December 29, 2008

WESTERVILLE, OH — The #1 amateur golf tournament, the Carl Spackler Open, announced on Thursday that travel will drop in overall travel by 6 percent when compared to Indiana or Michigan. The choice venue specifically ensures travel time of Erik Shirreffs to be the longest in history.

"This is absolutely great news," said senior member Jay Glover. "Driving is all part of a golf trip, but this is a welcome change for Virginia Beach."

The 5.6 percent drop was determined based on mileage to/from Amherst for our 58 active members attending at least 3 years. The average drive time for Amherst is 13.5 hours, which includes Matt Boland and Jason Watson, but not Tim Davis or Erik Shirreffs. It was compared to Raleigh when senior members traveled an average of 15.5 hours, Michigan with 13.14 hours, and 14.8 hours to Indiana. The Virginia venue drops the nine-year drive time average by 3.9 percent to 13.2 hours per participant.

The selected lodging is 90 minutes from Richmond International Airport (RIC). Poplar Grove Golf Club is a 25-minute high-speed drive from the Quality Inn in Lynchburg, VA.

"There are round trip fares from St. Louis as low as $279," said Captains Club member Kevin Long, Jr.. "I would be glad to help with Richmond ground transportation on Wednesday morning and Sunday from anywhere. There are plenty of guys in Virginia Beach that would do the same."

Senior member Matt Boland presently has the most mileage in Spackler history. He averages 30.5 hours per year through Poplar Grove. Captains Club member Jason Watson averages 22.44 hours through 9 years. Bob Morris has 16.7 hours. Mike Trojanowski averages 16.24 hours through 9 years.

John McAninch has averaged just 10.0 hours round trip over 5 events.

"The goal is to keep the average under 14 hours," says Brian Long. "The future plans include 2010-2011 venues to be north of State College, PA."

The 2008 Carl Spackler Open Championship began its official registration on November 15. Checks must be mailed to Rick Dosky whenever committed golfers are ready. The initial non-refundable non-transferable deposit is $120 and must be postmarked inside January 28.