2006 Professional Putters Association (PPA) Augusta will play host to over 100 of the worlds best miniature golf professionals and amateurs this summer. Professional Putters Association (PPA) Commissioner Joe Aboid announced on Saturday that the 2006 Week of Nationals will be held at the Martinez Putt-Putt Fun Center on July 3-7, 2006.
The annual event brings the finest professional and amateur putters from around the world together to crown the Associations National and World Champions. Jay Klapper of Lawrenceville, GA is the defending PPA National Champion and PPA World Match Play Champion. Klapper made history at last years event held in Louisville, KY by becoming the first person in the sports history to win both titles in the same year. Kevin Lacey of Cincinnati, OH and Greg Ward of Loganville, GA will also defend their PPA National Doubles Championship in team competition. Other events scheduled include the 2006 PPA National Seniors Championship and the ProPutters.com Classic.
In the amateur events, Walter Kizzie III from Pittsburg, PA will defend his Amateur Putters Association National Championship title, and Anthony Russell from Louisville, KY will defend the APA World Match Play Championship title. Other amateur events include the 2006 National Amateur Doubles Championship, the 2006 APA Seniors Championship and the AmPutters.com Classic. Mark Ross, manager of the Martinez Putt-Putt Fun Center, is excited about the announcement. The Week of Nationals is the sports most prestigious event, and were glad Augusta was selected to host the event again says Ross. The Martinez course last hosted the championships in August 2002.
This year is the 48th Annual National Championship for the Professional Putters Association, which began its national tournament program in 1959. Since then, over $7,500,000 in prize money has been awarded in addition to the Associations acclaimed National and World Championship titles. Corporate sponsorship of the events as well as sponsorships of individual professional putters are still available. For more information on sponsoring an event or a player, please contact PPA Commissioner Joe Aboid by e-mail at joe@proputters.com. The 2006 JPA National Championship will be played at the Putt-Putt Golf Course in Roanoke, Virginia on Saturday, July 29th, in conjunction with the PPA Virginia State Tour events which will be played there on July 29th and 30th. The JPA Team from Springfield, Ohio which won the 2005 JPA Team Championship title in Louisville, KY will be out to defend its title against the team from Lynchburg, Virginia which finished second in 2005. Article courtesy of AmPutters.com PPA Memberships for 2006 For the 2006 season, there will be a single PPA Pro membership fee of $125 which makes the member eligible for all national, state and local tournament competitions. Applications will be mailed to all current members of the PPA and APA near the end of January, 2006. A downloadable version of the 2006 PPA Application is now available for download in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format.
PPA Pro ($125) Amateur Putters Association Membership ($25) Please send your completed application to the following address: Please do not send your application with a return signature receipt required as this will significantly delay the delivery of your application.
Important Rule Changes for the 2006 PPA Season There are several important rule changes for the 2006 PPA season that are summarized below. The 2006 PPA Rule Book (available for download) includes the rule changes listed below. With the number of changes and revisions, we encourage all players to download this years rule book. For any questions please contact Joe Aboid or a member of the Player advisory board (names are listed in this years book) for explanation. Official Playing Attire for 2006 For the 2006 PPA tournament season, the PPA rules for playing attire have been changed. In particular the rule governing shirts and hats has been modified and all players are advised to read the new rule (page 6 of the rule book). Official PPA Golf Ball for 2006 For the 2006 PPA tournament season, any golf ball that appears on the USGA conforming golf ball list published on January 4th, 2006 or on a subsequent listing during 2006 (list is updated on the first Wednesday of each month) will be legal for PPA practice and tournament play. The 2004 PPA golf balls (Top Flite Strata Tour Soft) will continue to be legal for tournament play in 2006. PPA golf balls from 2003 and prior years are not legal for the 2006 PPA tournament season. In addition, only white golf balls will be allowed and the only logo (besides the manufacturer's) that may appear on the golf ball is the PPA mark on the 2004 PPA golf balls.
