Selsdon Park becomes EuroPro Tour venue

The beautiful Selsdon Park Hotel and Golf Club will this year host the inaugural Selsdon Park Masters, from 4th to 8th August as part of the 2008 Ivobank PGA EuroPro Tour.

The official practice day is on Monday 4th August, before the Principal Hayley Pro Am competition opens the tournament on 5th August. Up to 45 teams will have the opportunity to play the course with a world class professional whilst enjoying a full day of corporate hospitality.

On Wednesday 6th August 156 top professional golfers, including Daniel Gaunt, Nathan Treacher and Jamie Spence will begin the competition for the £10,000 grand prize. The action will continue throughout the week as the field is cut to the top 50 after the second day and the inaugural Selsdon Park Masters Champion for 2008 is determined on the final day of play (8th August).

Director of Golf Chris Baron commented Selsdon Park Golf Course is a traditional mature parkland course cut from the original thick forest that dominated this part of Surrey. We wanted to move away from the trend of presenting a totally manicured course, to reverting more to the origins of golf where play was carried out over undulating terrain and playing to the hole dictated by topography. We believe that the course will be a challenging one for the pro s during the 2008 Selsdon Park Masters and are delighted that the club has been chosen along side some of the top clubs in Europe such as Vilamoura, Les Bordes, La Cala, Bovey Castle, East Sussex National to host the Ivobank PGA EuroPro Tour.

This year the 18-hole championship course, designed by J.H. Taylor (five times winner of the British Open) in 1929, will be even more challenging to players. Following a philosophy expounded by Olympian Golfer Robert Hunter who believed that the perfect bunker was one which should have the appearance of being made with carelessness and abandon .(where) the wind tosses about the sand of the dunes, forming depressions or elevations broken into irregular lines. Selsdon Park has developed the course to focus more on nature, the environment and wildlife, rather than producing just another immaculate, manicured safe course.

An environmentally friendly planting programme has been undertaken where the fescue grass around the bunkers, fairways and roughs have been softened by wild flowers including corncockle, cornflower, red campion and poppies to create a sea of visually enhancing colour. A woodland management programme has been instigated which as well as increasing the aesthetic qualities of the course has ensured that wildlife, including deer, are able to enjoy their natural habitat. Further enhancements and conservation projects are planned for the winter months with a whole new teeing ground project and further development on woodland and blanketing the course with other wild flowers such as raspberry blush, coral poppies and peonies.

The luxurious 204-bedroom Selsdon Park Hotel can trace its history back to 861AD and the times of King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons. Set within 205 acres of stunning parkland overlooking the North Surrey Downs it is only 13 miles from central London and offers the perfect retreat for the urban golfer looking to experience top class service and a 5-star golf course.