Golf North » Danielle

Get into Golf with new Junior Golf Academy at Vale Royal Abbey GC

Danielle — Wed, 22 Feb 2017 10:36:24 +0000

Vale Royal Abbey Golf Club, near Northwich, is launching a new Junior Golf Academy

A CHESHIRE golf club is holding a special open day to encourage more young players into the sport.

Ben Derbyshire, the new Head Professional at Vale Royal Abbey Golf Club, near Northwich, is launching a new Junior Golf Academy with a free Open Day on Saturday, March 4.

The Open Day, which takes place from 10am–2pm, is a chance for budding junior golfers to meet Ben and his team, have some fun, enjoy free golf tuition, free refreshments and learn about what the club has to offer young golfers.

During the day, at 1.30pm, Ben will be holding a Junior Golf Education Seminar for parents to learn about the Academy and how the children will be coached.

The Open Day will be followed by eight-week blocks of seven lessons and a competition week. This programme will start in mid-March, with sessions being organised for three different age groups – 4-7 years, 8-12 years and 13 years plus.

Ben Derbyshire said: “Both myself and my assistant golf professional, Brian Cassidy, are extremely excited to be starting this new Junior Academy at Vale Royal Abbey.

“In our previous role at West Middlesex Golf Club in West London, we built a Junior Academy with more than 60 juniors attending on a weekly basis. In addition to the standard programme, we ran weekly on-course playing lessons, fitness camps and psychology sessions for the children.

“The junior section became a thriving part of the club, bringing youth and energy as part of the club’s life – and our goal is to do exactly the same at Vale Royal Abbey. The Open Day is a great opportunity to learn first-hand what the Junior Academy is all about.”

Alison Lysons, Cheshire County Development Officer for England Golf, says: “Ben arrived at Vale Royal Abbey Golf Club towards the end of last year with a passion for teaching people the game of golf and he has a great deal of experience coaching all ages and abilities. It’s great to see the plans he has put into place to encourage more young people to take up the game in 2017 and I’m sure the Junior Academy will be a great success.”

For further information about the Junior Academy at Vale Royal Abbey Golf Club, contact Ben Derbyshire, Head PGA Professional, on 01606 301291 (option 4) or email golfpro@vra.co.uk

Get into golf is a national campaign, run by England Golf through its county network, to inspire new golfers. Opportunities include beginner and follow-on courses with PGA Professionals.

They are a fun and sociable way to start golf – and a great way to make new friends.

To find your nearest centre visit getintogolf.org and look at the activity map or call 0800 118 2766. Follow Get into golf on Twitter twitter.com/getintogolf or on Facebook at facebook.com/Getintogolf

The post Get into Golf with new Junior Golf Academy at Vale Royal Abbey GC appeared first on Golf North.

Munro Appointed as New Head of Events for Scottish Golf

Danielle — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 14:29:14 +0000

Scottish Golf has recruited Fraser Munro, a former Ladies European Tour Tournament Director, to the position of Head of Events.

The 38-year-old will oversee the amateur governing body’s new-look events calendar for 2017 as he returns to the world of golf after a spell in banking.

Munro, a member at Kinross Golf Club, boasts 13 years golf industry experience working with the Ladies European Tour and the former Ladies’ Golf Union, achieving a high level of golf administration, management and rules experience.

The three-handicap golfer is an R&A qualified referee and has officiated at more than 100 professional events worldwide, including the Ricoh Women’s British Open and US Women’s Open. He was also responsible for delivering the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open during his time with the Ladies European Tour.

After working in golf from 2003 to 2015, the University of Stirling graduate is now looking forward to heading up the Events team at Scottish Golf after a spell working for Lloyds Banking Group.

“I jumped at the opportunity to return to golf,” said Munro, who started in his new role today (20 February). “I have always had a passion for the game and been proactive in broadening and developing my knowledge and experience at every opportunity.

