Posted Online: Posted online: April 20, 2007 2:58 PM

Posted Online: Posted online: April 20, 2007 2:58 PM
Print publication date: 04/20/2007

Local amateur golf tours flourishing

By Tom Johnston, tjohnston@qconline.com

The major impetus to creating the National City Bank Amateur Tour was to benefit youth golfers of the Quad-Cities via the First Tee program.

That humble beginning and the work of one dad looking for a place locally for his son to play some summer tournament golf has resulted in two local golf tours flourishing -- one for adults and one for kids.

Not only is the NCBAm Tour going strong -- as in $9,000 in donations to local not-for-profit organizations, but so is the fledgling Quad City Junior Tour that teed it up last summer. Despite fairly short notice and little organization time, the QCJT hosted over 100 golfers ages 18 and under in all six events in the Quad-Cities, including a series-high 165 at Duck Creek Golf Course.

Bruce Sandry, an NCBAm Tour board member, pioneered the youth series when he couldn't find a place within 100 miles of the Quad-Cities for his son, Kyle, to play. Now, the QCJT is part of the Iowa PGA Junior Tour and its summer-long series and Sandry is trying to improve the youth side of things and not necessarily grow it.

"It's a place to play and is a great venue for kids to get into golf and get their feet wet in competitive golf," said Sandry, who received backing from Jeff Seitz from Advance Homes and the NCBAm Tour.

The same could be said for the National City Bank Amateur Tour. While pushing 100 members the past few years, organizers would love to see an influx of golfers into the tour -- if for no other reason than to enjoy some competitive golf and camaraderie. The charitable contributions are an added bonus.

"Are we a golf tour? Are we an organization that raises money?" said Chris Wilkins, NCBAm player and volunteer board member of the 501c (3) not-for-profit group. "We definitely struggle with our identity from year-to-year."

The NCBAm Tour is open to golfers of all abilities, with tournaments broken down into flights with plenty of gift certificates up for grabs at each of the 36-hole events. Board members would love to see participation grow, which would in turn boost charitable contributions.

"We've struggled as a board trying to figure out how to make that happen," said Wilkins. "I still to this day don't know what the answer is to that."

Part of that is getting the message out to all golfers within an hour's drive of the Quad-Cities metro area that the tour is open to them. It doesn't matter what your handicap is -- or even if you don't have one. Players earn points corresponding to their place finishes and also compete for Player of The Year honors as well as for spots on the Hasley Cup team -- the NCBAm Tour's version of the Ryder Cup. That pits the top Illinois golfers on tour vs. the top Iowa-side players in a two-day, Ryder Cup-style competition. It is named in honor of long-time Davenport golf pro Jim Hasley.

Still, growing the Tour has proven difficult, despite plenty of corporate backing from the title sponsor and The Moline Dispatch Publishing Co., the Illinois-based newspaper that sponsors two season-ending major events, to more abundant smaller hole sponsors.

"It's a message we've had a hard time conveying," said Wilkins. "We think that because of the structure and the way we flight events, we feel there's ample opportunity for golfers of every skill level. Not only do all people of all skill levels love to compete, but it's a way to get better and improve your game."

For more information on the National City Bank Amateur Tour, see the tour's Web site at www.qcamtour.com

2007 NCBAm Tour schedule

u May 5-6: Pebble Creek Amateur (modified stableford scoring system), Pebble Creek Golf Course, LeClaire, Iowa.

u May 19-20: Hawthorn Ridge Amateur, Hawthorn Ridge Golf Club, Aledo, Ill.

u May 26-27: Quad-City Amateur, Emeis Golf Course, Davenport, Iowa.

u June 15-17: Clinton Riverboat Days, Clinton Country Club, Clinton, Iowa.

u June 23-24: Short Hills Amateur, Short Hills Country club, East Moline, Ill.

u July 21-22: Palmer Hills Amateur, Palmer Hills Golf Course, Bettendorf, Iowa.

u Aug. 11-12: Glynns Creek Amateur, Glynns Creek Golf Course, Long Grove, Iowa (Scott County Park).

u Aug. 18-19: Rain date.

u Aug. 25-26: Tour Championship (for top 30 season-long points leaders), Oakwood Country Club, Coal Valley, Ill.

u Sept. 15-16: Hasley Cup (Ryder Cup-style competition), Crow Valley Country Club, Bettendorf, Iowa.

2007 QC Junior Tour schedule

u June 19: Glynns Creek Golf Course, Long Grove, Iowa. Phone: (563) 328-3284.

u June 29: Duck Creek Golf Course, Davenport. Phone: (563) 326-7825.

u July 16: Emeis Golf Course, Davenport. Phone: (563) 326-7824.

u July 23: Palmer Hills Golf Course, Bettendorf. Phone: (563) 332-8296.

u Aug. 3: Pebble Creek Golf Course, LeClaire, Iowa. Phone: (563) 322-5072.

u Aug. 13: Oakwood Country Club, Coal Valley, Ill. (non-points event). Phone: (309) 799-5558.

u Age divisions: There are four age divisions for boys (11-under, 12-13, 14-15, and 16-18) and three for girls (13-under, 14-15, and 16-18). The boys 11-under and 12-13 and the girls 13-under divisions play 9-hole events. The other three age divisions play 18 holes.

u Cost: Each tournament costs $20 to play and includes golf, range balls (at courses that have practice facilities), bottled water on the course, lunch (hot dog, chips and pop), golf-related tee gifts and trophies to the top two finishers in each age category.

u Points race: The first five events will feature points to paid ($25) members of the Iowa Golf Association's PGA Junior Tour. For more information on that, check out the Iowa PGA website at www.iowapga.com. Players do not have to be part of the points race in order to play the local events.

u Contacts: Golfers need to need sign up for each QCJT event in which they play. Registration forms are available on the www.qcamtour.com Web site (click on junior tour icon in middle of page). For more information or to volunteer to help the QCJT, contact Bruce Sandry at (563) 320-1237.