry fee of just £35.
The field is restricted to 60 competitors per event so higher handicap amateurs may have to be balloted.
Located on the outskirts of Kent’s medieval cathedral city, Canterbury Golf Club was founded in 1927 on 160 acres of land leased from the War Office and today is considered to be one of the finest examples of Harry Colt design in England.
Though first laid out as a downland course, the gradual introduction of oaks and silver birches along the fairways has altered the nature of the layout that now has more of a parkland feel, though a little gorse and broom can be found on some holes.
Set on undulating terrain, the par71, 6,272-yard layout (off the whites) provides a challenging round of golf with its mix of open par 5s, tight par 4s and challenging par 3s.
Dates of the Winter Alliance:
Friday, 23rd October
Friday, 20th November
Friday, 11th December
Friday, 5th February
Friday, 5th March
Friday, 9th April – Grand Final
To enter the competition, do so online at: https://pgagbi.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/pgagbi20/event/pgagbi201073/index.htm
