The Golfweek Amateur Tour/Orlando will open its 2011 season on March 19 at Black Bear GC in Eustis. Fifteen tournaments are scheduled on some of the finest courses in central Florida. “Last year we played a terrific schedule; this year our lineup is every bit as good” said Tom Mirus, Tour director. “We will be taking the tour to some new courses this year. We are returning to Grand Cypress and Victoria Hills rejoins the lineup after renovating their greens last year. We are excited about the coming season. We will again qualify fifty players (10 from each of the five flights) for the Tour Championship in October. It is being held in Hilton Head, SC now and the players that made the trip last year loved it. I am sure competition for the invitations will be strong again this year. Plus, our players competed for nearly $50,000 in prizes last year.”

The Golfweek Amateur Tour/Orlando is the first Florida affiliate of the Golfweek Amateur Tour. There are local tours operating in 38 geographic areas with nationwide membership exceeding 3000. The Senior (50 & up) flights will continue play on Saturdays with the regular flights. Senior players may choose to compete simultaneously in Regular flights for an additional surcharge. Senior players will qualify for the senior Tour Championship in November, in Pinehurst.

Players are put in flights by handicap/handicap-index. Players without indexes may submit recent scorecards to be assigned to a flight, subject to change based on tournament performance. All prizes in all flights are based on gross scores. Entry fees start as low as $80 and include course costs, range balls, and prizes. Annual Player Cards are $100. Online registration is available. 2010 saw the Golfweek Tour continue its reputation as central Florida’s "Tour of Choice." 

In November thirteen senior players traveled to Pinehurst, NC to represent the tour in the senior national tournament played at the National GC/Pine Needles/Mid Pines courses. Bill Foster (Villages) and Dennis Brady (Melbourne) tied for 5th in Championsip flight. Tim Sobitz (Oviedo) took 3rd in B flight.

The website (www.orlandoagt.com), provides tour visibility and awareness, providing easy access for members and new players wishing to join in the fun. Tournaments average nearly 100 players. The Order of Merit points list determines the invitations to the national tournament as well as Player of the Year in each flight.  Steve Maddox (Lakeland) and Robbie Robinson (Kissimmee) captured the Senior Championship & Senior A flight awards, respectively. Arnie Guerra (Melbourne) took the Senior B title.

The tour was founded in 1997. Every year the fields get stronger and the quality of play increases. The best players are playing this tour. Director Tom Mirus points out that "over 1/3 of our membership play with a 4.0 index or better and another 1/3 are between 4.1 and 9.0." Players come from Tampa to Cocoa Beach and from Jacksonville to Ft. Lauderdale to compete. Take your game to a new level! Applications and information are available at Orlando area Edwin Watts Golf Shops, host golf courses or by contacting Tour Director, Tom Mirus, at (407) 348-5650. Or you can visit the website at www.orlandoagt.com and register online.