The eagerly anticipated Dal’s Invitational gets underway later this week in Northern France for what is the latest instalment from the Bedfordshire based golf society. Following the inaugural event held at The Belfry back in 2021, the Dal’s Invitational now takes place every year.
The society travelled to Dorset for two days in 2022 and it looks to be gathering momentum each year, with them now heading abroad for the first time, with the competition being played over three days and across three top-quality courses in the small seaside town of Le Touquet in Northern France.
There are already noises coming from the society host (Darren ‘Big Dal’ Barnard, who is also ParUp Golf’s resident golf betting expert) that early plans are underway for next year, with him being locked in discussions with a number of high-profile local players who wish to join for 2024, when the field size is expected to increase. There has been speculation now for over 12 months about the first marquee addition to the field, with it being public knowledge that Simon Mullins is likely to join the society. It is also well known that the host has big and bold aspirations for the event, with the long-term vision being to play the 2030 event at the world famous Pebble Beach in California.
Golf betting odds for the 2023 Dal’s Invitational:
4/5 – Wayne Goldsmith (aka AU) – 17 handicap.
6/4 – Ian Lowther (aka 8 ball) – 13 handicap.
7/4 – Nick Aldridge (aka Aldo Puffer) – 18 handicap.
3/1 – James Barnard (aka Ronnie) – 12 handicap.
5/1 – Darren Barnard (aka Fangs) – 19 handicap.
5/1 – Gavin Hollis (aka Scaffold) – 17 handicap.
10/1 – Matt Hill (aka Fat) – 23 handicap.
12/1 – Matt Cooper (aka Des) – 28 handicap.
Odds courtesy of Best Bet. Each-way place terms are top 3 and 1/5 odds. No max bet. The winner is the player with the most individual stableford points after 54 holes. In the event of a tie, countback logic will be used to determine the winner and each-way pay-outs.
The 2023 Dal’s Invitational key information:
Fri 12th – Mon 14th May 2023.
Venue(s): – Pines course at Hardelot, Dunes course at Hardelot and La Mer course at Le Touquet (France).
Starts at 13:00 local time on Fri 12th May (Pines course at Hardelot).
For those wishing to have a bet on the 2023 Dal’s Invitational, our recommendation is to bet with Best Bet (if you are UK based). Best Bet is a small independent bookmaker, run by one of the Dal’s Invitational members, Matt Hill. We obviously encourage the support of local businesses, but we also need to point out that the bookmaker does have a reputation for running an incredibly tight book, so it’s unlikely that you’ll find many (or any) attractive prices or any real value. The place terms are also very poor. Unfortunately they are the only firm to offer odds on this event, so if you want a bet, it’s your only option. Good luck and please bet responsibly (https://www.gamcare.org.uk/).
Golf betting preview for the 2023 Dal’s Invitational (in more detail):
James Barnard:
To win outright – 3/1 with Best Bet.
Handicap: 12.
2022 Dal’s Invitational tournament form: 5th on day 1 – 3rd on day 2 – 5th overall.
Reasons to believe – James Barnard:
“My early tip for the 2023 event in France is Mr Consistent himself. He always finds a way to get it round (whether it is within the rules or not!). If he is struggling to contend, then he always has a back-up plan in terms of his infamous ‘magic ball’ strategy, when his ball almost always miraculously shoots down the trouser leg, just when everyone is about to call off the search and declare it lost. There is no doubt that this will help him steal several shots against the field each day, the only issue will be if the weather is good and the sun is out, there must be doubts as to whether the strategy can be executed as successfully when wearing shorts. Goes by the nickname of Ronnie in this event after an exquisite opening round at the Belfry in 2021, when his control of the golf ball was comparable to O’Sullivan’s cue-ball control on the snooker table, it was like he had it on a piece of string. Sadly it looked like somone had cut that string in half when he turned up in Dorset for the 2022 event. Let’s hope he turns up this year and doesn’t follow the Rocket Ronnie’s recent performance at the World Snooker Championship, by choking and blowing a big lead.” – ParUp Golf’s resident tipster ‘Big Dal’ on why he can win.
Ian Lowther:
To win outright – 6/4 with Best Bet.
Handicap: 13.
2022 Dal’s Invitational tournament form: 1st on day 1 – 5th on day 2 – 1st overall.
Reasons to believe – Ian Lowther:
“The foreign raider in the ranks, currently residing in Essex, is back to defend his title. The noises coming out of Essex are not good though, with a DQ and a very poor showing in his last 2 starts. I’m led to believe there have been some consistently big numbers on the scorecard due to a recent bout of the dreaded shanks, so mentally he is already in big trouble before even swinging a club. It also doesn’t help that he has become more injury prone than Darren Anderton, so the skinny odds of 6/4 are probably more accurate in terms of whether he makes it round 54 holes, let alone winning the event. He’ll need to show a significant improvement of form and quickly, if he is to successfully defend his title.” – ParUp Golf’s resident tipster ‘Big Dal’ on why he can win.
Wayne Goldsmith:
To win outright – 4/5 with Best Bet.
Handicap: 17.
2022 Dal’s Invitational tournament form: 4th on day 1 – 4th on day 2 – 3rd overall.
Reasons to believe – Wayne Goldsmith:
“No surprise to see he is the favourite in the betting as he arrives in France on a great run of form, with a recent win at The Letchworth Open, plus 42 points in a rival society tour event in recent weeks. He is likely to be the player to beat and that is reflected in the betting, however priced up at 4/5, Best Bet is offering absolutely zero value (once again!). For Goldsmith to be lifting the trophy and slipping on the blue blazer on Monday afternoon, he needs to hope it’s not sunny in France (he could get burnt in a snow storm!) and also needs to stay mentally strong (he is in the same group as Junior and Cooper on day one and they will try any tactic possible to get under his (very white) skin.” – ParUp Golf’s resident tipster ‘Big Dal’ on why he can win.
