November 16, 2009

LAGUNA VISTA, TX — The #1 tournament in amateur golf, Carl Spackler Open, will head to the beach in mid-April 2010. The Captains Club made the public venue announcement on Sunday night. South Padre Island Golf Club in Laguna Vista, TX will host the 2010 Carl Spackler Open Championship.

"Today, with much excitement, we have selected South Padre Island Golf Club to host the 2010 Carl Spackler Open," said Greg Long, Chairman of the Captains Club. "Once again, we are excited about our unique opportunities in southern Texas and god willing exceeding expectations."

South Padre Island Golf Club has played host to the Senior Texas Open for 10 years. The course is designed with 4 holes on the beaches of Laguna Madre Bay.

Rick Dosky, the Chief Financial Officer of the Captains Club, blessed the Texas budget on Saturday. "We have really pushed back on Texas for quality services at the lowest prices possible," says Dosky. "Indiana's and Virginia's golf trip fees with practice round were $405 and $400. We worked hard on a budget last week in hopes of beating the $400 fee, but with ground transportation included. We are very excited to settle on a Texas budget of $399 that includes between 90 and 100 percent of the ground transportation needed."

The 10th Carl Spackler Open will require all participants to purchase airline tickets. A full ground transportation plan will be decided upon after flights are purchased into San Antonio International Airport (SAT), Harlingen Valley International Airport (HRL), and Brownsville International Airport (BRO).

The trip cost is expected to rise by $135 per golfer in 2010. The $399 golf trip fee includes practice round, 90 to 100 percent of ground transportation costs, 4 nights lodging in a golf course condominium, bag storage, cart staging, awards dinner, live music on the beach, swimming pool, prizes, range balls, GPS, golf cart with cooler, awards, and 3 hot buffet breakfasts in the clubhouse.

"The real value surrounding this trip is climate, the island, and carribean golf experience," says Jason Watson. "The average high on April 15 is 79 degrees. The average low is 68 degrees. The average rainfall in April is 62 percent less when comparing Ohio and Pennsylvania in June."

The practice round will be held at 1:00PM or 2:00PM on Thursday, April 15, 2010. The tournament rounds will be held on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The event travel day will be Monday, April 19, 2010.

Round trip inclusive fees on Southwest Airlines to and from San Antonio International Airport (SAT) for service on April 14, 2010 and April 19, 2010 are as follows: RDU @ $199, CMH @ $236, ORF @ $236, PIT @ $220, DTW @ $243, and BOS @ $223. Do not make flight reservations without reading the registration document, which is available on the website.

"Departing on Monday from San Antonio at 1:00PM or afterwards is a good move," says Greg Long. "Departing on Monday from Harlingen at 8:00AM or afterwards is a good move. Arriving into Harlingen on Thursday at 10:00AM is a good move. Arriving into Harlingen on Wednesday night is a good move."

A one-way Southwest Airlines flight from Buffalo International Airport (BUF) to San Antonio International Airport (SAT) on April 14, 2010 departing @ 6:00PM is $102.20 with all taxes and fees. A one-way AirTran Airlines flight from San Antonio International Airport (SAT) to Buffalo International Airport (BUF) on April 19, 2010 departing @ 4:14PM is $110.00 with all taxes and airport fees.

The registration process begins today for the 2010 Carl Spackler Open Championship. There are 40 to 60 participants expected for the 10th annual event. Participants can register with an airline ticket or payment of $200 or $399 to Rick Dosky.