“To head up the Events team of a newly-amalgamated governing body is a great opportunity. There are some exciting changes on the domestic events calendar this year and I look forward to evaluating them all and looking at ways we can further develop the events going forward.”

Following a review, a number of changes to Scottish Golf’s national championships are in place for this season. These include the Scottish Men’s Amateur Championship featuring strokeplay qualifying across two venues – Prestwick and Prestwick St Cuthbert – while the Scottish Boys Amateur Championship moves from its traditional early season slot to be played concurrently alongside its Girls’ equivalent, hosted by Scotscraig and Drumoig respectively.

There are also changes at handicap level in 2017, with Scottish Golf providing the opportunity for club members of all ages and abilities the chance to play on some of the finest courses in the country and win some fantastic prizes. Notably, the PING Scottish Mixed Championship is to be a unique new addition to the calendar this season, with the leading golf brand sponsoring Scottish Golf for the first time, and the showpiece final to be held over The Queen’s Course at Gleneagles.

Blane Dodds, Chief Executive for Scottish Golf, added: “Fraser has an extensive background in golf event management, having held senior roles with the Ladies European Tour and the Ladies’ Golf Union and will add a huge amount of experience to our organisation.

“With an obvious passion for golf and a wide network of contacts within the industry, I’m excited by the opportunities that Fraser can bring to the existing excellent team. With a clear focus on driving service excellence and a real desire to ensure that a first class experience is delivered for the players, volunteers and staff team alike, I’m confident that Fraser has all the attributes needed to lead the Events team going forward.”

The post Munro Appointed as New Head of Events for Scottish Golf appeared first on Golf North.

Sweetwoods Park Golf Club receives top reviews on Golfshake.

Danielle — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 11:48:07 +0000

Sweetwoods Park Golf Club wishes to thank their visitor golfers for such great reviews on the popular Golfshake site, which has led to the club being listed as number 40 out of the top 100 UK courses. (Based on Golfshake reviews). A huge number of golfers have taken the time to leave a review on Golfshake for Sweetwoods Park with many positive comments.

Director of Golf at Sweetwoods Park, Matt Tyler says, “It was fantastic to firstly see such great reviews of Sweetwoods Park and then to feature within the UK top 100, especially at such a respectable number 40. This is testament to the huge investment we continue to make into the course year on year. A big thank you to all those who took the time to leave a review, it really is appreciated by everyone at Sweetwoods Park.”

Those of you familiar with Golfshake.com will recognize their ‘10 of the best’ features. Sweetwoods Park are proud to also be included within the Sussex based ‘10 of the best’ alongside Littlehampton Golf Club, Crowborough Beacon Golf Club and Seaford Golf Club.

Set on the A264 between Tunbridge Wells and East Grinstead, Sweetwoods Park boasts a stunning Par 72, 18 hole parkland course. Offering an outstanding golfing experience with a contemporary clubhouse and well-stocked Pro Shop a visit is a must.

Why not try the course out for yourself? Visitors are always welcome and you can book your tee time online and benefit from £5 discount year round, using the exclusive promo code ‘ONLINE’.

To get in touch with Sweetwoods Park please call the team on 01342 850 729, visit www.sweetwoodspark.com or email golf@sweetwoodspark.com.

Golfshake.com is an online community of golfers and group organisers. A place for golfers to discuss matters of the golfing world, read course reviews and post on forums. Visit www.golfshake.com to find out more.

The post Sweetwoods Park Golf Club receives top reviews on Golfshake. appeared first on Golf North.