Nick Aldridge:
To win outright – 7/4 with Best Bet.
Handicap: 18.
2022 Dal’s Invitational tournament form: 6th on day 1 – 2nd on day 2 – 6th overall.
Reasons to believe – Nick Aldridge:
“The 2021 Champion from the inaugural event at the Belfry is travelling to France with some good recent form and no doubt a nice collection of lairy and skin-tight polo shirts too (which would look great with the blue blazer sitting on top on Monday evening!). However due to his big win in the recent Mullins Birthday Open, the handicapper has got hold of him and issued a three-shot cut. He has gone up one since and it remains to be seen whether that was a tactical response, with the big event in France in the back of his mind. If he can stay in contention after day 1 and with cuts to other players looming, he could be ready to pounce on moving day. It is worth noting that he is one of the few players in the field who have played the courses before, so that is likely to be invaluable and a big advantage.” – ParUp Golf’s resident tipster ‘Big Dal’ on why he can win.
Matt Hill:
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To win outright – 10/1 with Best Bet.
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Handicap: 23.
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2022 Dal’s Invitational tournament form: 7th on day 1 – 8th on day 2 – 7th overall.
Reasons to believe – Matt Hill:
“The resident bookmaker of the group and owner of Best Bet, couldn’t find any type of form at all last year. That may have been related to the betting though and the fact he had some big liabilities on certain players in the field and ultimately ended-up paying out (well in theory he did, but instead ended up knocking the punters for their winnings). The prospect of a big pay-out won’t have helped his concentration, but nor will the 17 sausage rolls consumed in 18 holes. Despite the poor form last year, he cannot be written off. His handicap is now up to 23 and on his day he is more than capable of putting a score together. One negative could be that his mind might be somewhere else on Saturday night, as he is the dog house for missing Eurovision, although that is probably easily solved / forgotten with a few pints of his favourite John Smiths.” – ParUp Golf’s resident tipster ‘Big Dal’ on why he can win.
Gavin Hollis:
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To win outright – 5/1 with Best Bet.
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Handicap: 17.
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2022 Dal’s Invitational tournament form: 6th on day 1 – 2nd on day 2 – 6th overall.
Reasons to believe – Gavin Hollis:
“The old timer in the field and the brains behind the operation (he is the man that pulls the strings and makes things happen in the background, while the ‘host’ of the event takes the glory and limelight). The old boy is not in great form, but he came into the 2022 event in similar form and then put together two consecutive good rounds to finish in 2nd place. It’s amazing what difference a few quid in the prize pool can make to the punters within the group. He is the other player in the field with course experience, which is a big advantage. There are a couple of things to be mindful of for anyone looking to back Hollis though, both of which could detract from his chances of winning this week – he could be moaning / sulking more than usual if Luton lose their play-off game on Saturday and also due to the ridiculous amount of time he takes, there is a genuine chance he could fall asleep mid-way through his pre-shot routine.” – ParUp Golf’s resident tipster ‘Big Dal’ on why he can win.
Big Dal’s, big price outsider – Matt Cooper:
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To win outright – 12/1 with Best Bet.
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Handicap: 28.
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2022 Dal’s Invitational tournament form: 8th on day 1 – 7th on day 2 – 8th overall.
Reasons to believe – Matt Cooper:
“The big price outsider this week, Cooper was absolutely bang out of form last year and never really recovered from an awful performance on day one, which was largely down to the fact he had about 15 pints the night before and only about four hours sleep. Fully expect the same to happen again this year (regarding the booze and sleep), so he has to take his opportunity on day one when still fresh. Another indication that Cooper could start well this year is that he has been paired up with Junior on day one, his good mate and headline tip to win this years event. His handicap is now up to 28 too, so if he can stay dry, he might surprise a few people. No idea what will happen on days 2 and 3 though, all depends how much red wine is consumed.” – ParUp Golf’s resident tipster ‘Big Dal’ on why he can win.
The host of Dal’s Invitational golf society:
Having already spoken a lot about the host of Dal’s Invitational golf society, the player profiles would not be complete without previewing his chances this week. We couldn’t ask big Dal to write his own betting preview as he would have obviously tipped himself up as the headline pick, so instead we have asked the in-house society bookmaker, Matt Hill, to share his views.
Darren Barnard:
To win outright – 5/1 with Best Bet.
Handicap: 19.
2022 Dal’s Invitational tournament form: 3rd on day 1 – 6th on day 2 – 4th overall.
Reasons to believe – Darren Barnard:
“The player profiles would not be complete without including the tournament host, who himself has an outside chance of taking the title in Northern France. Whether he would fit into the winners blue jacket is another question though! His form is fair of late, so he certainly has a chance of contending this week. However given it is a three day event, there is also a question mark as to whether he can play to his full potential over three consecutive days. Those close to the Barnard camp believe fitness, combined with the heat over in France are going to be too much for our stocky host and ultimately it will take it’s toll. Ultimately, his chances may be determined by his play on days 2 and 3, which could be influenced by his drinks of choice. He is either an all-in or all-out type of character, so it could be pints of skittle-bombs or a small diet R Whites lemonade for the big fella. I don’t think the rest of the group will mind what he drinks, just as long as he leaves some food for them. He’s a lovable but useless host and we’re all very grateful for his enthusiasm on this annual event regardless of the outcome. It wouldn’t be the same without him.” – Dal’s Invitational society member and bookmaker, Matt Hill, on why he can win.
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