Palm Springs Amateur Golf Tour Now Expanding to Four Cities

In 2010, amateur golfers in the Palm Springs, California area were thrilled to participate in a tour designed to allow them the experience of playing competitive stroke-play golf, and the general consensus of those who participated was that the tour was a complete success.

Now, starting in January, 2011, the Medal Play Golf Tour will be made available to amateur golfers in four different cities, with expanded divisions.

The Medal Play Golf Tour (MPGT) will now be played in Los Angeles, San Diego and Phoenix, Arizona in addition to Palm Springs, with 10 events scheduled in all four cities.

Golfers in each city will be able to register in seven separate divisions, based on age and handicap, including three senior divisions and one women's division. Individual net stroke play is the format, based on USGA rules.

Members will be placed in divisions based on their current USGA handicaps, and once tournament play begins, scores and handicaps will be monitored to allow for fair play throughout each division and eliminate "sandbaggers."

MPGT tournament director Blane Freytag is excited about the changes. “Now amateurs can play a tour just like the pros, without the travel,” said Freytag.

“Our events are held locally on weekends, perfect for the average golfer. Our goal is to provide fun, fair, competitive individual stroke play golf tournaments utilizing NET scoring (using your MPGT Tournament Handicap) to level the playing field. Everyone has an equal shot of winning in our tournaments.”

Winning players from each division will win Visa gift cards from the prize pool generated by entry fees from each tournament. All participants will also earn points toward “Player of the Year” honors in their division. A Fed Ex style playoff covering the final three events adds to the excitement.

Golfers will be required to pay a $100 membership fee, good for the entire year, and during the next two months, a 20% discount is being offered to encourage participation. Entry fees for each tournament will vary according to location and time of year, which include greens fees, use of cart, driving range balls, trophies and prize pool.

Results of each tournament and prize earnings will be posted at the main website within 72 hours of the end of each event, and at the end of the season, top players from each division in each city will be invited to play in the finale in the Palm Springs area to determine Player of the Year honors.

For amateurs looking for the thrill of competitive stroke-play golf similar to what the pros play, this is the ideal venue to participate in. The ability to win prizes and trophies certainly doesn't hurt either.

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Local Sports News: Palm Springs, California