HARRIS KALINKA DISPLAYS FRIGHTENING POTENTIAL OF VIRTUAL REALITY IN GOLF

Danielle — Wed, 15 Feb 2017 16:38:22 +0000

Seeing people running away from a booth at a major industry show is not normally seen as a recommendation of one’s work – but that’s exactly what it was for golf course animation specialist Harris Kalinka at the recent Golf Industry Show (GIS) in Orlando. The UK and Latvia-based company was showcasing its outstanding work with golf course architects in the world of virtual reality (VR). And, for one woman, the sight of a life-size alligator snapping at her feet, on the VR visualisation of a course, proved just too realistic as she tried to run from the stand in fright. Harris Kalinka director Andrew Harris explained: “For a bit of fun we included a large alligator on one of the greens, standing right at the feet of the viewer – after all we were in Florida. This proved to be a bit of a shock for some.

We had a couple of people scream out loud. This particular lady tried to run away and we had to stop her from pulling our equipment off the table. And one guy tried to kick the alligator but instead he caught my business partner Juris who was standing close by.” For all the light-heartedness that the VR giant reptile generated, there was serious business to be discussed and Harris believes it will prove a hugely worthwhile trip as, alligator aside, there was much to showcase. He added: “For us it was one of the most exciting shows in recent years because we were demo-ing the Oculus for the first time and we were anxious to know what the reaction would be. We’ve spent months working on golf course projects in virtual reality (VR) but we had never before shown them to such a large audience. “The VR proved to be a big attraction and after only a few people had used it word spread and we had people queuing to give it a go and stand on a golf course in virtual reality. We showed a selection of our latest projects and took people to Vietnam, Mexico, China, the UK, Indonesia and the USA. “For golf course architects it was particularly interesting for them to see the technology, and discuss the opportunities and potential application.

We had the likes of Ernie Els Design, Arnold Palmer Design, Gary Player Design, Beau Welling, Robert Trent Jones II and Tiger Woods Design come over and chat about it.” Arguably the biggest compliment paid – but increasingly not an unusual accolade – was the number of people who mistook Harris Kalinka’s animations for drone footage as they could not believe what they were seeing was computer generated. Among those who were mightily impressed was Golf Digest’s contributing editor, Geoff Shackelford, who, in his role as presenter with the Golf Channel, stopped by to experience the VR and interviewed Harris for the Morning Drive programme.

Harris added: “We were delighted with Geoff’s reaction to the VR. Among other things, we discussed its possible application for hole renovations and he was very impressed with the level of detail we can achieve. “The last time we attended GIS we focused on new-build courses, but, recently, we have been working with more and more existing courses to show their renovations and redesigns. “Consequently, we had a lot of very productive conversations with course architects and clubs who are currently involved in such projects, discussing how our CGIs, animations and now VR, can help them communicate the changes to the existing members and help attract new members.” Harris Kalinka’s visualisations have been used successfully to attract members, raise investment, sell off-plan, develop a design or to present an idea. The company’s client list in golf includes Arnold Palmer Design Company; Robert Trent Jones II; International Design Group; Ernie Els Design; Faldo Design; Schmidt-Curley Design; Pacific Links; and VITA.

www.harriskalinka.com

The post HARRIS KALINKA DISPLAYS FRIGHTENING POTENTIAL OF VIRTUAL REALITY IN GOLF appeared first on Golf North.

PGA North launches exciting schedule

Danielle — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 10:48:07 +0000

PGA North is on course for its busiest campaign for years with several new fixtures and the welcome return of some old ones.

The Leeds Cup goes back to its spiritual home Cobble Hall, the PGA North Region Championship will be played at Bolton Old Links for the first time, and the long-running James Brearley Lancashire Open remains at Blackpool North Shore.

And the end-of-season Order of Merit will be settled at Cumberland club Carus Green.

Collective prize funds of more than £30,000 are at stake in the School Bus pro-am at Disley, the Campey Turfcare Pro-Greenkeeper Challenge at Hart Common and the inaugural Renewable Energy pro-am at Hull.

Regional secretary Jonathan Paine said: “As well as these events we will also be returning to familiar clubs for many of our fantastically supported pro-ams at Brough, Hazel Grove, Werneth, Delamere Forest, Lancaster, Crewe and Sand Moor.

