[C]arus Green Golf Club has welcomed hundreds of spectators from across the region, hoping to catch a glimpse of some famous faces at the Trilby Tour Championship. The event, held at Carus on 22nd June, is one of the biggest golf tournaments in the industry, with Sky Sports covering the live event and enthusiastic observers turning up from 7am.
130 players, together with caddies, competed for a top-ten-placement to take them into the grand final taking place on 31 August at Hull Golf Club. With competitors decked out in the traditional trilby hats, William Hunt polo shirts, trousers and belts, spectators were treated to a fun day, with celebrities Brian McFadden and Geordie Shore’s, Gaz Beadle, also competing.
The prestigious amateur golf tournament, now celebrating its 10th anniversary, has hosted a series of regional championships across the UK to find the top 10 from each. The appeal of the unique tournament lies in its unusual competitive format, with the top four players on the day going in to a three-hole shootout to decide the champion. The tournament at Carus was no less exciting. Crowds gathered on Carus’ famous balcony overlooking the 18th green, to watch a tense shoot-out determining the winner of 10th place.
Golfers have hailed the Trilby Tour as the closest experience to a professional tournament, playing under the pressures of an international televised event, accompanied by their own caddies, with die-hard fans returning year after year gripped by its fierce ‘winner takes all’ competitive format. With annual viewership figures of more than 3.5 million in 2016, the Trilby Tour is officially the largest amateur golf television series in the UK and Europe.
Carus Green’s owner, Graham Curtin, could not have been more delighted by the success of the prestigious event: “We had the most magnificent day and were bowled over by the level of support received from spectators,” he said. “The Trilby tour organisers and countless players were insistent we are one of the most friendly and professional teams they have ever worked with, with the course and hospitality, simply tremendous. In particular, I should like to thank our sponsors, AJM decorating, Steve Selby Builders, James Airey Floor Covers, Mark Billington Design and Plumbers, and Kentdale Jaguar and Land Rover. Finally, without the competitors, this event would never have happened. They came from near and far and we have made so many new friends whom I know will return to our corner of the Lakes again and again, either with or without a Trilby!”