ST MELLION KICKS OFF NEW ENGLISH AMATEUR TOUR

CORNWALL, ENGLAND .. A new ‘Tour Golf’ experience for club golfers starts with a bang at Cornwall’s St Mellion International Resort, next week.

The English Tour will run 26 events in 2013 for both professional and amateur golfers, taking in some of the country’s best-known venues such as Royal Birkdale, The Belfry and Ganton.

The English Amateur Tour, which is open to all golfers aged 18+ with a club handicap limit of 24 (Men) and 32 (Ladies), kicks off on Tuesday 28th May 2013, with an 18-hole event on St Mellion’s Nicklaus Signature Course – voted “Best Golf Course in the West” by readers of Today’s Golfer magazine in 2013.

The following day, a two-day English Tour event begins for Professionals, with the Lowest Gross winner of the Amateur event the day before being invited to take part.

“We’re delighted that the English Amateur Tour organisers have chosen our Nicklaus course for their opening event” says St Mellion’s Director of Golf, David Moon. “We have hosted many European Tour events here, and competitors will truly experience what it feels like to play a fully-fledged Tour golf course, designed by an 18-time Major-winner.

“The Nicklaus Signature Course will set a fair challenge for English Amateur Tour competitors, but it will give handicap golfers a chance to make a score. The beauty of the Nicklaus is its versatility, with its multiple tees. For the Pro event, the following day, we will increase the challenge, and we look forward to seeing how all English Tour golfers tackle the course!”

St Mellion International Resort – the flagship venue of Crown Golf, the UK’s largest golf course owner / operator – is one of the few destinations in the UK with not one, but two European Tour courses at the same venue, with the recently-refurbished Kernow Course also having hosted several Tour events, including the TPC Of Europe in 1983, won by Bernhard Langer.

The Nicklaus Signature Course at St Mellion formally opened in 1988, and when Nicklaus won his 18th and final Major at Augusta in 1986, perhaps his most memorable triumph, his first golf course in the UK was already built and being prepared for play.

Over the years, greats such as Seve Ballesteros and Jose-Maria Olazabal have won on the Nicklaus at St Mellion. “St Mellion is a fitting start for our Amateur Tour” said English Tour Director PJ Ellis. “It is the first of our ten qualifying events, and sets the bar high for the events which follow. It is one of England’s Top 50 golf courses, and on every hole you are walking in Jack Nicklaus’s footsteps, which is thrilling for a golfer – whatever your score!”

European Tour star and 2012 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship winner Robert Rock is endorsing the English Tour.

The 18-hole English Amateur Tour event at St Mellion on May 28th costs £125 to enter. Competitors who join the Tour each receive £90 worth of Luke Roper and G/Fore golf clothing, free Tour Professional coaching, and a meal at St Mellion, as well as the chance to win a £500 prize package and an invitation to a Grand Final in Dubai.

The 36-hole, two-day English Tour for Professionals starts on May 28th and costs £225 to enter. There is no cut, and two-thirds of entry fees are paid into the Prize Fund.

Both Amateur and Professional golfers can enter the event at www.englishtour.co.uk, where there is also an FAQ about all aspects of the English Tour.

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St Mellion International Resort

The Hotel and 18th Green on the
Nicklaus Signature Course. Photo: Andy Hiseman

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www.st-mellion.co.uk
Set in 450 acres of stunning Cornish countryside, St Mellion International Resort offers a fresh, unexpected alternative to the more traditional hotel & resort accommodation in the West Country. The Resort offers a contemporary 4-star hotel, the stunning Nicklaus Signature and Kernow golf courses, Guests can choose from three very different dining experiences, including fine dining, brasserie-style and a comprehensive bar food menu. An indoor leisure club with three pools, an Elemis spa health & fitness club allows guests to be as active or as relaxed as they choose. Its combination of a superb, tranquil location, facilities unrivalled in the area, and wonderful hospitality makes St Mellion International Resort perfect for golf breaks, leisure breaks and family holidays. And for golfers, St Mellion has it well and truly covered, with highly competitive rates and two European Tour courses making the Resort the ideal destination for corporate or society golf, as well as for a memorable golf holiday with friends.

www.englishtour.co.uk

The English Tour is the New Place to Play Golf. With a Professional Tour and Amateur Tour running alongside one another - with 16 two-day Pro events and 10 one-day AM events in 2013 - the English Tour is quickly becoming the most modern, forward-thinking and progressive Professional and Amateur Golf Tour in the UK and Europe. We have the correct infrastructure and support in place to ensure that both our Professional and Amateur members gain the experience and progress they are striving for. Do not miss out. Game on!

www.crown-golf.co.uk

The award-winning Crown Golf group has 26 UK golf facilities and 40 golf courses in its portfolio. With pride in customer service and innovation, Crown Golf (established in 1994) aims to provide an outstanding golf experience for its members and visitors, tailor-made to suit the lifestyles and needs of a wide range of golfers. The company’s flagship is the European Tour venue St Mellion International Resort, home to The Nicklaus Signature Course – the first in the UK to be designed by 18-time Major-winner Jack Nicklaus. This golf course, voted ‘Best In The West’ by readers of Today’s Golfer, celebrates its 25th Anniversary in 2013.