To Todd Kuczma, bigger is certainly better. Thus, the director of BlackWolf Golf is taking what was a Calgary-based match play tournament and spreading it out across the country.
Not only that, he’s upping the number of players in his popular team golf event this yea and he’s growing the prize money to go along with that.
And oh yeah, the free trip on a private jet to the final staging ground in B.C.’s Okanagan Valley is still part of the package for the finalists.
Kuczma, who noted this all began “in the office as a season long match play thing with 16 people,” has ballooned in popularity so he’s spreading the wealth, making this bigger because that is so much better for everyone.
From only being played in Calgary the last three years, where 256 players on two-man teams played for a $5,000 purse and that plane trip to the finals at Predator Ridge in Vernon in 2015, the event will now see a prize purse of $10,000 in 2016. And while the prize money has doubled, the host sites will triple this coming golf season.
With the demand for more places to qualify for the final, Kuczma has expanded the demographics of the tourney to include Vancouver, Edmonton and Toronto.
Speaking of the new Edmonton addition, Kuczma said, “We’re looking for 128 teams, 50 per cent handicap. We’re flying out eight people on the jet and they’re playing for a $10,000 purse as well. And it’s the same thing for Vancouver. This is open to anybody; you can play with whoever you want.”
With that much prize money being offered to anyone taking part, Kuczma explained that those players afraid of losing their amateur status are protected.
“If you do happen to qualify for the jet, and you want to protect your amateur status, you’re not actually allowed to go on the jet,” he began. “We’ve protected the good amateur players, guys who may have a full scholarship at an NCAA college. We partnered with Golf Canada and those guys have to sign a waiver that they’re not allowed to accept any cash, or accept a trip on the jet.
“For example, last year Patrick Murphy (from Crossfield, AB, who is at UCLA on a golf scholarship) kind of waltzed through his five matches and won himself a spot on the jet. He had to give his spot up on the jet. You are allowed substitutes so his partner got one.
“You are protected (as an amateur),” as long as no prize money/gifts over $1,000 change hands. “Anything over $1,000, you are suspect to turning professional. We want to protect those players for sure.”
About the prize money, the purse is broken down this way: A Side Champions – $3000 + Trip; A Side Runner Up – $1500 + Trip; 3rd Place – $750 + Trip; 4th Place – $500 + Trip; A Side Quarterfinalists – $400 each.
B Side Winners – $1000; B Side Runner Up – $600; B Side Semi Finalists – $300 each.
Purse is based on 128 team field
There are certain timelines that competitors must adhere to through the playing season with the opponents in a region agreeing beforehand on a place and time to do battle. Kuczma indicated that he’ll have several golf courses in each of the qualifying sites available where players can book tee times at reduced green fees.
“As the matches get a little closer to qualifying for the trip, we do have designated neutral ground that is used,” he stated, thus letting the layers focus on the task at hand and not on where they should be playing.
The format is simple, said Kuczma.
“It’s two-man match play. Edmonton, Vancouver and Toronto will be handicapped at 50 per cent. It’s just better ball match play.”
Speaking to the growth of this event, Kuczma said it’s due to a couple of things.
“It’s taken on a life of its own. It’s gathered a lot of steam and that seems to be from an underground word of mouth thing. Everybody knows about it. We haven’t had one person that’s played in it ever that didn’t play in it the next year.
“To say one thing, excluding the private jet thing which is unique, it’s value. Last year it was a $50 (per person) entry fee and each guy got a $40 first tee gift. Same thing with this year,” where the playing fee has risen to $100 per player for the team event and $200 for singles (64 players max), which accounts for the doubling of the prize purse.
As part of its community initiative, BlackWolf Golf has teamed up with the Kids Cancer Care Foundation in an effort to help youngsters and their families thrive in body, mind and spirit.
While the Calgary tournament is a virtual sellout already, there is still lots of room in the other two Western tournaments. Entry is on a first-come, first-served basis, up to 128 teams at each locale. For more on the event, and on past tournaments, go to blackwolfgolf.com. To enter, give Kuczma a call at 403-742-5013.
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