October 13, 2018

LOS ANGELES, CA — The Carl Spackler Open has been held for 18 years in 13 different states with 387 different players. The 4-day event has been held in mid-April, mid-May, mid-June, and mid-July for the past 18 years. The Captains Club announced the 19th annual event will move to the 2nd weekend of July. This is July 10-13, 2019, which is 6 days after the 4th of July.

"A date sounds simple," says Captains Club member Greg Long. "It is not. This year was harder than ever. This July date will not work with everyone and is expected to produce absences, however our new date is expected to release stress from our very busy May and June calendar and add overall participation."

The 2019 event will be a Wednesday through Saturday event. The location is unknown, but a decision on venue is expected after negotiations conclude. The Captains Club expects to make that decision before Halloween.

"The July date should be considered temporary with overall attendence being the driving factor to future stability," added Long. "May was not good. June is not good either, but better than May. We are exploring July after careful consideration from nearly one-hundred people."

The inaugural tournament was held in Myrtle Beach in a very cold March 2001. The tournament immediately pushed towards a summer classic by holding the 2002 Carl Spackler Open in mid-April. The championship moved to its traditional home in June 2003. It has remained there for 11 of 16 years. The 2010 event was temporarily moved to April for a once-in-a-decade golf trip to southern Texas. The event date moved twice in the past 3 years as it attempts to move from its traditional June date.

"The later 2019 date and highly probable early 2020 date will place a short 9 months between the next two events," said Don Creighton. "Nobody should be surprised in a year. Expect our 20th event to be held in April or May and require airfare."

"In closing, the Captains Club is looking forward to it's 19th major championship," said Jay Myers, the winner of the 2010 Carl Spackler Open. "Our event has tradition, but not about tradition. We change when we see ways to better the event." Myers then departed with Marty Whalen and Don Creighton to a local pub to discuss the highly controversial 'long-putt' rule.

There are 70 to 80 participants expected for the 4-day national championship. Registration will open in November with a February 28 deadline. Golfers who register can communicate their intentions to hundreds of potential players across America.