Luke Bates is hoping someone has a one in a million chance at the Mount Isa Golf Club in July.
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Mr Bates works for Golf Australia and his role is Golf Operations and State Senior Manager for Queensland and the North West Star caught up with him last week when he was in town planning for the Outback Queensland Masters.
The Masters will be held over six weekends in winter at six outback locations such as Roma, Charleville, Longreach, Winton and Boulia.
It finishes on the weekend of July 27-28 in Mount Isa with the million dollar hole in hole challenge.
Mr Bates said the Outback Queensland Masters was a new event organised by Golf Australia and Tourism Events Queensland to get travellers out to great outback courses.
"Ultimately the big carrot is the million dollar hole-in-one challenge here in Mount Isa," Mr Bates said.
"To qualify for that you need to play in at least two events prior."
The big carrot is the million dollar hole-in-one challenge here in Mount Isa,
- Luke Bates
Mr Bates said the six courses each had their own distinctive character.
"Some are grass courses like here and some are sand greens which are very different for typical golfers on the coast," he said.
Mr Bates said Golf Australia saw the events as being important to each of the six communities.
"We've partnered with TEQ who are keen to get tourists into the Outback," he said.
"This is an Australian first."
Mr Bates said each event would have a winner with an overall series winner as well, over a minimum of the best three scores.
Mr Bates said it would be a big weekend for the finale at Mount Isa.
"We think we'll have the most amount of people here, everyone gravitates to the million dollars," he said.
"We'll run junior clinics as well and we'll also have live entertainment on one of the dinner nights."
Mr Bates said they were looking at the 18th hole for the hole in one contest.
"Presently it's a par four but we'll shorten it to a par three," he said.
"That'll allow to have a great outlook from the clubhouse and we'll get some grandstands around 18th green."
The first person to make a hole in one will get the cash, Mr Bates said.
"The person with the worst score could turn up, get the hole in one and take home the money," he said.
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Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
