LATEST
NEWS

European Tour adds new six-hole tournament to 2017 schedule
Sean Dudley
/ Categories: News

European Tour adds new six-hole tournament to 2017 schedule

The European Tour has added a new six-hole tournament to its schedule for 2017.

GolfSixes will take place at the Centurion Club in St Albans, UK, from 6-7 May this year. The event will feature two-man teams from 16 different countries.

One player from each team will be the leading ranked and available European Tour member from the 2017 Exemption Category List as at March 13, and the other will be a compatriot of their choice.

The European Tour has launched the new tournament model to help illustrate its desire ‘to embrace innovation and originality in professional golf’.

This air of innovation will extend beyond the play itself, with a dedicated fan zone where players will also participate in Q&A sessions. The tournament will also see amphitheatre-style seating around tees and greens, music, pyrotechnics at various points around the course, and the players wearing microphones.

“We have said for some time that golf needs to modernise and introducing innovative new formats is a major part of achieving that aim, which is why I am delighted to announce the launch of GolfSixes today,” said Keith Pelley, chief executive of the European Tour. “We want to broaden the appeal of our sport to the millennial demographic and I think this format will do that, not only through the quick and exiting style of play, but also with the interactive digital experience fans will enjoy on site and the innovative television coverage people will enjoy at home.”

Pelley also expressed his delight at having a country vs country element to the tournament.

“There is no question that the greatest atmosphere in golf comes every two years at The Ryder Cup and we are keen to try and emulate that national fervour in this format,” he said. “We are in the entertainment content business with golf as our platform and GolfSixes is the perfect illustration of that.”

The topic of six hole golf was recently addressed in issue 46 of GCA, with architects Lassi Pekka Tilander and Frank Pont giving their thoughts on the idea.

During the tournament itself, the participating teams will be split into four groups, with two from each progressing to a knockout stage. In the group stages, matches will be played over all six holes with one point awarded for each hole won. The winner of each match will be the player with most points at the end of six holes.

The knockout stages will be played over as many holes as is required to determine a winner. Any match that is still tied after six holes will be continued by repeated play of a ‘shortened play-off hole’ on hole 18 until a result is reached.

The group stages will take place on 6 May, with the knockout stages, comprised of quarter finals, semi finals, a third place play off and the final itself will be held on 7 May.

Previous Article Bunker renovation work completed at Cabo Del Sol’s Ocean Course
Next Article Chester W Ditto course closes for redesign and renovation project
Print
3915 Rate this article:
No rating
Sean Dudley

Sean DudleySean Dudley

Other posts by Sean Dudley
Contact author

Contact author

x
The April 2025 issue of Golf Course Architecture is out now!
Magazine, News | Wed 16 Apr, 2025

The April 2025 issue of Golf Course Architecture is out now!

Includes reports from Maggie Hathaway and Apogee, interviews with Martin Ebert and Dave Axland and a feature on golf art

Spring 2025 issue of ASGCA’s By Design magazine is out now
Magazine, News | Fri 14 Mar, 2025

Spring 2025 issue of ASGCA’s By Design magazine is out now

New issue asks whether the golf boom has led to an increase in municipal golf investment

FEATURE
ARTICLES

Bringing golf to Benin
Afrikafun Production Stephane Brabant
Report | Richard Humphreys

Bringing golf to Benin

Jeremy Pern and Gregori International are creating the first 18-hole course in the West African country, on an ‘almost perfect’ site that also includes a sacred grove and voodoo shrines

The future of vegetation management on Melbourne’s Sandbelt
Lukas Michel/CDP
Opinion | Mike Clayton

The future of vegetation management on Melbourne’s Sandbelt

Mike Clayton discusses Alister MacKenzie’s transformative impact on Australian golf and how clubs can avoid repeating previous mistakes by establishing a long-term plan focused on indigenous plants

Maggie Hathaway: A force for good
Stephen Barton – Second Collective
On site | Adam Lawrence

Maggie Hathaway: A force for good

The reconstruction of the nine-hole course in Los Angeles is the golf industry at its best, says Adam Lawrence

Designs for the big screen
Pizá Golf
Interview | Richard Humphreys

Designs for the big screen

Chad Goetz and Agustin Piza discuss their design decisions for the virtual holes that featured in the first season of TGL

The ties that bind
Crooked Stick
Opinion | Justin Olmstead

The ties that bind

Justin Olmstead of Profile Products talks about the relationships behind the renovation of Crooked Stick in Indiana

Bob Harrison: Wizard of Oz
Konrad Borkowski
Interview | Adam Lawrence

Bob Harrison: Wizard of Oz

The Australian designer has had a long career and, like many of his countrymen, has spent much of it away from home. Adam Lawrence listened to his tales from the road

Jim Wagner and Rusty Mercer discuss Kinsale design and build
Kinsale Golf Club
Interview | Richard Humphreys

Jim Wagner and Rusty Mercer discuss Kinsale design and build

Florida course is a tribute to the Golden Age designs of Raynor and Macdonald

Are bunkers getting too pretty for their own good?
Larry Lambrecht
Feature | Adam Lawrence

Are bunkers getting too pretty for their own good?

Is the beauty of bunkering being over-emphasised at the expense of its function, asks Adam Lawrence

Good Read: The Prairie Raynor
Grant Books Ltd
Good Read | John Moran and Rand Jerris

Good Read: The Prairie Raynor

John Moran and Rand Jerris share insight into their book about Seth Raynor’s design at Chicago Golf Club

Vinpearl Golf Léman: New pearls for Vietnam
Vinpearl Golf Leman
Report | Richard Humphreys

Vinpearl Golf Léman: New pearls for Vietnam

The first of two Golfplan-designed courses at club near Ho Chi Minh City has opened for play

Seven Canyons: Desert drama
Brad Klein
Report | Bradley Klein

Seven Canyons: Desert drama

Brad Klein reports on a Phil Smith Design renovation in Sedona, Arizona

Gopher Watch Competition – April 2025
Gopher Watch, News | Wed 16 Apr, 2025

Gopher Watch Competition – April 2025

Which course has Sandy the gopher visited this month?

MOST
POPULAR

FEATURED
BUSINESSES