“In all 2017 has a positive outlook and we hope that we will continue to grow throughout the year.”

Meanwhile, assistants’ rankings events are scheduled for Carlisle, Ellesmere, High Legh Park, Helsby, Northcliffe, Dore & Totley with the final at Bolton.

FULL SCHEDULE: http://www.pga.info/regions/england-and-wales-(north).aspx

The PGA in England & Wales (North)

No 2 Cottage, Bolton Golf Club, Lostock Park, Chorley New Road, Bolton, Lancashire, BL6 4AJ.

Tel: 01204 496137 Fax: 01204 847959

The post PGA North launches exciting schedule appeared first on Golf North.

BIG NAMES OUT IN FORCE FOR GOLF INDUSTRY ‘OSCARS’

Danielle — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 10:37:13 +0000

Dan Walker

Compered by BBC Breakfast News & Football Focus presenter Dan Walker, the 7th annual 59club Service Excellence Awards Ceremony, regarded by many as the Oscars of the Golf Industry, takes place at The Belfry, February 27, 2017.

The awards ceremony is the culmination of a day of thought provoking training seminars which all golf clubs are invited and encouraged to attend. The theme will see an expert line-up of speakers consider ‘what golf can learn from other industries’.

As night falls, 59club will recognise ‘Sales & Service Excellence,’ and offer individuals, teams, management & venues the chance to be acclaimed for their performance during 2016 across all business elements – sales, service, operations, retail and management.

59club will also present their coveted ‘Gold, Silver & (new for 2016) Bronze Flag Awards’ on the night to golf resorts and private-member clubs which not only deliver great service, but also provide excellent facilities for golfers to enjoy.

The Belfry, Emirates Golf Club, The Dukes St Andrews and Monte Rei are just some of the big-name golf venues vying for accolades at the Service Excellence Awards Ceremony.

Up for seven awards, the team at Stoke Park lead the nominations, closely followed by Emirates Golf Club and two Marriott venues Worsley Park and Breadsall Priory who are all up for six awards.

Dubai Golf will be looking to retain the title of ‘Golf Group of the Year’, for the third consecutive year and face competition from Arabella Golf, three-time winner Marriott and Foxhills/Farleigh.

The ‘Leading Individual Golf Sales Performance’ award will be hotly-contested with six individuals named in the list of nominations, including two from Marriott venues: Emma Thompson (Worsley Park) and Pete Turner (Forest of Arden) who are also joined by Graham Auld (Macdonald’s Linden Hall), Chloe Picton (Stoke Park), Jack Bowen (The Belfry) and James Sibbles (The Grove), also in contention for this award.

To ensure venues of all sizes are recognised for their outstanding levels of achievement, 59club took the decision last year to introduce two categories for each of the four following awards: ‘Golf Retail Manager of the Year’, ‘Food and Beverage Manager of the Year’, ‘Greenkeeper of the Year’, and ‘Golf Manager of the Year’. Clubs will again be segmented by their average green fee of either above or below £75 per person, to ensure that clubs of all sizes and budgets have the chance to win based on their market positioning.

Venues such as Breadsall Priory, Emirates Golf Club, Stoke Park, The Dukes St Andrews, Worsley Park, Yas Links and newcomer Louth Golf Club all receive multiple nominations in these categories.

Not every venue will win a major award, but 59club will be recognising the efforts being made by all clubs by presenting the ‘Striving for Excellence’ award to every venue attending the ceremony.

Simon Wordsworth, chief executive at 59club and a Fellow of the PGA, explained: “The event offers a great opportunity for those within the industry to get together and recognise the best individuals and teams for their outstanding performance over the past 12 months.

“The ceremony will once again illustrate how the 59club awards are like no other – recognising all venues, irrespective of size – for the level of service consistency they deliver to members and visitors. And it’s all judged objectively and quantifiably, as the results are based on real data collected by 59club’s team of golf mystery shoppers throughout 2016.”

