Wales Golf will be able to crown champions this year, with elite amateur events set to go ahead with safety measures in place.
There will be men’s and ladies Welsh Amateur champions for 2020 despite the coronavirus crisis, as well as junior and age group champions. The Ladies Open Seniors is still scheduled to go ahead on the original date in September.
It means the record of crowning Welsh Amateur champions every year outside the two World Wars will continue, since 1895 for the men and 1905 for the ladies championships.
There will be significant changes to the usual formats to take into account Welsh Government and COVID-19 golf guidelines and also to minimise the disruption for host clubs in a year when members have already had a significant period without being able to play.
All championships will be stroke play only and completed in one or two days. The men’s and ladies amateur championships will be played over 54 holes for the first time, held over two days.
The men’s championship will have a daily format of 27 holes, the ladies will be 36 holes and then 18. Wales Golf has taken the decision to remove caddies from this year’s championships.
“We are delighted to be able to play many of our major championships this year,” said Wales Golf Championships Manager David Wilson.
“We have had to push them back from mid-summer to later in the year and will hold them in very different ways to normal for obvious reasons, but at least we will have Welsh champions for 2020.
“Some of the championships normally have a match play element in the final stages, but this year they will be stroke play only in order to reduce the commitment to host clubs and the time and travel for competitors.
“We are very conscious that members have already lost a significant amount of playing time this year and we want to make sure we minimise their commitment. As always, we are very grateful to those clubs for hosting such prestigious events.
“We will be putting significant social distancing measures in place and we are in continual conversations with the R&A and other golf governing bodies to establish safe protocols for elite level competition.
“All Wales Golf Championship events will be in August, September and October, which presents its own set of problems in terms of reduced daylight hours, but we are just happy to be able to go ahead with them at all in this year of postponements and cancellations.
“We are still looking at ways of going ahead the Wales Golf Festival, which was going to be held for the first time this year for players of all abilities, but have been unable to confirm arrangements so far.”
Further championship details, including full championship information, terms of competition and online entry can be found here
The Men’s and Ladies Open Stroke Play championships, the Men’s Handicap Team and Junior Inter Club Championships have unfortunately had to be cancelled.
Current 2020 Wales Golf Championship Schedule (as of July 8, 2020)
Championship Venue Dates
Under 16’s & Under 14’s Champs North Wales August 20 and 21.
Ladies Open Seniors Cardiff September 2 and 3.
Ladies Amateur Championship Rhuddlan September 26 and 27.
Welsh Amateur Championship Newport October 5 and 6.
Welsh Boys and Girls Radyr October 27 and 28.
Events currently postponed:
Wales Golf Festival