Stroke Average versus Money list (Part I)

In the first of a two-part blog we look at the hidden secrets of stroke averages and how they could play a major influence in developing European golf

When you look at the Ladies European Tour and the results to date for the Order of Merit as it is based on the New Star Money List, one could be forgiven for asking “Is it right that the Order of Merit is settled by money earned rather than the average number of strokes taken by players over the entire season?”

Why do I raise this question? Well, often it is said, rightly or wrongly or arguably, that the LET is a secondary tour to the LPGA and that the Solheim Cup, Women’s British Open and the Evian Masters results demonstrate this better than anything else. Surely the measure of how good players truly are should be the number of strokes they take to play 72 holes at each event, multiplied by the number of events divided by the number of rounds, thereby producing a calculable stroke average. This provides a figure that demonstrates the consistency of a player over the entire season and their ability to almost always pull a good round out of the bag, and does not project them to the top of the money list due to the size of the winner’s cheque.

Ofcourse one has to take into account the number of events in which players have participated on any given tour, and there is an argument to say that eligibility to qualify for top honours at the end of the season should be determined by a player’s participation in a minimum number of events.

Admittedly, there is also more money on offer on the LPGA tour than the LET but what is consistent for both tours is that the players play the same holes as each other in that field or on tour and that one stroke in one event can make a substantial financial difference and boost a player into the higher echelons of the money list, despite the fact that their overall play throughout the season may have been poorer than that of players placed lower in the money tables. You think that this can’t happen? Look again!

Let’s take a couple of examples – at the top of the LET Money List as at the time of writing this blog is Germany’s Bettina Hauert. A talented player, an amiable person and a twice winner on the LET during 2007. Bettina’s official winnings are €216,998.10 and yet her stroke average position isn’t even in the top 30! Indeed, her stroke average figures for 2007 to date, of 73.42, places her in 40th position! In second place and some €2,241.53 adrift on €214,756.47 is Sophie Gustafson with a stroke average of 70.90. Okay, okay I know what you are going to say, Sophie Gustafson has played less events than Bettina and so it may not be so surprising that Sophie’s stroke average is 2.52 strokes better. Well, let’s first of all compare like with like (or a close as possible)…….Hauert has played 17 events, Gwladys Nocera of France 19 events, England’s Trish Johnson 18 events and Wales’ Becky Brewerton 18 events. Check out the performance tables below:

Official Money List
No. 1 - Bettina Hauert - €216,998.10
No. 4 – Trish Johnson - € 189,467.75
No. 6 - Gwladys Nocera - € 160,424.97
No. 8 – Becky Brewerton - € 135,785.93

Stroke Averages
No. 4 - Gwladys Nocera 72.17
No. 8 – Becky Brewerton 72.38
No. 9 - Trish Johnson 72.45
No. 40 – Bettina Hauert 73.42

The Solheim Cup standings are determined by points awarded through performance in events and not stroke averages, hence it is little wonder that Bettina Hauert made the Solheim Cup team and yet was probably the most inconsistent player (in stroke average terms) in the European team, with others like Rebecca Hudson with a stroke average of 72.69 and in 18th position losing out for her place in the team to a player in 40th place!

To take another example, check out the following statistics for the Rookie of the Year on the LET:

Money List
No 1. Louise Stahle - € 79,678.66
No. 22 Anne-Lise Caudal - € 6,354.31

Stroke Average
Louise Stahle - 72.58 (12th)
Anne-Lise Caudal - 75.57 (140th)

Interestingly, and again based solely on money earned, a surprise victory could place any of the top 22 first year tour players on the Rookie of the Year list into top position following the Dubai Ladies Masters, as the winner’s cheque for this one event alone is €75,000.

Surely if we want our players to truly improve their performances (as well as make more income) then we have to go some way to encouraging players to improve their stroke average – accepting that Sophie Gustafson is in a league of her own on 70.90 (but only over 21 rounds) there is less than a one stroke average margin between the second placed player, Catriona Matthew on 72.06 (18 rounds) and the 25th player Denmark’s Amanda Moltke-Leth on 73.00 (50 rounds).

Isn’t it high time that the tours took more notice of the stroke averages in determining who really merits awards at the end of the season, in an effort to improve the standard of play on the tour?

Check back in a few days time to read Part II on "Stroke Averages"

Is Ladies African Golf floundering?

In June 2006 ladies professional golf was thrilled to hear the announcement by Tania Fourie Tournament Director, in South Africa that a new Ladies African Tour was being formed and was launching a further 10 new events to compliment the four regular tour events of the WPGA of South Africa which were already in place.

Some 18 months on, in November 2007, the LAT very quietly published it's tour schedule for the coming 2008 season. To say the least, it is disappointing. Fourie's ambitions may have been temporarily rail-roaded but the fact is that, according to the tour's website, not all these regular four ex-WPGA events are fully confirmed and it appears that Fourie and her colleagues are struggling to put on a tour of any magnitude. No new sponsors have come forward as title sponsors during 2007 nor 2008 seasons and one has to question whether the commercial organisations in South Africa are really interested in backing the tour.

Admittedly, South Africa hosts the prestigious Women's World Cup of Golf at Sun City but this is considered to be more of an LPGA hosted event rather than an opening event to the Ladies African Tour. It goes without saying what is happening here, when the WWC event boasts a prize fund of $1.4m and yet none of the LAT 2008 scheduled events have yet agreed purses! Last year the biggest winner's cheque on the LAT schedule was the 48,000 SA Rand (eq €4,700) won by Spanish star Tania Elosegui in comparison with the WWC where last year the wiiners, Julieta Granada and Celeste Troche each walked away with €90,972.00.