Other awards to be presented on the night include: ‘Golf Sales Team of the Year’ ‘Membership Sales Team of the Year’ and ‘Golf Operation Team of the Year’.

The 59club awards’ evening – sponsored and partnered by England Golf, The PGA, Club Car, Toro, Golfbreaks.com, Tacit, golftell, Fluid Productions, Kennet Equipment Leasing, Colt Mackenzie McNair, CGI Insurance, Golf Retailing and 3D ifs – has always been labelled by those on the inside as a ‘must attend’ event, and its awards are all highly prized and this year is set to be the best yet.

59club has become the industry standard for measuring and comparing customer-service levels, analysing all key revenue streams for golf & leisure venues, and is committed to the on-going development of club managers and PGA professionals.

To book a place at the seminars, the awards evening, or both – taking place on Monday, February 27 – please contact naime@theaspirationgroup.com. Prices start at £75pp plus vat. For more information visit www.59club.com

Full list of award nominations:

Leading Individual Golf Sales Performance:

Chloe Picton (Stoke Park) Emma Thompson (Worsley Park) Graham Auld (Linden Hall), Jack Bowen (The Belfry), James Sibbles (The Grove) and Pete Turner (Forest of Arden)

Golf Sales Team of the Year:

Carden Park, Forest of Arden, Herons Reach, Linden Hall, Stoke Park and The Grove.

Golf Membership Sales Team of the Year:

Breadsall Priory, Carden Park, Forest of Arden, Herons Reach, Dubai Creek and Emirates Golf Club.

Leading Individual Golf Membership Performance:

Debbie Hollis (Breadsall Priory), Gary Beves (Goodwood), Matt Mustow (Herons Reach), Rashid Hamood (Dubai Creek), Rhys James (Emirates Golf Club) and Steve Webster (Worsley Park)

Leisure Membership Sales Team of the Year:

Celtic Manor, Cranleigh, Stoke Park, Dubai Creek, Emirates Golf Club and The Vale.

Golf Operation Team of the Year – Under £75 green fee:

Breadsall Priory, Kingswood, Louth Golf Club, The Mere, Tudor Park and Worsley Park

Golf Operation Team of the Year – Over £75 green fee:

Dubai Creek, Emirates Golf Club, Monte Rei, Stoke Park, The Dukes – St Andrews and The Grove.

Golf Retail Manager of the Year – Over £75 green fee:

Ayden Roberts-Jones (The Dukes, St Andrews), Carmen Laguna (Son Muntaner) Darren Wood (Royal Automobile Club), Kristoff Both (Alcanada), Rob Sturgeon (The Addington) and Tim Harris (Stoke Park).

Golf Retail Manager of the Year – Under £75 green fee:

Joe Smith (Hollins Hall),Lauren Dickenson (Breadsall Priory), Mike Platt (Carden Park), Nick Taylor (Louth Golf Club), Paul Heaton (Herons Reach) and Steve Hindle (Worsley Park).

Food and Beverage Manager of the Year – Over £75 green fee:

Angelos Kyrousis (Gleneagles), David Abel (Roehampton Club), Grant Ross (The Dukes, St Andrews), Mohamed Hidhayath (Yas Links), Moses Solomon (Royal Automobile Club) and Tinicka Young (Forest of Arden)

Food and Beverage Manager of the Year – Under £75 green fee

Darren Mercer (Worsley Park), Graziano Sem (Castelconturbia), Mike Norton (Hill Valley), Paul O’Hara (Rockliffe Hall), Ryan Gill (Meon Valley) and Will Green (Ramside Hall)

Greenkeeper of the Year – Over £75 green fee:

Angus MacLeod (Belfry), Alex Millar (Stoke Park), Craig Haldane (Emirates Golf Club), Mike Clarke (Yas Links), Phillip Chiverton (The Grove), Scott Fenwick (Gleneagles) and Stewart Duff (Gullane Golf Club)

