A new Scottish mini-tour for next season

needs somebody to be putting it together NOW

E-mail fron Neil McAllister
I was interested to read yesterday's Scottishgolfview.com article regarding guys playing, or not as is the case here, in various events and in the comments made by Gavin Dear and Steven Hume.
Sadly, it seems that in Scottish golf (professional and amateur) there are too many associations, unions and organisations, many doing a good job, but whose rules, often written decades ago, prevent participation and development instead of encouraging it.
They also seem to be run and structured in a way to protect their ‘patch’ at the expense of a more open and forward thinking approach.
It seems for Gavin, Steven and many others (and I include my son Shaun) they want, and very much need, action NOW in time for next season and a structure that can help them and others in the seasons to come.
What they do not need is blokes in blazers deliberating for months or years.
This is about our young professional golfers and in particular the guys (I know there will be girls too in a very similar position) who have taken the decision to turn professional in order to play tournament golf and who aspire to do so at the highest level.
Not all will make it but these are the potential stars of the future and it is their careers and aspirations that are suffering because no-one is genuinely putting them first, dealing with their collective and individual needs and employing some lateral thinking in order to find immediate and long term solutions to organise competitive events, funding, etc.
Scotland, as the Home of Golf, should offer the very best of support and a programme of competitive events, designed to encourage the participation of this group of young people.
Instead we have a mish-mash of events run by, and for, specific interest groups albeit some with good intentions. The guys themselves are crying out for change and for competition on their doorstep but are the players being asked what they want/need? It seems not.
I think one of the fundamental problems at the root of this and at the lower end of the competitive professional ladder is that the tournaments are basically ‘sweeps’ where the players are just playing for their own money.
Don’t get me wrong, the EuroPro Tour etc are well run and of a very good standard but this structure is not creating much needed money for these guys. It simply redistributes it among them.
I also think that when it is money ‘belonging’ to a particular association or union they are, perhaps quite rightly, protecting their pot for their members. I am sure the guys on the EuroPro Tour or the Alps Tour would be a bit miffed if Lee Westwood entered one of their events on a week off and walked away with the £10,000 first prize!
For our Scottish guys in this category, Europro Tour, Alps Tour, etc are all out of their own country with nothing of a similar standard on their own doorsteps. They are also expensive. I thought the Xltec Tour was a great idea but unfortunately a number of the tournaments clashed with the EuroPro Tour or other events and again £100 to enter an event when taken with travel costs etc all adds up.
Not only do these guys have to put up their own prize money but they have to pay for travel, accommodation, food etc. Some well organised events within Scotland could cut costs (I expect they or members of host clubs can help with accommodation for example) and if some funding is secured it can then put prize money in their pockets that they can then use to pay for competing on Europro, Challenge Tour etc.
Apart from the Ryder Cup (hopefully if we get this right we will have Scots playing again) golf is a very individual sport and these guys all have individual needs that are mostly met by their families and any personal sponsorship they can muster.
However, collectively they all need competition and funding and surely that should not be difficult to sort out.
Perhaps there is too much emphasis on seeking high value sponsorship when if the costs are broken down or if funding is looked at differently then there can be more tournaments and more involvement from what I am sure would be a very supportive public.
If we can encourage golf clubs, small businesses and individuals to contribute a little cash or perhaps products and services, then funding that is of direct benefit to these guys can be found.
We need a structure (perhaps a Trust of some sort) however that does not absorb any of the money in administration, administrators’ salaries and their expenses, and which promotes the players them as a group and provides advice, help and support.
What if a host club got £5 from each member (£2,500?) and with a ‘Pro-Am’ or ‘Team’ type of event raised another £2,500, then there is already a decent prize pot that is only going to be split between a few people and it is therefore directly benefitting them.
Club golfers and local businesses can then watch, meet and get to know these guys and you then create a support base and perhaps some sponsorship.
There must obviously be a trade off here with the guys giving something back - their time, promotion of sponsors' products or businesses etc - and a commitment to this structure longer term, particularly if they 'make it' to the main tour.
There must be ways we can solve this and if we get our heads together and, most importantly, include our young golfers in the discussions. we can make a difference and make a difference quickly.
I would be interested to hear other views.
NEIL McALLISTER

+If you feel you can contribute to the debate, E-mail your view to Colin@Scottishgolfview.com