Vic Open is a hole in one for the region

THE Vic Open golf tournament wrapped up at the 13th Beach Golf Links yesterday.

In six years at the Barwon Heads course the event has grown in popularity and prominence, and the prize money has increased 10-fold.

A tournament once thought to be on its last legs is now thriving, attracting high-profile male and female players, and cementing its place among the Geelong region’s busy summer sporting calendar.

According to golf officials the event is now worth more than $5 million a year to the Geelong and Bellarine Peninsula.

The lure of $3 million in prize money and sanctioning from the men’s European Tour and the women’s LPGA Tour drew more than 300 golfers to the event.

Hundreds of their supporters and support staff followed, along with thousands of golf fans.

Those unable to attend were able to follow live TV coverage on the ABC or Fox Sports, and it was telecast into North America, Europe and Asia.

Kudos to the golf officials who had the foresight and courage to move the event to 13th Beach in 2013 and tinker with its format.

Splitting the prizemoney equally between the women made sense. Playing the tournaments side-by-side was even smarter. It made this a tournament for all golf lovers.

Coupled with moves to bring crowds closer to the action, the event has helped soften golf’s sometimes stuffy reputation.

It’s also been a welcome addition to the summer sports calendar in Geelong.

In the six weeks of 2019 so far, the region has hosted the time-honoured Festival of Sails, Bay Crits cycling and new year open-water swims and beach runs. Newer events have included Big Bash cricket, the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race cycling extravaganza, an AFLW match and the golf.

But it doesn’t end there. In coming weeks Geelong will host more AFLW, plus a gruelling ironman festival, A League soccer and an NRL trial game.

It’s an action-packed schedule, with something to offer sports lovers of all persuasions.