Greenkeeper of the Year – Under £75 green fee:

Barry Robinson (Portal), Dave Beardwood (Spey Valley), Davy Cuthbertson & Jon Wyer (Rockliffe Hall), Ian Brawn (Worsley Park), John Smith (Breadsall Priory), Richard Banning (Bolton Golf Club) and Simon Berry (Goodwood)

Golf Manager of the Year – Over £75 green fee:

Anna Darnell (The Grove), Ayden Roberts-Jones (The Dukes, St Andrews), Barney Coleman (Emirates Golf Club), David Shepherd (The Scandinavian), Howie Roberts (Yas Links), Stephen Hubner (Dubai Creek) and Stuart Collier (Stoke Park).

Golf Manager of the Year – Under £75 green fee:

Adam Moule (Royal Birkdale), Davy Cuthbertson (Rockliffe Hall), Henry Alliss (Old Thorns), Mark Stewart (Kingswood), Neal Grist (Meon Valley), Richard Bowman (Herons Reach) and Steve Turner (Breadsall Priory).

Golf Group of the Year:

Arabella Golf, Dubai Golf, Foxhills / Farleigh Fox and Marriott Golf.

The post BIG NAMES OUT IN FORCE FOR GOLF INDUSTRY ‘OSCARS’ appeared first on Golf North.

DISRUPTIVE’ G/FORE GOES TO TOP OF THE CLASS

Danielle — Fri, 10 Feb 2017 12:30:27 +0000

G/FORE has shown once again it can be relied upon to influence others with its 2017 autumn/winter collection.

While other school reports from the 2017 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando might have read “must do better”, G/FORE was in the good books with its Disruptive Luxury theme, which encapsulated the brand’s trademark innovative design with a hint of unconventional mischief.

The American brand, which first sprung to prominence with its brightly-coloured gloves, premium eye-catching footwear and high-quality, edgy apparel, has raised the bar again with plenty of outstanding highlights among the new 2017 collection.

The Tipped Polos are constructed in breathable, fine, tech pique are now available in the full G/FORE colour palette to make the perfect match with shoes and gloves.

The Essential Polos offer the same broad selection of colours in lightweight mercerised cotton with a luxurious feel.

The ever-popular Gallivanter shoes boast some new updates, while the exciting new Disruptor fuses street fashion with the golf shoe – with a playful message hidden on the sole.

The launch of two versions of the special edition Competition Stripe glove, which features a contrasting thumb colour and retains the G/FORE hallmarks of quality, offers another option to add to the vast range.

G/FORE has gone from strength to strength since its creation by fashion-industry pioneerMossimo Giannulli in 2011 and has established a growing reputation on the golf scene and beyond.

Giannulli said: “I’m thrilled with the reception at the 2017 PGA Show. From our collaboration with Peter Millar to the launch of the Disruptor, it just couldn’t have gone any better. We continue to evolve and grow and are encouraged by what the future holds for G/FORE.”

To view the brand’s full range of apparel, gloves, shoes and accessories, visit www.gfore.com

The post DISRUPTIVE’ G/FORE GOES TO TOP OF THE CLASS appeared first on Golf North.

SARDINIA ADDED TO 2017 ITALY GOLF & MORE MENU

Danielle — Wed, 08 Feb 2017 10:47:02 +0000

Golfers booking a break to Italy will be spoilt for choice from 2017, with the island of Sardinia having joined the growing number of regions supporting Italy Golf & More – the first pan-Italian international promotional golf project.

The addition of Sardinia means that the forward-thinking initiative now includes 12 private sector partner regions, with the number of golf courses it features rising to 119.

Among the island’s high-profile golf venues giving their support to Italy Golf & More are Golf Is Arenas, Pevero Golf Club, Circolo Golf Is Molas, Tanka Golf & Country Club and Golf Club Puntaldia.

