PAUL LAWRIE LADIES TOUR GETS A NEW LOOK FOR 2014 SEASON

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com

The Paul Lawrie Golf Centre Scottish Ladies Open Tour will have a new name for its second season - the PLGC Ladies' Tartan Tour.
In 2014, with Nicola Melville, an Aberdeen-born PGA teaching pro who is based at Anstruther, promoted from joint organiser to sole Tour Director, the tour will be streamlined from its inaugural schedule of 13 one-day events and a two-day, 36-hole Tour Championship, to feature five 36-hole tournaments each with around £6,000 prizemoney.
In the April to October season this year, each event had a prize fund of between £3,000 and £4,000.
The Paul Lawrie Golf Centre will again be the main sponsor, contributing £3,000 to each of the tournament prizefunds which will represent half the prizemoney on offer at each venue.
That means Nicola Melville is looking for five companies or individuals prepared to pay £3,000 each to be a title sponsor of one of the competitions.

Actually, Nicola is looking for only four because Stewart Spence, pictured left, proprietor of The Marcliffe at Pitfodels Hotel and Spa, in Aberdeen's western suburbs, has already snapped up the opportunity to be a title sponsor.
Gleneagles' Heather MacRae, who won this year's inaugural Paul Lawrie Golf Centre Scottish Ladies Open Tour Championship at Dalmahoy, is sponsored by Mr Spence whose long history of lending a helping hand to golfers in need dates back to Muriel Thomson who became a prolific winner on what is now the Ladies European Tour.
"I'm delighted to sponsor a tournament on the Ladies Tartan Tour which is designed to be a stepping stone to the Ladies European Tour for lady pros and also low-handicap amateur girls who want to find out if they are good enough to turn professional," said Stewart.
Paul Lawrie is also grateful for the support he has received from Mr Spence over the years and he has been instrumental in the Ladies Tartan Tour switching its emphasis from one-round to 36-hole events.
"We want to provide a platform for the lady pros and amateurs to prepare for the day when they tackle the Q School and beyond by getting them used to playing two-round tournaments," said Paul.
"Nothing wrong with 18-hole events but a different mindset is required by a player for competitions over two rounds or more. That is one of the reasons why I started the Paul Lawrie Invitational at Deeside on the men's Tartan Tour which is dominated by one-day pro-ams."

The five tournaments on the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre Ladies Tartan Tour will be played at leading venues all over Scotland.
A total of 82 competitors, including some from the Continent and England, played on the only circuit in its first season. The hope is that more lady pros and low-handicap amateurs keen to gain experience of competing at this level from outwith Scotland will be attracted North of the Border by the 2014 schedule which will be released once dates that do not clash with the Ladies European Tour and the LETAS events are finalised.

Companies or individuals interested in becoming £3,000 tournament title sponsors and want to find out more about the benefits to their businesses should E-mail Tournament Director Nicola Melville (pictured right) at:
info@nicolamelvillegolf.co.uk
Last word from Nicola: "We are delighted to have the support of the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre again. Stayed tuned for further announcements"