Winter swing
begins in Florida on January 12 before returning to the Midwest on March 2 as
part of 20 event inaugural season
New format offers weekend qualifying and Monday match play
WOODBURY, NY, DEC. 6, 2006 –Fresh on the heels of its inaugural eight-event fall swing, during which two senior professional bowlers, David Ozio and Dale Eagle combined to win more than $100,000 in just eight events, The Generations Pro Bowling Tour has announced a new format which will allow more bowlers to compete and win money. The changes were announced by Steve Sanders, founder of the GBT.
One of the primary goals for GBT in 2007 is to have more bowlers share in the payouts. By offering a wider distribution of money, the GBT will make history by offering a 1:2 cashing ratio per division, meaning half of all competitors will receive a check, and the payouts for the middle of the prize funds will be increased. The top prizes will now be $7,500 per event
“For all of us who worked so hard to get the GBT professional tour off the ground, our inaugural fall swing was a tremendous learning experience,” said Sanders. “The primary goal for the first eight events was to lay the groundwork for a high-quality senior pro tour. We have no doubt that we achieved this goal. The feedback from the fall swing has lead to many innovative changes that will improve the tour going forward.”
Although the fall schedule offered great opportunities for bowlers to compete, it was apparent that eight events in a row were just too many. As a result, the rest of this season will consist of no more than four events per swing with more days off between each tournament.
The new, more condensed schedule and improved format will now offer pro-ams on Friday and Saturday, qualifying on Saturday and Sunday, and match-play on Monday. This change gives competitors three days off between events and gives the many working seniors a chance to bowl, while missing only one day of work if they make the finals.