Set in 700 hectares of lush pine forest by the sea, Golf Is Arenas’ extensive facilities include an 18-hole, par-72 course and three-hole par-three executive course, while Golf Is Molas features 27 holes and has hosted numerous top tournaments including the Volvo Masters and four Italian Opens.

Golf Is Molas

Pevero, nestling in the heart of the Emerald Coast, is considered one of the best and most spectacular 18-hole layouts in Europe, while the par-70 course at Tanka and Puntaldia’s nine-hole layout both offer breathtaking views of the Sardinian coast and nearby Mediterranean.

Pevero Golf Club

Bruno Bertero, project co-ordinator for Italy Golf & More, said: “Sardinia has played a leading role in the promotion of Italian golf over the last three decades.

“With a combination of outstanding courses in idyllic settings, together with numerous cultural and historic delights, the island has everything needed for a relaxing golf break and we’re delighted to be able to include them in the Italy Golf & More brand.”

Featuring no fewer than 141 18-hole courses, Italy is the perfect place to combine a golfing break with the chance to experience many of its other historic, cultural and gastronomic delights.

Buoyed by the launch of Italy Golf & More, the number of rounds booked by international golfers across the country soared last year, and the prospects for Italian golf look even brighter in 2017 with Italy Golf & More set to launch a new website in the near future.

Italy Golf & More is a collaboration between private sector partner regions, the Italian Golf Federation and the Ministry of Tourism (MIBACT), who have come together to embark on a seven-figure investment to increase awareness, and future golf tourism traffic, from key European markets to Italy.

The partner regions consist of Friuli Venezia Giulia – the leading partner region of the project – Lombardy, Piedmont, Lazio, Veneto, Liguria, Emilia-Romagna, Puglia, Sicily, Sardinia, Marche and Umbria – who together boast 119 of Italy’s golf courses – with six further regions falling under the investment of the Italian Golf Federation.

For further information on Italy Golf & More, please email info@italygolfandmore.com or download a brochure at www.italygolfandmore.com.

The post SARDINIA ADDED TO 2017 ITALY GOLF & MORE MENU appeared first on Golf North.

Scottish Champions to Receive Automatic Home Internationals Selection

Danielle — Mon, 06 Feb 2017 14:04:42 +0000

The winners of the Scottish Men’s, Women’s, Boys’ and Girls’ Amateur Championships will all secure automatic spots in their respective Scotland Home Internationals sides from this season.

Stuart Clayton, new Acting Head of Performance for Scottish Golf, has initiated the selection change with the governing body, which will come into effect when the Home Internationals sides are picked this summer.

The exceptions will be the Scottish Senior Men’s and Women’s Amateur Championships, both of which are ‘open’ events, where competitors from other countries take part. If the Seniors’ champions are not eligible to represent Scotland, the automatic place will be passed to the respective selection committee to determine who receives the call-up.

Clayton said: “In all of our Scottish Amateur Championships, apart from the Senior Men’s, the winners will have come through head-to-head match-play format, which mirrors the style played at the Home Internationals. We therefore feel the champion will have demonstrated the capabilities required to perform well at the Homes and thus would be deserving of an automatic place.”

In August, the Men’s Home Internationals take place at Moortown, the Boys’ event at St Annes Old Links and the Ladies & Girls’ Home Internationals at Little Aston. The Senior Ladies’ go to Newport in October, with the Senior Men’s event being staged at Rosslare in September.

The updated selection policy changes come hot on the heels of several changes to Scottish Golf’s national events programme, with the new-look Scottish Men’s Amateur Championship featuring stroke play qualifying across two venues – Prestwick and Prestwick St Cuthbert – while the Scottish Boys Amateur Championship moves from its traditional early season slot to be played concurrently alongside its Girls’ equivalent, hosted by Scotscraig and Drumoig respectively at the end of June.

