Sandals’ Travel Advisors’ golf gets competitive spin-off

SPORTS TOURISM got a big boost last week with news out of the 11th Sandals Latin American Travel Advisors Golf Tournament of a spin-off set for November 21-26, a Jamaican-inspired Latin American all-female match, set to attract top Argentine players to the Sandals Upton Golf and Country Club in St Mary.

Whereas Sandals has hosted travel-advisors’ tournaments for almost three decades, at which its industry partners are invited to personally experience the Jamaican brand and the island’s uniqueness of also being a golfing destination, the oldest being the Baxter Media Canadian Travel Advisors Golf Tournament, which had its 28th staging last year - the groundbreaking Latin American all-female tournament will field competitive players from Argentina.

During second-day play of the Latin American Travel Advisors Golf Tournament, which Team Brazil won by three strokes with a score of 64, beating Colombia and Mexico tied on 67, Elizabeth Flores, business-development manager, Unique Vacations, Argentina, explained how the ante will be upped at Upton in November.

“I had a meeting with Mariana De Pina of Good 4 U Vijaes and was able to convince her about how great Jamaica was. She trusted me and started convincing women to enter a five-game golf tournament in Argentina called ‘The Jamaica’,” Flores pointed out.

An excited De Pina said the response has been overwhelming, considering the coveted prize for each winner.

“The prize for each winner of The Jamaica is to be flown and hosted free at Sandals for the all-female Latin American tournament. We have already done two tournaments and are fully booked for the other three,” she pointed out.

Most important, Flores added, is that the other players will be paying guests at the all-female tournament, which will have 20 women, practice day set for November 22, first-day play on November 23, broken by a rest day on the 24th, followed by second and final day’s play on the 25th.

“This is a serious tournament with handicaps,” Flores said, noting she expects a great match, having experienced how the greens at Upton were faster than courses she had experienced in Argentina.

Sandals Upton Golf and Country Club is an 18-hole, par-72 course known for its narrow fairways and small, undulating greens.

Each year, the resorts’ travel advisors from Canada, the United States and Latin America compete in tournaments staged to promote the island as a golfing destination, also raising funds for the Sandals Foundation.

The Sandals Foundation earned US$630 from Closest to the Pin and Longest Drive competitions, in which Sandals junior golfers were sponsored by players to make shots on their behalf.

Caption: Participants in the 11th Sandals Latin American Travel Advisors Golf Tournament, held September 2-3 at Sandals Upton Golf and Country Club in St Mary. Upton will host a competitive all-female Latin American match, 20 players, November 21-26, after a five-game qualifying tournament, ‘The Jamaica’, being staged in Argentina by Good 4 U Vijaes. The winners will compete free in Jamaica.