In the current economic climate, gettting people to spend money on anything is a challenge. To get them to spend it on a week playing golf might be considered impossible.

Next week's Goodwill Tournament has been attracting golfers to the Island for more than 50 years and organiser Alex Madeiros wasn't about to let a little thing like the credit crunch put a dampener on one of the biggest tournaments on Bermuda's golfing calendar.

This will be the sixth year that Madeiros, CEO of To A Tee Bermuda, has been involved with the event, and while in the past more than 100 teams have made the trip, this year the field totals 87.

Still, given that only 27 professionals played in the Bermuda Open last month, getting 87 four-man teams, with one professional and three amateurs per team, is no mean feat.

"I've been involved for the last six years," said Madeiros. "We got involved I think at a time when there were some issues going on with the event, I suppose. We were asked to help out. At that time I didn't have To A Tee Bermuda per se, so we agreed to do it.

"It was back in 2001, which was a challenge. You didn't know it at the time, but we were asked in August, the event was in September, and then of course looked what happened in September that year.

"We managed to snatch 88 teams that year, despite the tragic events that occured and then we built it from there. We reckoned we were going to build the event up, and we got it up to 120 teams, back to where it should be. But this year we're just happy as hell to get 87 teams, we were delighted to get that."

Given the current financial crisis, he's somewhat surprised that as many as 87 teams are making the trip but Madeiros believes that the loyal following the event has, has helped.

"We've got some teams that have been coming for some 30-odd years," he said. "This event is the biggest event in Bermuda, outside of the Ross Blackie Talbot tournament, which for charity reasons is the biggest. But this event, economy wise, is the biggest for Bermuda.

"You've got 80 teams coming in from overseas, which is 360-plus people, and then some bring their families. It's nice to have the professionals, but this tournament is mainly about the amateurs and I think that makes a big difference."

This year the event will be played over four golf courses – Belmont Hills, Tucker's Point, Riddell's Bay and Mid Ocean, and will run from Monday through until Friday. Wednesday has been designated a rest day, with the possibility of play if the weather proves too bad on Monday or Tuesday.

Teams will play one round of golf on each course and there will also be seperate competitions for amateurs, professionals and seniors.

Some of the professionals who played in the Bermuda Open and Goslings Invitational have stayed for a third week, with the likes of Tim Conley, Ed Kirby, and Craig Marseilles all playing.

Conley is playing alongside John Mitchell and PLP MP Zane DeSilva, representing the Diamondback Golf Club in Florida, and has also secured the services of top Bermudian amateur Daniel Augustus after a fourth member of the team dropped out.

They begin their Goodwill challenge at Belmont Hills on Monday as do the likes of regulars Craig Marseilles, Kirby, Dwayne Gibson and Joe Carr.