Bermuda has the chance to join with the German Professional Golf Association which could see thousands of German golfers and golf pros visit the Island over the winter months when German courses are unplayable because of the cold weather.

Alex Madeiros, head of the To A Tee company, recently hosted members of a German delegation who were on a fact finding mission to Bermuda to look at the courses and accommodation.

Madeiros said: "To a Tee has been in partnership with Walter Langenberger – a major tour operator – for the last two years bringing in individual groups of German pros and golfers into Bermuda."

Now Madeiros and his company are endeavouring to get into a full partnership with the German PGA to use Bermuda as their official base for winter camps.

"What we are trying to do is get the PGA of Germany to come to Bermuda during the winter when their courses are closed which is between the end of October until the beginning of May. The German pros need somewhere to go to entertain and teach their students in the winter."

In the past the German PGA have used South Africa and Mauritius as their official winter destination.

"That is who we are competing against," said Madeiros adding, "there are 1,300 pros and 700,000 players in Germany."

One of the people who was in Bermuda on a fact finding visit was Benedikt Schneider, the head of the executive office of Lufthansa.

"We are excited to be in Bermuda as a partner of the German PGA," he said. "We want to get to know all the partners on the Island (golf course and hotel officials).

"We have been playing the courses and hopefully in the end we will come to see how we can partner the German PGA with Bermuda. There are a lot of opportunities that the German PGA and Bermuda can work on.

"The most realistic is that we can have the PGA start to come down to Bermuda this winter. The pros in Germany take their students from their country clubs to another place in the world where it is warmer – a place that has perfect conditions – so they can have their winter programme.

"What normally happens is that each pro puts together a package and they need a local partner to arrange hotels and green fees – things like that."

Madeiros said that the delegation from Germany will report back to the German PGA on their experience of the Bermuda trip.

While on the Island they stayed at Tucker's Point Club and Cambridge Beaches and played at Belmont Hills, Mid Ocean, Tucker's Point and Port Royal.

"Bermuda has the opportunity to host the German PGA and their clients for the next three years," added Madeiros.

n Scott Roy will take a five-stroke lead into the final round of the Bermuda PGA Championships at Tucker's Point after a battling four-over par 74 yesterday.

Roy, who is six-over for the tournament, has a comfortbale cushion over defending champion Dwayne Pearman who also carded a 74, and Derriek Dougals who shot a 75 and is third.

For a time Dougals looked like making a run on Roy's position at the top, shooting three-under on the front nine, but strong winds, and some missed putts saw him collapse to five-over for the round, and 12-over for the tournament.