The Coastal Players Tour Blog

We know that the reputation for start up mini tours has not been good.

The owners of this golf tour - Daniel and Erick, are both Class A PGA Professionals.  I hope that is enough said.

We both are here to provide a unique professional golf tour that will turn into the best developmental tour in the country.  We know that it takes time to build trust and a good name and we are prepared to do just that.

Our goal is to eventually LOWER our entry fees but still keep the same amount of money in the purse.  As the economy is facing tough times, we realize that it is hard to gain sponsorship money from big corporations, but that will not stop us from trying.  By hosting QUALITY events with great players AND eventually incorporating PRO-AMS into our events we will attract sponsors.

This Winter - play the Coastal Players Tour and realize how great our courses are - and how quality run events can make you a better player.

Click Here for sample purse sizes.

The Coastal Players Tour, the premier developmental golf tour in the Jacksonville area, will be paying out on the last day of each event this winter.  Our Winter Series will host 3 day events starting in December and running through March 2009.  The cut for each event will be made to the top 40% of the field and on the third day (should players choose to wait until the conclusion of play) checks will be written for all the players.  We feel that this is a great asset for players as they usually do not like to wait several weeks to receive their checks in the mail.

Memberships are now being sold for the 2008-2009 Winter Series.  Please contact Daniel or Erick for more information.

The only professional golf tour along the “first coast” is the Coastal Players Tour and we are very proud of that fact.  Our professional golf tour also has some of the best courses in the country right here in our area.  The PGA Tour’s crown jewel is held at TPC Sawgrass which is in Ponte Vedra, FL - right outside of Jacksonville.  The Palencia Club (which will host the Winter Series’ second event) is a private golf club that was the venue for a Golf Channel’s “Playing Lessons from the Pros” episode.  The World Golf Village (third on the schedule) annually hosts a Champions Tour event along with The Club at Savannah Harbor (where the Tour Championship will be contested).

Our course set up for the Winter Series will be challenging - just like a PGA Tour event.  Not many mini-tours out there are set up to really challenge players.  That is what we find lacking in the world of professional developmental tours.  I hate to see the winner of a 4 day event shooting 23 under par!  The Coastal Players Tour is going to do it’s best to have our courses playing fast and challenging.  How are we going to do this?

• Green Speeds - ideally above 9 on the stimp-meter
• Rough - making it a premium to hit the fairway, but not too penalizing
• Tee Placement - utilizing the course’s features the way the course architect designed them

Besides the great golf courses, Jacksonville, Florida, has pleasant weather, great beaches, nightlife, shopping, and has convenient access to Interstate 95.  The Jacksonville airport is also a great asset to those players who are constantly traveling as it connects with many major cities and countries.

Here we have a list of all the golf courses in Jacksonville, Florida!

As the Hooters Winter Series may be full, the Coastal Players Tour still has space for the Winter Series.  Our quality golf courses in the Jacksonville area will be in prime condition at that time of year.  Memberships are currently $650 and will be that price until the 30th player signs up.  After that, the membership price will move to $750.  Our entry fees are $775 for members and $900 for non-members.

The location of the Coastal Players Tour is perfect for snow birds coming down for the winter.  Professional golfers from New England, New York, North and South Carolina, and all over the east coast will find that Jacksonville, Florida has some terrific golf courses and the drive is more bearable than heading all the way down to Palm Beach for the winter.

We will have 2 events in the Orlando, Florida area that will also be great during that time of year (January). Sign up online or call Erick at 301-266-2612

It was a beautiful day here at Fleming Island, as Tom Walters shot a great round of 67. The rough was high and the wind was also a factor as some of the field struggled with the conditions. Travis Hampshire was the only other player under par with a 69. As this will be the first event on our Winter Series schedule, we are already making preparations for a quality 54 hole golf tournament.

If any of you out there follow what’s going on in Asia and their golf world (which is quickly expanding), you might have heard of the proposed “One Asia Tour.”  Here is an article with a video clip about it:

http://www.asiangolfmonthly.com/agmtv3.php?cat_id=8

This tour seems like it is being mainly pursued by the officials of the Australian PGA.  From what I have heard from my friends who play professionally on the Australian circuit, the tours ‘down-under’ aren’t doing so well.  If that is the case, then I can clearly see why they would want to bring about another big tour to their part of the world.  The Asian Tour currently does not have any events in Australia most probably due to the fact that they are busy running co-sanctioned events with the European Tour.  Big sponsors are pulling out of the once famous Aussie majors leaving the Australian PGA without attractive purses to draw big names.  If this “One Asia Tour” takes flight, then several tours would be combined that would include the Japan Tour, Korean Tour, China, India, and Australia.

This has so far not gone over well with the Asia Tour.  They have appealed to the Federation of PGA Tours since they are supposed to be the sanctioning body of professional golf in Asia.

So we will wait and see what happens to the world of professional golf in the Asian-Pacific.

Travis Hampshire of Tampa, Florida won this past Monday with an easy 71 at Southbridge Golf Club in Savannah. Travis heard about the tour through a fellow professional golfer while playing in a mini-tour event in Florida. As the Coastal Players Tour continues to grow, so does our reach of players. We have golfers coming from Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, and from Greenville, South Carolina too. The Winter Series is sure to attract more players with 54 hole tournaments, bigger prize money, and some fantastic courses. Soon our goal is to be the most attractive tour in country by offering PGA Tour quality golf courses, low entry fees, fast rounds, great member benefits, and opportunities to move onto the Nationwide and PGA Tours.

The Coastal Players Tour Winter Series is quickly gaining momentum. We are booking some incredible golf courses that promise to deliver PGA Tour quality conditions.

The winner of the Winter Series Tour Championship will receive a paid entry into Q-school.

Also look for hotel discounts on the event detail pages!

Due to a hot putter, Bryant Odom, a St. Simons Island, Georgia resident and winner on the Coastal Players Tour, took home the Your Community PhoneBook Georgia Open last week with some ease. En route to a five stroke victory over Roberto Castro, Odom carded 24 birdies and finished with a fourteen-under par 274. Odom defeated some of Georgia’s finest golfers such as DJ Fiese, Troy Bartowicz, and Sonny Skinner just to name a few. Bryant is no stranger to the winner’s circle and has put together quite the resume after graduating from the University of Georgia.

This is the type of player we are looking to recruit for the Coastal Players Tour Winter Series that starts in December 2008 and wraps up in March of 2009. The schedule will be finalized over the next two weeks and will be posted by the end of the month on the website. We are looking forward to running 54-hole professional tournaments that the aspiring Nationwide and PGA Tour player will consider a great value and a priceless experience.

So the Winter Series will start in December- and that’s closer than you may think. Q-school is just around the corner and once that is over- its time for the CPT! The first three tournaments will be in south Jacksonville and will include Palencia Country Club. More information will be coming soon!