Staysure Tour rebranded ‘Legends Tour’ as part of major shake up of Europe’s over-50s circuit

As part of this strategy, the Staysure Tour will be renamed the Legends Tour and it will put some of golf’s iconic names at the forefront of the brand. The 1999 Open Champion Paul Lawrie has been named as one of the Tour’s first official ambassadors, who will play a key role in outlining the Tour’s vision in the months to come.  The ambassadors will also be a central part of growing the popular alliance format which gives amateurs the chance to play alongside some of golf’s great names in tournament conditions. A newly-formed ‘Legends Club’ will help enhance the amateur experience and will include a dedicated amateur Order of Merit, where amateurs can compete for a place in the end-of-season Tour Final by playing in three-day alliance events at some of the best golf courses in the world.

The additional focus on the amateur experience, which includes a selection of Celebrity Pro-Ams aimed at bringing together the legends of golf with legends of sport, music and entertainment, is part of the Tour’s greater commercial focus, which is aimed at driving increased playing opportunities and playing opportunities for Legends Tour members.

Howsam said: “This unique structure in the world of professional golf will spearhead a new vision for the Legends Tour, putting the Ryder Cup Captains and players at the forefront of the brand, engaging the mature affluent European market in a way that will drive bigger sponsors and partners.  We will continue to build the alliance format which I believe offers the best amateur experience in golf, whilst we will commercialise across other golf markets including holidays and equipment. Staysure has been involved with the tour since 2017 as a title sponsor, and I believe the untapped commercial potential that the Legends Tour has to offer is unlimited.”

He added: “Together we will build this into a brand for professionals, including Ryder Cup players and European Tour winners, as well as amateurs, spectators, promoters and sponsors alike. Golf is unique in that it has high profile and lucrative competitions for players in the over 50’s age group. This is our expertise. Competitions will be talked about, loved, and watched, and we will be rewarding and supporting our members with prize money and endorsements each season.”

Aspland said: “We experienced some strong commercial momentum on the back of the Staysure partnership in this first two years of the partnership and over the past 12 months we have been working with Ryan and our members to take this to the next level. While the global pandemic delayed those plans from being announced and led to the cancellation of our 2020 season, we are all excited to unveil the new Legends Tour today as we plan for 2021 and beyond.  With Ryan’s business acumen and entrepreneurial flair, our commercial focus will be on enhancing engagement and showcasing the experiences our Tour can offer, which we ultimate hope will drive greater prize funds and playing opportunities for our members.  Our major champions, our past Ryder Cup players and captains and our European Tour winners have considerable pulling power, and the accessibility to them offered by our new structure will form the basis of these growth plan moving forwards.”

Paul McGinley, a three-time Ryder Cup winning player and 2014 Ryder Cup winning captain, said: “Being an ambassador for the Legends Tour is a unique opportunity to be a part of a ground-breaking shift in the golf tour model. I have seen Ryan’s plans and it is an exciting time to be a player on the Legends Tour. There is a real emphasis on putting players at the forefront of the brand while engaging the amateurs through the alliance format and Legends Club, and I am excited to see how the Tour grows and develops moving forward.”