PHOENIX, Arizona (November 2, 2012) – In an effort to correct an unfortunate situation and demonstrate the values of the NEW tour and supporting team, the National Pro Tour has reached out to the players who are owed back purse and entry fees for the unfinished 2012 season.
In a message to the players on Oct. 26, Dusty Dean, CEO/COO of the investment group that took over management of the tour, laid out its two tier plan to get the players paid back. “We have committed to getting the players paid within 30 days for the back purses and will immediately begin working on a plan to address the entry fees,” said Dean. “I ask for the players’ patience as we get all the necessary systems in place to process these refunds.”
The payback of the money owed to players is an effort never seen before in mini-tour golf history and is being funded personally by Dean. “I am confident that by doing the right thing with this money that’s owed, both the players and the industry itself will be convinced that the National Pro Tour is the future of developmental golf,” said Dean.
In addition to working diligently on the players’ payback process, the National Pro Tour (NPT) has announced its 2013 schedule and tour format, in which they plan to provide up to 600 new “golf jobs.”
This new developmental tour model comes about from the same key principal Dean operated under during his call center career, the power of consolidation. “The existing mini-tour system is comprised of many small tours with 50-150 players on each,” said Dean. “As hard as these tours try, they don’t understand this very important principal. The players have always known that they needed to band together and all play on one tour, just like the Web.com and PGA Tour, but they have never had a tour that provided that opportunity for them. The National Pro Tour will be the one to provide that opportunity in 2013.”
After speaking with many players personally, Dean stated he was “saddened by the damage that has been done.” He believes the mini-tour system has been very hard on the players and can see their hesitation in trusting that the NPT is not just another mini-tour getting into the business. “I am very confident in our business model but don’t expect to get everyone’s trust right away,” said Dean. “I simply ask that all the players believe in the concept that no matter what tour they play on, it is far better to all come to one tour. That being said, between the unprecedented player payback program and the ability to provide one tour that can accommodate everyone so that payouts are maximized, while the cost per tournament goes down, the NPT has demonstrated it’s clearly the front runner in evolving the developmental system.”
The NPT unveiled its new tour format today via their promotional website, www.yourgolfcareer.com. The plan provides an unlimited number of ranking school spots for players to vie for up to 600 spots on three massive developmental tours. “We are not reinventing the wheel,” said Dean. “We simply looked to the other successful professional tours in the country and are replicating the systems they use.” In understanding the power that comes with numbers, and the increasing demand for quality spots to play competitive golf, the NPT realized that all that was lacking was the one system. “We are going to increase the supply of golf jobs to more closely match the demand,” added Dean.
In addition to restructuring their tour to allow more people to play, the NPT is also giving players the ultimate control. “Our tour is being built by the players, for the players,” said NPT President of Tour Operations, Kevin O’Connell, a 10 year veteran of the mini-tour circuit. “We are giving all the players an opportunity to “vote” for the cost per tournament and ultimately how much money they play for.”
To accomplish this, the NPT is running a mock registration on www.yourgolfcareer.com to determine the cost and prize structure the players prefer while also gathering all the necessary data to roll out the selected tour format, including what the GUARANTEED purses will be. “We are able to offer this radically new concept because we are the first tour to clearly understand the financial model and demonstrate that the developmental tour business can stand on its own,” said Dean. “All of the previous tours believed that you had to have sponsor money to prop up the tour. We have a model that floats on its own which ironically improves our chances of attracting sponsors. Stability is a big factor in a sponsor’s decision to partner with you.”
For more information about the NPT’s 2013 schedule and to provide feedback on the proposed tour formats, please visit www.yourgolfcareer.com.
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