Welcome to the 2023 Speyside 54 Hole Open
15th - 17th Sept 2023
Entries are now being accepted for an exciting, new golf tournament that is certain to attract the interest of keen golfers throughout Scotland. The Speyside 54 Hole Gents Open will be played over the outstanding Spey Valley, Boat Of Garten and Grantown On Spey courses from Friday 15th to Sunday 17th September 2023 with play rotating on a daily basis around the three venues.
The event is being run jointly by Boat Of Garten GC, Macdonald Spey Valley and Grantown On Spey GC. Secretary at Boat Of Garten, Gordon Hay is very optimistic that this competition is one which will grow and grow. “There is a tremendous demand for golf in the Speyside area and the ability to play three top quality courses for a very modest entry fee is sure to appeal to golfers of all abilities. We have tremendous prizes on offer with £500 available to the top scratch golfer. There is a separate handicap prize fund, likewise for Seniors aged 55 and over. Players will play 18 holes each day and we aim to ensure that players who are travelling and staying together in the same accommodation will be playing at the same venue each day. This should avoid transport difficulties. Any visitor looking to pay a standard green fee at each of these courses would be paying out approximately £200 or thereby. Here the entry fee is just over half of that and they will have the opportunity to win a significant prize. David MacMullen, Director Golf at Spey Valley GC, comments “There is tremendous variety in the three courses and the fact that there is minimal distance between them should allow the players to have a great time when they are here.
In addition to the main prize list we will be offering daily prizes for best scores, nearest the pin etc. We have given serious consideration to the format to allow for the possibility of No Returns. The Scratch prizes are based on 54 hole gross scores however the Handicap and Senior prizes are based on aggregate stableford points. The latter two allow for no returns on any given hole and save players from being out of the tournament after one bad hole. “
PGA Professional Lewis Ware believes that this could become a massive tourist event in the future. “We are hoping to have around 150 competitors in the first year, most of whom will be seeking accommodation in the area. We are therefore working with a number of local accommodation providers to offer a better package for the players during the tournament. We are also looking at providing entertainment in the clubhouses each evening which the wives or partners of the players can also attend. This year will be a test for us but we hope to see a year on year increase in participation going forward.