(MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.) — The PlayGolfMyrtleBeach.com World Amateur Handicap Championship, the game’s largest single-site tournament, donated $50,000 to Project Golf, a Myrtle Beach-based, grow-the-game initiative.
The World Am made the donation to Angel Diaz, the Director of Project Golf, during a Wednesday night presentation at the World’s Largest 19th Hole.
The 38th annual event is being played August 30 - September 3 and has attracted nearly 3,500 players from all 50 states and more than 10 countries.
Project Golf is dedicated to increasing access to the sport, including quality instruction, with an emphasis on junior golfers, military veterans and prospective players who previously may not have felt comfortable at a golf course.
“The World Am attracts golf’s most passionate players, and we are thrilled to make a donation to Project Golf, which we see as an investment in the future of the game and the tournament,” said Scott Tomasello, tournament director for the World Amateur Handicap Championship. “Project Golf is an organization dedicated to growing the number of people who play golf and broadening the game’s appeal, and that’s an effort we want to support.”
Project Golf provides new players a path to sustained enjoyment of the game, bringing people to the sport for a lifetime. Project Golf hosts clinics for juniors, military veterans, and anyone with an interest in taking up golf.
Each series of clinics lasts six weeks and helps introduce players to the game in a supportive environment that teaches participants everything from how to book a tee time to golf course etiquette and swing fundamentals. Most importantly, Project Golf connects new players with people of similar ability levels, allowing them to find playing partners they are immediately comfortable with. Crucially, the organization also follows up with players after their initial series of clinics are over, helping encourage them to stay connected to the game.
A 72-hole, net stroke play tournament, the World Am is being played on 55 of the Myrtle Beach area’s premier courses. Entry into the tournament, which included at least four rounds of golf, nightly admission to the World’s Largest 19th Hole and a gift bag, was $679.
There were two new women’s divisions introduced this year. For the first time, there was a women’s gross division, and the ladies, who previously had just one age group, will be split into two groups - 59 and under and 60 and older.
The World Am, which flights players based on age, gender and handicap, is open to all golfers 17 years of age and older.
The World Am flights players into 11 divisions – men 49 and under, senior men (50-59), mid-senior men (60-69), super senior men (70-79), seasoned seniors (80+), women (59 and under), senior women (60+), the gross division, senior (50+) gross division and women’s gross division. There is also a “Just For Fun” flight, created for players who want to enjoy the World Am experience without the pressure of competition.
After four days of competition, all flight winners and ties advance to the World Championship Playoff at the Resort Course at Grande Dunes, an 18-hole shootout that crowns the event’s winner.
While the competition is initially what lures players to the tournament, it’s only part of what keeps them coming back. At the heart of the World Am’s appeal is the camaraderie among its participants and much of that kinship is fostered at the World’s Largest 19th Hole.
Each night of the event, the 19th Hole overtakes all 120,000-square feet of the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, providing participants with free food and drinks, live entertainment, celebrity guest appearances, a golf expo and more. Among the big names that have appeared at the 19th Hole in recent years are David Feherty, Brandel Chamblee, Charlie Rymer and John Daly.
Players will also receive a gift bag that includes a polo, a pullover, a golf towel, a logo’d hat, a PGA Tour Superstore gift card and an assortment of other goodies valued cumulatively at $250.
For more information, visit www.MyrtleBeachWorldAmateur.com.
For more information, on Project Golf, visit ProjectGolf.org.
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