A TRULY INTERNATIONAL EVENT

Well the new tournament brings ever nearer Greg Norman's original concept of a world tour, as it will be sanctioned by tours representing all five continents. This means that the sixteen best golfers in the world will visit our shores each year, whereas the Volvo Masters was restricted to members of the European Tour. They will be playing for a prize purse £4.25 million (pounds sterling) of which the winner will receive £750,000 (pounds sterling). Our ailing golf tourism industry badly needs an infusion of fresh blood and the way our golf administrators react to the world's spotlight will play a major part in deciding the future not only of our golf tourism, but of all the businesses that rely on the industry for their survival during the winter months. The general reaction to Valderrama's success in being named as host to the Ryder Cup match in 1997 was to increase the cost of playing golf to such a high level that regular visitors were eventually driven to seek alternative golf destinations which offered better value. Our golf administrators now have a fresh opportunity to get together and create some sort of regulatory body to prevent a repeat of past errors.

Finally, all those involved in Finca el Cortesin's courageous coup deserve all the praise they will get for their achievement of putting themselves and the Costa del Golf generally well and truly on the international golf map.

FOOTNOTE:

Thanks to a special arrangement with the Finca Cortesin Golf Resort, Golf Leisure Breaks is arranging a special meeting on this magnificent golf course early in August. An unrepeatable low green fee (including shared buggy) will bring this competition within everyone's reach, offering a unique opportunity to play this course which will be seen by millions on TV next year. More details next week.