Players can look forward to some fantastic courses for the ‘Major’ domestic events this season, with Royal Aberdeen welcoming competitors for the Scottish Women’s Amateur, Blairgowrie hosting the Senior Women and Royal Burgess the host club for the Scottish Senior Men’s Championship.

In a further new addition for 2017, domestic Order of Merit points will now be awarded at both male and female level for the leading 16 players in stroke play qualifying for the Scottish Championships and British Championships, aided by the revised formats in the Scottish Men’s and Boys’ events.

“The awarding of points will offer a small bonus for the players, rewarding good performances in the stroke play stages, underlining it as being a key area for player development,” added Clayton.

Teams representing Scotland in the Home Internationals will continue to be supported by Aberdeen Asset Management, who celebrate 10 years of sponsorship of the national amateur squads in 2017.

The post Scottish Champions to Receive Automatic Home Internationals Selection appeared first on Golf North.

EUROPE’S LARGEST GOLF COMMUNITY GETS ACCESS TO NEW HOWDIDIDO WEBSITE

Danielle — Mon, 06 Feb 2017 11:21:06 +0000

Europe’s largest online golfing community, HowDidiDo, has relaunched its website with a fresh look, smoother navigation and an exciting, new social-media influenced timeline.

In addition, the site is now more mobile friendly offering an even greater depth of golfing data that is also available through a smartphone app for both iOS and Android. The recently launched app has been downloaded on more than 70,000 occasions – already placing it as the number-one free sports app in the Apple Store chart for a number of weeks in late 2016.

With around half-a-million club golfers, from HowDidiDo’s 1,800-plus registered clubs across the UK and Ireland, using the website regularly, it has also been upgraded at the back end, to provide faster response times and enhanced security features.

Barry Dyett, the spokesperson for HowDidiDo, explained: “With technology moving quickly and the number of users increasing daily, we realised some time ago that we needed to produce a slicker website and we are delighted we’ve now been able to launch it officially, having had it in ‘beta’ mode for some time.

“One of the most striking visual differences is the new social media-influenced timeline, which allows for easy sharing on sites such as Facebook and Twitter. The timeline features results, news, content from connected friends and specially selected partner content. The process of ‘connecting’ with a friend has been simplified as we have rewritten the code in its entirety to take advantage of the new technologies available to us.

“Hundreds of thousands of club golfers already use HowDidiDo to view their scores, handicaps and club news and, with access to even more data, we believe the numbers using the new website will increase steadily throughout 2017. As with all our products, many of the changes and enhancements have come about after chatting with users on our very active forum and at our many competitions and events.”

The new version of the website also allows golfers to book into competitions at more than one club

HowDidiDo holds data from in excess of 21 million rounds of golf, along with the handicaps, results and scores of more than 1,300,000 UK golf club members, with more than 547,000 golfers currently using the website.

More than 1,800 golf clubs currently use the HowDidiDo system – courtesy of their use of Club Systems International software. HowDidiDo allows members to analyse their game and compare performance with other players, at their own club or across the entire HowDidiDo network.

HowDidiDo is rapidly becoming the largest online, social golfing hub in the world, with new, engaging and exciting content for golfers everywhere to enjoy. It is also used for official CONGU handicapping and competition results.

As well as developing one of the most active sports websites in the world, HowDidiDo also powers the highly acclaimed Morocco Matchplay, a UK singles and pairs competition culminating in a grand final in the North African country in February. And the annual Titleist Order of Merit, the largest golf event of its kind in the country, now sees more than 20,000 golfers take part each year making it one of the UK’s most subscribed sporting competitions, behind only events like the London Marathon and Great North Run. In 2016, the grand final took place at four-time Ryder Cup venue the Belfry.

www.howdidido.com

The post EUROPE’S LARGEST GOLF COMMUNITY GETS ACCESS TO NEW HOWDIDIDO WEBSITE appeared first on Golf North.