The Sunbelt Senior Professional Golf Tour

INTRODUCTION:


The Sunbelt Senior Professional Golf Tour has emerged as the dominant senior developmental tour in the country. Since its' inception in 1996, it has always placed the players needs first by operating with honesty, integrity, and professionalism. With the high quality of exempt players moving on to the Champions Tour from the PGA circuit and formidable odds against securing a player's card from the Q-School process, Sunbelt provides a professional, competitive environment for seniors (age 47 & up) to fine-tune their skills.

The events are played mainly in the southeastern United States of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and North Carolina, but tournaments have been played in Virginia and Pennsylvania. The Resort at Glade Springs in West Virginia has been added as a new event for 2009. The Tour is headquartered in Myrtle Beach, SC and is owned and operated by Carolinas PGA Professional, Don Barnes. Sunbelt has paid over $3 million in purses over the past 13 years and by 2010, forecasts charitable donations to exceed $1 million.

The Sunbelt Tour has a proven record of accomplishments. Walter Hall, who now has won nearly $7 million on the Champions Tour, won 4 events on the Sunbelt Tour in 1996, before heading for the big time, and added another win as late as 2007. James Mason played on the Sunbelt for 3 years before striking pay dirt with a win as a Monday qualifier in the Champions Tour's NFL Classic. He has since won over $2 million and gained exempt status again in 2009 by finishing 4th at the 2008 National Qualifying School. Gene Jones was the leading money winner on the Sunbelt Tour from 2005 through 2007 and was medalist in the 2007 National Q-School finals. As a Monday qualifier, he finished 18th on the 2008 Champions Tour money list with over $1 million in earnings and is fully exempt in 2009. Other notable accomplishments include:

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Tom McKnight, won his 1st professional championship on the Sunbelt Senior Tour before making it onto the Champions Tour. He finished 3rd in the Champions 2008 National Q-School and is fully exempt in 2009.
Mike Goodes, is a 2007 Sunbelt Tour champion who finished in the Champions Tour top 30 last year as a Monday qualifier and is also fully exempt in 2009.
Steve Thomas, 5 time Sunbelt Tour winner captured one of only five spots at the Champions Tour Q-School Finals to be fully exempt in 2009.
David Ogrin, former PGA Tour winner, won 2 events on the Sunbelt Tour this year.
Tim Conley, two-time Nationwide Tour winner (who led the 2008 Sunbelt Tour money list) and David Ogrin both finished in the top 12 at the Champions 2008 Q-School final and should get their share of starts in 2009. 23 Sunbelt Tour members won money on the Champions Tour last year.



The Tour has consistently attracted many top professionals from around the world including Australia, Africa, most of the European countries and Canada. Sunbelt players with outstanding records include Ryder Cup team member, Ken Green, and three-time PGA Tour winners, Gary Hallberg, Kenny Knox and Pat McGowan. Other PGA Tour champions include George Burns, Frank Conner, Bill Britton, Lon Hinkle, Rex Caldwell, Tony Sills, Dan Halldorson and Jim Booros. The tournaments on the Sunbelt Senior Tour provide a great opportunity for aspiring tour players to compete against some of the best senior professionals in the country.

Companies are attracted to this Tour because many of the Sunbelt tournaments include a charitable pro/am. "The Patriot," an invitational pro/am at National Golf Club in Pinehurst, NC, in 2008 alone raised over $100,000 for families of our fallen heroes from Fort Bragg. Another event, the South Carolina Senior Open, which is annually held at Tidewater Golf Plantation in North Myrtle Beach, SC, donated over $55,000 to two local charities over the past two years.

For a recoverable $25,000, companies, charities, golf clubs or other entities may sponsor a future event. The fee provides added incentive in purses for the pros and can easily be more than offset by income gained from pro/ams, co-sponsors, hole/flag signage, program/pairing sheet sales, vendor co-op programs, etc.






Please take the time to visit our fine Sponsors.

 

Don Barnes - Director
Sunbelt Senior Tour

129 Stegall Circle
Longs, SC 29568
Phone: 843.399.6560
Fax: 843.399.7922
Email: srtour@sccoast.net


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© 1999-2009 Sunbelt Senior Tour
Last Modified On: June 20, 2009