Tour Profile

Looking for a place to play competitive amateur golf?

Then the GTA Amateur Tour is for you!! The GTA Amateur Tour is entering its seventh season and is continuing to expand. This year's Tour consists of 18 competitive events held throughout the wider GTA running from the beginning of May to the end of September. The Tour will be playing at some of the GTA's premier private and public courses.

The Tour is for players with a 22 handicap or under. Competitors play a gross score format in one of four Flights:

• Championship Flight (players with a Handicap Factor of 4.6 or less)
• A Flight (players with a Handicap Factor between 4.7 - 8.9)
• B Flight (players with a Handicap Factor between 9.0 - 13.1)
• C Flight (players with a Handicap Factor between 13.2 - 19.1)

The field for each event is limited to 120 players and is filled on a first come – first served basis.

Joining the Tour

1. Click on the “Sign-up Form” button and choose your application method. You can fill out the application on-line and submit it electronically or you can download a printable version and mail it to the Tour office;
2. You will then be emailed a Tour username and password which you will use to access the event registration section of the website;
3. Select the events in which you would like to play. (Note: The field for some events may fill up early. If there is a particular event in which you wish to play, it is best to select it when you register to ensure you have a spot. There will be an opportunity to add (subject to availability) or delete events throughout the season.)
4. Tournament Fees will be charged to your credit card approximately 2 weeks prior to each event.
5. The first 400 registrants will receive a sponsor gift package that contains a Adidas ClimaLite golf shirt, a pair of Sundog Sunglasses, a hat from Prodigy Headwear, one sleeve of TaylorMade golf balls, Nature Valley snack bars, Tour water bottle and some Eco Golf tees.

Playing the Tour

The GTA Amateur Tour creates a unique opportunity for players to play in a well organized and competitive event while maintaining that great sense of camaraderie you have with your regular group. The Tour is an excellent way for players of all handicaps to develop their competitive golf skills and heighten their game. In addition, you will meet other golf enthusiasts at some of the newest and best courses in the Country. The Tour tees players off the first tee in threesomes to provide you with a true tournament experience.

Per Event Draw Prizing

Even if you do not score well there is still a great opportunity to walk away with some first class sponsor product.

Net Prizing (new for 2010)

This year, more than ever, chances of winning a prize on Tour have improved. In addition to the prizes awarded to the top four finishers at every event and, in addition to the draw prizes and Closest to the Pin and Long Drive competitions, the following Net Score prizes will be awarded. Only those players that did not win an event prize, i.e. those players that did not place within the top 4 places of their Flight, are eligible for Net Prizes. Ties will be decided by the number of Tour events played at that time.

Net Score: Net score is the player’s score after handicap strokes have been subtracted from the player’s gross score.

eg: At the start of the Coppinwood event, a B Flight player’s Handicap Factor is 12.4. The player’s course handicap, from the blue tees is 14 (12.4 x 126 /113). The player’s gross score at the event is 87. The player’s net score for the event is 73 (87 – 14 = 73). Additional strokes are added to accommodate the different rating of tee decks used by each Flight.

Net Open Prize: At each of the eighteen Ontario Tour events, the three players with the lowest net score in the entire field will receive a Mavea Water Filtration System. The player who finishes first in this category will also receive a trophy and a ballot for an end of season event to be held at Oviinbyrd Golf Club.

Net Senior Prize: At each of the eighteen Ontario Tour events, the three Senior players in the entire field with the lowest net score will receive a Mavea Water Filtration System. The player who finishes first in this category will also receive a trophy and a ballot for an end of season event to be held at Oviinbyrd Golf Club. Players aged 50 and older, as of the day of the event (first day of two day events) are eligible. It is the player’s responsibility to ensure his/her birth date is current and accurate in their Player Bio section of the website. Please know that this information will not be shared in its entirety, only player ages are shown on the public section of the website.

Most Improved Player Award: Also new in 2010, to complement the season long Order of Merit competition, is a season long Most Improved Player Award. A prize will be awarded to the most improved player over the course of the Tour season.
A player’s season will start from their first Ontario Tour event and end at their last Ontario Tour event of the season.

The formula for calculating the most improved player has been established by the RCGA as equitable in gauging the improvement of players encompassing the entire spectrum of handicaps and is calculated as follows:

Start of Season Handicap Factor + 12 divided by End of Season Handicap Factor + 12

eg. A player’s season starts at Coppinwood when their Handicap Factor is 5.8. At the Tour Championship, the player’s last event of the season, their Handicap Factor has gone down to 4.5. The player’s Improvement Factor is 1.079

5.8 + 12 = 17.8 = 1.079 (calculated to three decimal places)
4.5 + 12 = 16.5

Competition and Prizing

TaylorMade golf equipment will be awarded at each of the 18 competitive Tour events for the top 4 places in each of the 4 Flights. In addition, trophies are awarded to the first place finisher in each Flight.

The GTA Amateur Tour also features a season long Order of Merit competition in which points are awarded to every player based on the order of finish in each event (see chart below). Overall Champions in each Division will be crowned at the Tour Championship (September 28, 2010) and will be based on the player’s BEST 7 OF 18 EVENTS. Points awarded at the season Majors will be increased by 50% and will be doubled for the Tour Championship. In the event of a tie, Order of Merit places will be decided by the player's 8th BEST EVENT. If still tied, the player who has competed in most events will be awarded the place.
 

Communication

After registering, each player can request an email outlining his/her selected events. Three weeks prior to each event, the first 120 players will receive an email reminding them that they are registered for the upcoming event. If a player determines they are unable to attend, they must visit the Tour website and remove themselves from the event at least two weeks prior to the event date. Players on the waiting list will be notified when spots become available and will have the option to visit the website and register for one of the vacant spots. Spots will be filled on a first clicked first served basis.

Tee times will be emailed to players and posted on The Tour’s website approximately four days prior to each event. The majority of the events have morning tee times usually commencing between 7:00AM and 8:00AM. Early or late tee times requests must be emailed to Peter Norrie (peter.norrie@gtaamateurtour.com) a minimum of eight days prior to the event.

The results of each event will be posted the same day on The GTA Amateur Tour’s website and emailed to over 60 media outlets. Each entrant will also receive periodic updates and notifications via e-mail.

Tour Management

The GTA Amateur Tour is owned and operated by Canadian Golf Tours Inc. and is sponsored by TaylorMade, Mazda Canada, BlackBerry, Sundog, Ecco Canada, Zoom Media, Myrtle Beach Golf Holidays, Privileged Play Golf, Buck Productions, Mavea Water Technology, Howard Johnson Canada, Knights Inn Canada, Prodigy Headwear, Nature Valley, P.J. Dermody Insurance Brokers and Eco Golf Tees. Tournament Rules Officials are certified by the Royal Canadian Golf Association.