RookieTour by Bob Lacey
The ROOKIETOUR was created to broaden the competitive experience of the Under 14 age
group of boys and girls within Surrey.
RookieTour Committee: Bob Lacey (Chair), Peter Barratt, Dan McSweeney,
Brian Woodham, Peter Millham, Steve McNeil, Caroline Hardy-Evans
The Tour aims to:
•
Act as a player pathway to the mainstream junior opens
•
Provide a competitive element appropriate to age
•
Give competitive experience outside of home clubs
•
Build team spirit and friendship within peer group
•
Give an entry route to competition for boys and girls with or without handicaps
•
Allow identification of talent for Surrey coaching and Surrey junior teams
•
Provide fun through structured competition on both 9-hole par 3 courses and full
18-hole competitions
From its conception in 2007 the tour continues to develop and evolve and 2019 was no exception.
The 2019 tour saw an average entry of 97 players per event, with the largest entry of the year
being at Cranleigh with 130, representing just over six hours of tee times!
In total 215 players from 48 Surrey golf clubs registered for the 2019 tour, which compares
favourably with previous years.
The Young Improvers Group (YIGS) for those U13 boys and girls who are just starting out, saw
average event entries of 24 players. YIGS are boys and girls who either don’t have a handicap
or have a “Club” handicap of 37 to 54. YIGS competitions are played over 9-hole par 3 courses.
Regards handicaps the players are given a YIGS RookieTour playing handicap that is managed by
the tour and only valid in a RookieTour YIGS event.
On the main RookieTour the Birdie Trophy, the innovation of Junior committee member Peter
Barratt who kindly donated the trophy, is awarded to the player who scores the highest number
of gross birdies in RookieTour events throughout the season. The 2019 winner was Leo Vorobyev
with 18 gross birdies.
In 2019 the Sinclair Salver, introduced in memory of long time RookieTour supporter Mike Sinclair,
is awarded by the RookieTour Committee to the player who they believe has best demonstrated
good etiquette and upheld the traditions of golf throughout the year. The 2019 winner was Stirling
Halai-Carter, who demonstrated these qualities in abundance during the course of the season.
Without doubt the RookieTour is now regarded as a major series of events on the calendar of
every Surrey U14 golfer.
The events are generally 18 hole “qualifiers”, something that has proved to be very popular with
all the competitors. The Girls play Scratch and Handicap Stableford competitions, whilst the Boys
are split into three sections: Boys with handicaps of 12 and below play Scratch and Handicap
Medal competitions; Boys with handicaps between 13 and 28 play Scratch and Handicap
Stableford competitions; and Boys with handicaps between 28.1 and 36 play 9-hole Handicap
Stableford competitions. All competitions count towards Order of Merits.
The number of regular season RookieTour events was twelve for 2019, plus the “Race to the
Stars” finale for the leading players in each Order of Merit, making a total of thirteen events
throughout the year. For the YIGS there were four events in which to take part.
The Race to the Stars, the finale of the 2019 RookieTour, took place at Kingswood Golf and
Country Club. Sixty junior golfers gathered to take part in this invitation only event. The
Kingswood Clubhouse and course were fantastic, with the overnight rain and the stiff breeze
weakening as the day progressed to make for a great day of golf.
Overall there is no doubt that the 2019 RookieTour has yet again been a fantastic success for
Surrey Golf and all the juniors involved. And with the continued support of the Surrey Golf Clubs
who host our events it will continue to be so for many years to come.
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