Other Rule Changes and Clarifications for 2006 Several other rule have been changed or clarified for the 2006 PPA tournaments season:
PPA National Tournaments for 2006
The "2006 PPA Week of the Nationals" will feature the 47th Annual PPA National Medal-Play Championship, the most prestigious tournament in the organization's history, to be contested over 8 rounds of play on July 6th and 7th, 2006, at the Putt-Putt Golf & Games in Martinez, Georgia. The PPA will also contest the PPA World Match Play Championship with 96 spots available through the membership application process, PPA sanctioned state tour events and the $5,000 ProPutters.com Classic. Other highlights of "PPA National Championship Week" include the PPA National Seniors Championship, the PPA National Doubles Championship and the $5,000 PPA ProPutters.com Classic. General Information on the Greens Fees: Greens fees of $10 (PPA) and $5 (APA) per player per day will be charged for practice prior to Sunday, July 2nd, for all players at the Martinez, Georgia Putt-Putt Golf Course. Beginning on Sunday, July 2nd, a player can practice the day before and the day of any PPA National event that he/she has paid their entry fee. Any player practicing without paying proper greens fees will assessed a $25.00 fine. Discounted Room Rate at Augusta Suites Inn for 2006 PPA Nationals Week A special rate of $64/night has been arranged at the Augusta Suites Inn for the 2006 PPA National Championship Week. Complete information on this hotel and room rate are provided in the PDF linked below. Click here for the details on the PPA Room Rate at the Augusta Suites Inn
2006 PPA and APA Seniors National Championship The PPA National Seniors Championship is scheduled for July 3rd and is open to PPA Pros and APA members who are 50 years or older. The 2006 PPA Senior National Championship. 2006 PPA/APA National Doubles Championship The PPA /APA National Doubles Championship is scheduled for July 3rd, consisting of two-man teams competing in separate divisions. $5,000 ProPutters.com Classic and AmPutters.com Classic
The 2006 ProPutters.com Classic and AmPutters.com Classic will begin the "Week of the Nationals" in Louisville, Kentucky. $15,000 PPA World Match Play Championship
The PPA World Match Play Championship continues as part of the PPA National Tournament Program for the 2006 season with some modifications in the semifinal and final matches. The list of past PPA World Match Play Putting Champions reads like a "Who's Who of the PPA, with past champions Rick Smith, Indianapolis, Ind., 1969 and 1972; Dick Florin, Fayetteville, Ga., 1970 and 1976; Vance Randall, Asheville, NC, 1971; Mike Baldoza, Fort Worth, Texas, 1973; Gary Miller, Columbus, Ga., 1975; Eugene Carter, South Africa, 1977; Buddy Taylor, Gambrills, Md., 1978; Greg Ward, Lawrenceville, Ga., 2002; James Heikkinen, North Olmsted, Ohio, 2003; Darrell Anderson, Mechanicsville, Virginia, 2004; and Jay Klapper, Lawrenceville, Georgia, 2005. Randall, Taylor and Ward, all members of the PPA Hall of Fame, are still active on the PPA Tour. 2006 APA National Championship
The 47th Annual APA National Amateur Championship is scheduled for July 6-7, bringing the top amateurs in the nation together in a 144 hole medal play competition. $25,000 PPA National Championship The 47th Annual PPA National Championship is scheduled for July 6-7, bringing the top professionals in the nation to battle in a 144 hole medal play competition. Contestants will play 72 holes each day. The PPA National Champion is the organization's most prestigious title. Jay Klapper of Lawrenceville, Georgia, earned the title in 2005 in Louisville, Kentucky. Summary of Entry Fees for 2006 The following is a summary of the entry fees and prize money for the 2006 National Tournaments. A PPA professional member may earn up to two spots in the 2006 PPA World Match Play Championship.
* Each PPA Pro may purchase one qualification spot at the time of application. A player may earn up to two spots in the 2006 PPA World Match Play Championship. ** Entry fees listed for the 2006 APA World Match Play Championship are the entry fee for tournament. Spots will not be awarded for the APA division of the APA World Match Play Championship. *** Entry fees listed for the 2006 National Doubles Championship are per player with each player on a doubles team required to pay the listed entry fee. Summary of Prize Money for 2006 The following is a summary of the prize money for the 2006 National Tournaments excluding the 2006 PPA World Match Play Championship which is shown in its own table below. Prize money for the 2006 PPA Senior National Championship and 2006 PPA National Doubles Championship will be determined at the tournament site. The professional prize money for these two tournaments will be equal to the total of all the professional entry fees. Please note that all entry fees and qualification fees for 2006 PPA National Tournaments are non-refundable.
Prize Money in the 2006 PPA World Match Play Championship
2006 JPA National Championship The 2006 JPA Team and Individual National Championship will be held on Saturday, July 29, 2006, at the Putt-Putt Golf Course in Roanoke, Virginia. The JPA team from Springfield, Ohio will be out to defend its 2005 JPA Team Championship title from the team from Lynchburg, Virginia who finished in second place.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