This article is not a criticism of the Ladies African Tour nor any of its officials but merely an observation that unless commercial sponsors are already in place with minimum 3 year term contracts (never an easy task) or at least have given written letters of intent, then putting on a tour isn't as straight forward as one would imagine. If criticism is to be levied anywhere it should be aimed at the corporate businesses for their lack of support in what has become the world's fastest growing sport. There are some very big international corporate businesses located in South Africa and I have yet to see any real commitment from them to promote their businesses through ladies professional golf.....it's a big marketplace in which to promte their brands.....or perhaps the corporates just don't understand that golfing eyes are on South Africa during February and March each year? Chief Executives and Finance Directors alike, get out your cheque books and show some commitment towards the ladies professional circuit, and not just the Women's World Cup of Golf.

Nuria Clau Column live now!

Check out the Nuria Clau Column now at http://www.ladiesontour.com/

The Nuria Clau Column

The Management are delighted to announce that Spanish golf star Nuria Clau is soon to join the writing team of ladiesontour.com with her very own golf column, thereby bringing a valuable tour player's perspective to the news and issues surrounding ladies professional golf.

Nuria is a professional golfer based at Can Cuyàs Golf, near Barcelona. She started playing golf at age 10 in Reus Aigüesverds Golf, and little by little, what started as a weekend family hobby became something more. As a junior, she represented her club, the region, Catalunya, and her country, Spain. Thanks to the Catalan and Spanish Federations’ support, she had the opportunity to practice daily and compete nationally and internationally. Having finished high school, she received a scholarship to study at Wake Forest University, in North Carolina, USA where she spent four years practicing and competing with the best international players of her age. In May 2003 Nuria graduated Magna Cum Laude in Mathematical Business, and decided to turn professional.

Nuria has played the Ladies European Tour, the WPGA in South Africa and the Telia Tour. In a frank and open column, Nuria will pull no punches about the good and bad of playing on the ladies professional circuits, she will offer advice to those visitors/readers to ladiesontour.com and she shall answer questions and offer her views about all manner of golf related topics. If you have any specific questions that you would like Nuria to address, then please send them via the Contact Us section of ladiesontour.com - with Nuria Clau Column in the heading - thank you.

We look forward to welcoming Nuria to the team shortly.

The News Release has been brought to you by ladiesontour.com in association with AR Almerimar Hotel & Golf Resort and Tarleton Golf.

Ladiesontour.com, announces 2 new strategic corporate partnerships.

Ladiesontour.com the only golf portal truly dedicated to covering and supporting all the ladies professional golf tours throughout the world, today formally announced that it has agreed Corporate Partnership terms with both AR Almerimar Hotel & Golf Resort on the southern coast of Spain and the UK and Spanish based Tarleton Group through their Tarleton Golf brand.

These corporate partnerships are an important strategic move by ladiesontour.com and their respective partners in their efforts to grow and promote ladies amateur and professional golf throughout the world and to help consolidate ladiesontour.com’s position as the number one independent online ladies golf support facility and resource centre for players and fans alike.

Whilst AR Almerimar Hotel and Golf Resort already work closely with Tarleton Golf, the Corporate Partnership arrangement with ladiesontour.com will enable the three partners to compliment each other’s respective strengths to provide some exciting new developments in ladies golf.

AR Almerimar Hotel and Golf Resort boasts a 4 star hotel with a further 5 star golf hotel presently under construction, and Campo de Golf Almerimar, a 27 hole golf course designed by Gary Player and Peter Kirby, the first 18 holes of which was originally opened in 1976. The Golf Course combines water hazards and palm tress, with wide fairways and lush vegetation and a great test of golf for players of all abilities and standards.

The coastal resort of Almerimar sits approx 30 minutes from Almeria Airport on the southern Spanish coast and overlooking the Mediterranean and apart from golf it caters for horse-riding, tennis and a wide selection of water-sports.

Tarleton Golf is a brand name for part of the Tarleton Group, better known for it’s 30 plus years involvement as a highly successful travel operator, renowned for bringing holiday makers and latterly golfers to the Almeria Province of southern Spain.

Tarleton celebrated in September this year the 10th anniversary of its Golf Festival Week with 120 players competing in golf events at Campo de Golf Almerimar, La Envia and Playa Serena for the prized Tarleton Trophy. The combined brands of Tarleton Golf and the European school of Golf provide specialist golf trips which offer a wide variety of golfing activities. These include tuition and competition weeks as well as golfing breaks for individuals and groups. These unique golf events attract people from Norway, Sweden, and Holland, Ireland and all over the UK as well as Spanish residents who love to join in these fantastic weeks on their own doorstep.

Tarleton Golf’s Head Professional, former European Tour player, Denise Hastings and an international group of high profile lady golf professionals are joined by such well known names as ex Ryder Cup player George Will and former Solheim Cup Captain, Mickey Walker to provide coaching and competition weeks of the highest order. Ladies golf is a major part of Tarleton’s programme and the partnership with Ladiesontour.com and AR Almerimar resorts will only reinforce their core strengths.

Says Steve Homer, Principal of Ladiesontour.com “This is an exciting time for ladies golf, be it amateur level or top rank professional, and I am delighted that the corporate partnerships agreed with AR Almerimar Hotel Golf Resort and Tarleton Golf can enable ladiesontour.com to continue to play a significant part in its growth in future. The future looks rosy for ladies golf”.

Further details of the Corporate Partnership and full details on each of the corporate partners can shortly be found on www.ladiesontour.com