The 2020 tournament schedule of the Northern Ohio Golf Association has changed in some pretty significant ways, expanding its offerings in three distinct directions.
In 2019, NOGA conducted 19 association events.
In 2020, that count grows to 27 – a number that does not include the nine USGA local qualifying tournaments NOGA runs.
The biggest change in the NOGA schedule is a split of its events roster into two types of competitive tournaments: the NOGA Flighted Series for all players of all skill levels; and the NOGA Scratch Series exclusively for low handicap contestants.
Also noteworthy, the Women’s Series is tripling its number of events.
The roster of clubs hosting the events for all three Series is top-notch, a who’s-who of premier Northern Ohio golf courses. Tweaks have been made to the formats and timing of the events, too.
“Over the winter we worked closely with our Tournament Advisory Board and the NOGA Board of Directors to create a 2020 schedule that matches the wishes of the most players possible,” said NOGA CEO Robb Schulze. “Creating two distinct Series of events and adding to the Women’s Series was a clear, consensus mandate. It’s giving the players what they asked for.”
A player must still have an active USGA GHIN handicap and NOGA account to register for any NOGA event. (If you are not currently a member of a club that offers GHIN and want to play in NOGA events, check out our very own NEOH.GOLF Club open to any player.)
The vast majority of NOGA events have an entry fee of $100 per player per event. But since the focus of each Series is different, the operations are different and the entry fee goes toward different event features…
NOGA Scratch Series
The 12 events of the Scratch Series will focus more on competition for AA and Senior AA Flight players. The Handicap Index limit for these events is 7.4 for Men and 9.4 for Women.
Starts will be made primarily under a tee times format. Lunch is not included in the entry fee, as eliminating the cost of lunch allows for a larger prize payout at each event. Prizes will be distributed only to the highest finishers, to further reward great play.
Player of the Year points will only be earned from these Scratch Series events, in both divisions. Players qualify for the NOGA Tour Championship at Firestone Country Club at season’s end based on those Player of the Year points, a great reward for playing consistently well all year.
The Scratch Series tournament roster:
Four-Ball + Match Play Qualifier
Thursday, May 14 @ Elyria
Stroke Play + Match Play Qualifier
Monday, June 1 @ Shaker Heights
Northeast Ohio Amateur (3 Divisions)
June 6-8 @ Windmill Lakes Golf Club
Summer Four-Ball
Monday, June 22 @ Lake Forest
Summer Stroke Play
Wednesday, July 8 @ Plum Brook
NOGA/TDGA Tournament
Wednesday, August 12 @ Plum Brook
Interclub Team Championship
Monday, August 17 @ Canterbury
55/25 Four-Ball
Monday, August 31 @ Glenmoor
Fall Stroke Play
September TBD (3, 10 or 11) @ Brookside
Tour Championship
September 13-14 @ Firestone
Tournament of Champions
TBD
Super Team Championship
TBD
NOGA Flighted Series
The Flighted Series will bring together players of every age and skill level at an incredible roster of top clubs. These 12 events will slot players into flights and divisions by handicap and age, so players compete only against those of similar skills.
The events will begin mostly as 1 p.m. shotgun starts, with a buffet lunch available at noon at the club included as part of the entry fee.
While competitive, no Player of the Year points will be awarded from the Flighted Series events, and prizes will be paid out to a larger percentage of the top finishers, splitting the total purse among more top finishers.
There will no longer be an overall net game, only competitions within each flight/division.
The 2020 Flighted Series tournament roster:
Two-Person Scramble
Monday, May 4 @ Shady Hollow
Windmill Golf Center Spring Four-Ball
Monday, May 11 @ Sand Ridge
Stroke Play (A,B & Sr. A,B) + Match Play Qualifier
Monday, May 18 @ Westfield (South)
Four-Ball (C,D,E & Sr. C,D,E) + Match Play Qualifier
Thursday, May 21 @ Elyria
Four-Ball (A,B & Sr. A,B) + Match Play Qualifier
Thursday, May 28 @ Elyria
Stroke Play (C,D,E & Sr. C,D,E) + Match Play Qualifier
Thursday, June 18 @ Mayfield
Stroke Play West
Thursday, June 25 @ Oberlin
Summer Four-Ball
Monday, July 6 @ Barrington
Stroke Play East
Monday, August 10 @ Portage
Mixed Couples
September TBD @ Barrington
Patriots Cup
Monday, September 7 @ Firestone
Fall Four-Ball
Monday, September 28 @ Fairlawn
NOGA Women’s Series
Finally, NOGA is tripling the number of Women’s Series events they will conduct in 2020.
Started for the first time ever last year with a single Stroke Play tournament, NOGA will add a Women’s Four-Ball and a Women’s 2-Person Scramble in 2020 to further build that schedule.
Women’s Two-Person Scramble
May 27 @ Hudson
Women’s Four-Ball
TBD
Women’s Stroke Play
TBD
The official 2020 NOGA Tournament Schedule is now posted to NOGA.org. In the days ahead, each NOGA event will also be made active on our own Tournament Calendar, and on the ‘Upcoming Events’ lists on the homepage and NOGA category page.
NOGA TITLE SPONSORS WANTED
Interested in promoting your company or products as a title sponsor of one of these 2020 NOGA events? A few tournament title openings still remain! Contact Frank Rihtar at NOGA for details: 440-686-1070 x209 or email him. Title sponsorship means your company name is built in to the name of the tournament; it can’t be missed. It’s fantastic branding exposure… Details >
