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Radar tracking technology company TrackMan is launching NEXT Golf Tour, a virtual professional tour open to anyone with access to TrackMan’s indoor golf simulators. Players will compete for a minimum purse of $100,000 in each 18-hole stroke play tournament, with the first of six 2023 events scheduled for Jan. 4.

Men and women with a handicap of 3.4 or higher are encouraged to join NEXT, which has an entry fee of $130 per tournament and its first two events will each be capped at 250 competitors. The winner’s share of a 250-player NEXT Golf Tour event will be at least $17,000, and the top 30% players will receive a paycheck. Players will also receive cash prizes of up to $6,000 for hitting the longest drive, longest birdie streak, and finishing with the best overall score closest to the pin, with an additional $2,000 per tournament. awarded to players who post the best NEXT-related content on social media. media.

Each NEXT event will be played on a virtual course on TrackMan’s golf simulator, the first being the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West from January 4-15. Subsequent rounds will take place at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club (January 18-29), Medinah Country Club (February 1-12), Concession Golf Club (February 15-26) and Adare Manor (February 8 to March 29). 19).

“I’ve met so many players who have the skills to succeed in the professional game, but have had their journey cut short by the demands and costs of touring life,” said TrackMan CEO Eldrup-Jørgensen. , in a press release. “It doesn’t have to be that way. Our virtual golf technology has improved dramatically over the past few years. Now is the time to try something new.

The PGA Tour has a long-standing partnership with TrackMan to use the Danish company’s launch monitors, which consist of 3D Doppler radar and optical cameras to capture the metrics that power the league ShotLink system to provide data during broadcasts. TrackMan’s ball flight tracking system has been used in baseball across high school, middle school, and MLBas well as European football teams and NBC Sunday night football emissions.