A new era of the PGA Tour will begin in 2023. After announcing late this summer that nine of its 2023 tournaments would be elevated events with massive purses, the PGA Tour will reportedly increase that number of elevated tournaments to 13 per season with 12 of those 13 events paying out $20 million or more to golfers.

These big-time, big-money events will feature all the top players in the world, according to multiple reports, with the Phoenix Open, RBC Heritage, Travelers Championship and Wells Fargo Championship being the four newest additions, per Golfweek.

Those events will join the Tournament of Champions, Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational, Players Championship, WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, the Memorial Tournament, St. Jude Championship, BMW Championship and Tour Championship in the elevated category. 

In total, 10 of the 13 elevated tournaments will feature purses of $20 million. The only events that have varying purses are the Tournament of Champions ($15 million), Players Championship ($25 million) and Tour Championship ($75 million toward the FedEx Cup overall).

These are the 13 PGA Tour events that all the top players in the world agreed to play together at the now-famous hotel meeting during the 2022 BMW Championship. Additionally, those players will ostensibly play the four major championships to bring the total of guaranteed appearances to 17 per season. It’s possible they may also be required to play three additional PGA Tour events on the calendar as a way to spread out star power across the non-elevated tournaments. That’s a likely total of 20 events during the 2022-23 PGA Tour season for the game’s top players.

Those golfers, defined annually as the 20 players who finished highest in the Player Impact Program, have agreed to play in these elevated events moving forward as a way to combat the newly-launched LIV Golf, which features limited events (14 in 2023) in which all the top players in that league play.

The only top-ranked players that have left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf have been Dustin Johnson and Cameron Smith. Though other big names have departed, none were in the top 20 in the Official World Golf Rankings.

“We need to get the top guys together more often than we do,” said Rory McIlroy earlier this year after the players-only meeting in Delaware ahead of the BMW. “I’m talking about all in the same tournaments, all in the same weeks.”

Functionally, this elevated event path creates two different leagues for the PGA Tour. There will be the 17 elevated tournaments (including the major championships, which are run by non-PGA Tour organizations but are considered PGA Tour events) and then the 30 non-elevated tournaments, most of which will not feature the PGA Tour’s top-drawing stars. However, this consolidates star power in a meaningful way and packs it into fewer events rather than spreading it thin throughout the season.

Also, it appears likely the PGA Tour will rotating some of these elevated event purses across different tournaments so that, for example, perhaps the AT&T Byron Nelson will be an elevated event in 2025 and give those in the Dallas/Fort Worth market an opportunity to see all the best golfers in the world. This is likely to provide a better overall fan experience than the status quo.

“Our top players are firmly behind the Tour, helping us deliver an unmatched product to our fans, who will be all but guaranteed to see the best players competing against each other in 20 events or more throughout the season,” said PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan at the Tour Championship earlier this year.

“This is an extraordinary and unprecedented commitment, a testament to who these guys are and what they believe in. To now have our top players rally around this organization and commit to a portfolio of tournaments like never before, I think our fans, our partners, our players are going to love it. I promise you, there’s more to come.”

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Setting up a Golf Society

Many golfers get into the game through a golf society. It’s where enthusiasts get together as a group, to visit golf clubs – often at an agreed or negotiated ‘visitor rate’ that includes golf & food.

A society can be as few as eight people taking up two tees times (at a chosen club), or sometimes over 100 golfers, all enjoying some relaxed but friendly, competitive golf. 

It’s also an opportunity for the ‘occasional golfer’ and golfing nomads, to win a few prizes.

But, there are a few things you’ll need to know if you want to start a golf society, that can helps things run smoothly.

10 things to consider when starting your society.

1 – Make sure you have enough support to form a Society. Draw up regulations and rules under a range of headings for members to abide by:

• Name of the Society
• Objectives of Members
• How to join and leave
• Costs Involved
• Organisation structure
• Handicap procedures
• Date and times of events
• List competitions rules

2 – Have a meeting of members in advance of the golf year to approve rules listed above and discuss location and number of events to hold

3 – Elect Officers e.g., Treasurer, Secretary, Captain, Vice-Captain, and other officials

4 – Keep collected Monies in open bank accounts with more than one signatory and have an appointed auditor.

5 – Run the Society to the rules of golf and rules that cover amateur status (Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews)

6 – Lay down the rules of how handicaps will be allocated and adjusted in accordance with society’s rules – Appoint a Handicap Secretary

7 – Always collect monies in advance of an event. That way, if anyone fails to turn up, the society won’t be out of pocket.

8 – Select courses that are competitive but not too hard, ensuring that all players will enjoy their day.

9 – For speed of play, ALWAYS use the Stableford method of scoring.

10 – Make sure you have Nearest Pins, Nearest Pin in Two (shots), Longest Drive and Straightest Drive prizes to make the day as enjoyable as possible.

Other benefits of forming your own Golf Society include:

Starting a Golf Society does not mean you have to follow a long list of rules and regulations.

By forming your own Society, you are not bound by England Golf or R&A rules.

However, the downside to being a golf society organiser is you’ll sometimes find your opportunities to play a good course with good facilities limited. 

When working with the golf club Society Manager, try to be flexible on the times and dates you are requesting. 

In addition, while handicaps can be obtained in a number of different ways now, there are no rules and regulations to say you members MUST only use official Club Handicaps. 

In fact, you don’t have to use handicaps at all, if you would prefer not to make your days competitive.

However, Society Golfers who hold a handicap with online golf clubs like The Social Golfer, are at an advantage, as you have a good idea of your societies playing abilities from the start.

Furthermore, never forget that golf societies are a lifeline for golf clubs. Many rely on the funds that societies and ‘Nomadic Golfers’ generate throughout the year – these are much-needed funds for the club’s annual profits.

If you do your research, Golf Societies have proven to be great for beginners, giving them the chance to learn rules and ettiquette, without having the expense of joining a club with annual subscriptions.

Another benefit is that players get to enjoy the camaraderie of a lads’ or lassies’ day out with good friends!

By Kevin Booth

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