PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- In an effort to provide a portal into the PGA TOUR through which golfers and fans can enjoy a new dimension of services with one point of contact, the PGA TOUR has announced the formation of PGA TOUR Experiences, a marketing and fulfillment company focused on golf vacations, instructional academies, corporate outings and events, and exclusive packages to select PGA TOUR tournaments.

In its first phase, PGA TOUR Experiences will operate and market three permanent TOUR Academies offering complete menus of golf instruction, all of which will become operational in early 2007 and will begin taking reservations in October. They will be at the TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., TPC Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Ariz., and TPC Canyons in Las Vegas. Additional permanent academies will be added in the future.

PGA TOUR Experiences also will operate TOUR Academy: On the Road, a mobile golf school that was piloted at 12 private TPCs this past summer. This unique instructional program is now available for tournaments, corporate events and golf facilities nationwide.

Also in the first phase, PGA TOUR Experiences will offer golf vacation packages, building on base of vacation options in key vacation destinations in Florida, Arizona and Nevada. Other locations will be added based on demand.

"PGA TOUR Experiences complements everything we are doing with our network of clubs, including the caddy program at our destination facilities and our new Passport service for private club members," said David Pillsbury, president of PGA TOUR Golf Course Properties. "By offering world-class instructional opportunities and golf vacations, and VIP treatment at selected tournaments, we will provide our members, guests and golfers everywhere with a true PGA TOUR experience."

A new concept being pioneered by PGA TOUR Experiences is the creation of golf vacations centered around significant tournaments. The concept is being tested for the 2007 THE PLAYERS Championship, where the new clubhouse and reconfigured spectator amenities will accommodate thousands of new attendees after 18 years of the event being sold out. Area hotel rooms and private homes have been secured, and a range of packages -- including rounds of golf in the area and other activities -- are available that offer a variety of PLAYERS credentials and hospitality opportunities.

"Offering golf vacation packages to THE PLAYERS to individuals beyond the local market is an exciting new concept we believe will be very popular," said Brian Goin, tournament director for THE PLAYERS. "We've done it for years with corporations, of course, but the many golf course and infrastructure changes that have been made to the TPC Sawgrass now allow us to make attractive packages available to groups of individuals on a limited basis."

PGA TOUR Experiences' final area of focus will be corporate business, providing specialized golf and entertainment opportunities to a select group of corporate clients.

The new entity has been created through a licensing agreement with Golf Experiences LLC, a Scottsdale-based company that has been operating golf academies since 1992, including the PGA TOUR Golf Academy at the World Golf Village, and offering golf vacations since 1996. PGA TOUR Experiences operates two full-service call centers in operation in Scottsdale, Ariz., and St. Augustine, Fla., and a large professional staff experienced in the businesses of instruction, golf travel and corporate entertainment.

"The formation of PGA TOUR Experiences provides an extraordinary opportunity to mobilize so many different assets of one the most visible organizations in the world of sports, and to offer proprietary opportunities to enjoy the game of golf to constituents of the TOUR as well as golf fans around the world," said John Fechter, managing director of the new entity.

PGA TOUR Experiences is registering those interested in exclusive and proprietary opportunities at www.pgatour.com/experiences, and the site will go live with golf vacation and PLAYERS packages and golf academy schedules in October. Additional information can be obtained through the call center at 800-766-7939.