THE TRADITION

When we established this tournament, we committed to building a tournament based upon tradition that is rich in quality and detail. The following provides a brief summary of the history, traditions, and philosophy behind the Carlton Woods Invitational (“Invitational”).

In 2006, we held the inaugural Invitational. Two years later, the club remains committed to developing the Invitational into one of the most prestigious events in amateur golf. We want to give our players a pure, traditional golf experience while paying attention to the smallest of details. In three short years, the Invitational has already attracted an elite national amateur field and represents one of the finest events in the U.S. and an esteemed tournament to win. The format is a three-day stroke play competition for Mid-Amateur and Senior Amateur golfers.

We are constantly looking to improve the quality of the Invitational. For the first three years, we held the Invitational on both the Nicklaus Signature and Tom Fazio golf courses. Both courses receive meticulous care and attention. But given the level of difficulty and playing conditions the Tournament Committee decided to hold the tournament on the same course for all three rounds. So starting in 2009, the tournament is held exclusively on the Nicklaus Signature course. We believe this provides a better tournament experience for the national field of players.

In 2008, the Invitational was designated as one of Golfweek’s national designated tournaments. We added a scoreboard behind the 18th green of the Nicklaus and Fazio courses. Atop the new scoreboard we will fly the flags of the home states for each contestant in the field. In 2008, we launched an official tournament logo and re-designed our winners’ trophies to incorporate an American Bald Eagle. The new bronze “Eagle Trophy” represents the prestige and tradition we are building into this tournament and it will also become one our historic traditions.

In 2009, we decided to dedicate a piece of our tournament operating budget to provide scholarships to college-bound high school seniors. Award recipients are determined by the Tournament Committee and are based upon a combination of merit and financial need.

Also new in 2009, we created an event we named the CWI “AM/AM” event. The AM/AM is held during Monday’s practice round and we will pair 9 foursomes of local businessmen and media representatives with selected mid-am and senior-amateur contestants for an afternoon of golf and entertainment at our welcome reception.

In just eight years of operation, The Club at Carlton Woods has quickly established itself as a preeminent championship venue. The club has hosted USGA Open and Mid-Amateur qualifying, the 2004 Texas State Amateur, the 2007 USGA State Team Championships, and the 2008 AJGA HP Boys Championship. Confirmed future events include the Texas Shootout, and the Texas State Mid-Amateur and 2009 – 2010 AJGA HP Boys Championship. Both the Nicklaus and Fazio Courses have garnered a host of state and national awards.