Master-ful event draws state's best amateur golfers

Harry Black studies a putt during last weekend's Tidewater Masters. Black won the event's Championship Flight. (courtesy photo)

By JIM DUCIBELLA
The Virginian-Pilot

WILLIAMSBURG - Call it Masters weekend, Tidewater-style.

The champion wore navy blue, not green - and there were five jackets in all. Unlike at Augusta National, the banquet menu wasn't designed by the previous year's winner, although the barbecue-and-fixings buffet drew an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

There were no galleries or counterfeit patron's badges to uncover. The fairways of The Colonial, a hidden jewel located just outside of Williamsburg, were empty. Instead of Augusta's famous 12th hole over water, competitors on the Tidewater Amateur Golf Tour stared last Sunday into "The Abyss" - 165 yards of pure carry over ball-swallowing wetlands.

But some things are universal. Players intently studied the large scoreboard as they trudged in after their rounds. Some loved the way the course played; others advocated blowing it up.

There was appreciative applause when the crystal-clear trophies and certificates were distributed, along with some good-natured ribbing as the winners donned jackets with "Tidewater Masters" stitched on the breast pocket. Some of the more mathematically inclined were already updating the point standings, which will determine who advances to the season-ending championship in South Carolina.

Put them together - the courses, competition, camaraderie, food and prizes - and you have the reasons why the Tidewater Amateur Golf Tour (TAGT) may be the crown jewel of the 34-branch Amateur Golf Tour that stretches through 13 states, from Michigan to Texas.

The competition sure thinks so. Last year, the group named Tidewater's meticulous Lyle Joyner its Tournament Director of the Year.

"I try to do things that set us apart from the others," explained Joyner, a volunteer who, with his wife, Nicole, works about 20 hours a week on the tour's Web site, www.tidewatertour.com, updating and answering e-mails and brainstorming new ways to enhance the experience.

Take the blue jackets. None of the AGT's other groups award such a prize. But of the 18 events Joyner runs, the Masters is a "major" and he wanted to give it that feel.

Under Joyner the past five years, TAGT has grown from 36 members, only 12 of whom consistently played, to about 200. At The Colonial, 101 players began the two-day event, about the weekly average.

The Tour is open to anyone, although players 20 or younger must be qualified to play in the Championship Flight, or A Flight. Championship competitors carry handicaps from scratch to 5.9; D-Flight players have handicaps of 20.1 or higher.

Everyone competes within their flight and the prizes are the same, no matter the flight.

There's an $80 fee to join, but members play events at Kingsmill, the Carolina Club, Bay Creek, Virginia Beach National, Golden Horseshoe, Heron Ridge, Riverfront, Bide-A-Wee, Kiskiack, Stonehouse and other top-notch layouts at a reduced price.

The weekend at The Colonial cost $160 and included greens fees and a cart for 36 holes, range balls, prizes and the buffet. There also were deals on practice rounds.

Most tournaments last one day.

"It isn't any more than I would normally pay on the weekend," member Chris Tuttle said. "And $80 to join? To me, that's a good deal."

A former pro, Tuttle, 36, is one of the Commonwealth's best amateurs. Last summer, he advanced to the finals of the Virginia State Golf Association Public Links championship, reached the second round of match play at the state Amateur at The Homestead, and tied for sixth in the state Mid-Amateur Championship. Although outside obligations restrict his schedule, Tuttle is using the TAGT to stay sharp.

"I was looking for competition," said Tuttle, who finished second to Harry Black at The Colonial. "When you play against your friends on the weekend or something, it's a $5 bet and you're kind of concentrating and it kind of matters, but not really. I'm a lot more focused out here."

Norfolk's Charles Falkiner found what he wanted, too. Last week's D-Flight winner, Falkiner heard about the Tour from a buddy and decided to give it a try.

"It's certainly met my expectations," said Falkiner, 76. "I believe it is exceptionally well-run and players enjoy themselves and get some good competition."

Falkiner said he may not be a better player now than before joining the tour, but he's far less prone to wild swings in his score. He's also much more aware of playing the game as it was intended: no gimmes, no mulligans, no improved lies.

"My scores aren't any better," he laughed. "But I have a greater sense of accomplishment to play this way. I'd say we're a little less competitive than the players at the Championship Flight, but I think we may have the most fun."

At the end of the year, the top 15 finishers in each flight get an invitation to the national, 36-hole tournament in Hilton Head, S.C. The Tidewater team finished second a year ago, losing to Orlando.

Before then, however, are a host of other perks, including a postseason awards banquet at which Joyner honors the Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, most-improved player - even the best-dressed. Last year, 125 people attended.

"I believe this tour will continue to grow and be the one the others try to emulate," member Bill Shelly wrote after the Masters.

It's already happening.