TrackMan, the world’s leading developer of golf performance tracking technology and indoor golf simulators, announced today the launch of a new professional indoor golf tour: The NEXT Golf Tour Powered by TrackMan.
“For nearly 20 years, we’ve stood behind players as they chased their dreams in professional golf,” said Klaus Eldrup-Jørgensen, TrackMan co-founder and CEO. “With the launch of NEXT, we’re creating a new way to play professional golf — on virtual courses, in a TrackMan simulator.”
Launching January 4 with a six-event schedule, each stop on the NEXT Golf Tour consists of one 18-hole individual stroke play round on a select TrackMan Virtual Golf course. The guaranteed minimum purse for each tournament is $100,000. Men and women will compete straight-up from different tee boxes, and players with a handicap of 3.4 or better are encouraged to join. Tournament rounds can be played on any TrackMan simulator worldwide.
The entry fee is $130 (including 25% Danish VAT and a small handling fee) per tournament. The field will be capped at 250 players for the first two events. $100 of each entry fee is added to the purse, so the more players in the field, the greater the payouts. For example, the winner’s share of a 250-player NEXT Golf Tour event will be at least $17,000, and the top 30% of the field will receive a paycheck.
In-round “side games” — with payouts of up to $6,000 for aggregate closest-to-pin, longest drive (men and women), longest birdie-or-better streak and more — offer even greater earning potential. “Social Standouts” in the field can get in on the action as well, with cash prizes of $2,000 for the five best NEXT-related posts across Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
“I’ve met so many players who have the skills required to succeed in the pro game, but saw their journey cut short by the demands and costs of tour life,” said Eldrup-Jørgensen. “It doesn’t have to be this way. Our Virtual Golf technology has improved radically over the past several years. The time is right to try something new.”
The first event on the 2023 NEXT Golf Tour will be played at the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West from Jan. 4–15. Subsequent rounds will be played at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club (Jan. 18–29), Medinah Country Club (Feb. 1–12), The Concession Golf Club (Feb. 15–26), and Adare Manor (March 8–19).
The top 100 players (plus ties) on the Order of Merit through the first five events will qualify for the season finale (March 23–April 2) at a course to be named later. In the finale, players will compete for a $100,000 purse, with a $50,000 bonus pool distributed to the top 10 finishers on the final Order of Merit. The winner will also receive the NEXT Trophy.
“This is only the beginning,” said Eldrup-Jørgensen. “We are building something here, and if we are successful — which I believe we will be — it will continue to grow and grow.
“We can’t wait to see what happens next.”
To learn more about the NEXT Golf Tour, including rules and entry details, visit NEXTGolfTour.com. Follow the action on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @NEXTGolfTour and #NEXTGolfTour
ABOUT TRACKMAN
Proudly based in Vedbæk, Denmark, TrackMan is the world’s leading developer of radar tracking technology for use in golf performance analysis. The iconic TrackMan 4 launch monitor — aka “the little orange box” — is trusted by elite players, coaches, equipment manufacturers and clubfitters to provide ultra-precise data on virtually every aspect of club motion and ball flight. TrackMan Range and indoor golf simulator solutions bring our tour-proven technology to the masses, featuring the most powerful practice, virtual golf and entertainment software in the industry. TrackMan is also the official provider of club and ball tracking and tracing data to the PGA Tour for broadcast on TV and digital platforms. Learn more at TrackMan.com.