08 April, 2021, Augusta, Ga, USA: Nine-time Major Champion, Gary Player, has joined Golf Saudi as its latest and most influential ambassador to date. One of the most decorated golfers of all time, Mr. Player will work with Golf Saudi to help implement a shared vision for golf and its future development within the Kingdom.

The news was announced shortly before Gary Player took up his traditional role as the Honorary Starter of the Masters alongside Jack Nicklaus and Lee Elder, with their tee shots officially due to open the tournament and continue a tradition that began back in 1963.

Since Golf Saudi’s inception in late 2018, Gary Player has been supportive of the organisation’s development plans from the start regularly attending events, including both the 2020 Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers, as well as the inaugural Golf Saudi Summit in the same year.

As part of his role as an ambassador with Golf Saudi, Mr. Player will share his views on how health and wellbeing are integral to the long-term success and sustainability of the game. As such, he will support and champion Golf Saudi’s growth plans for the game, in bringing golf to the wider population within Saudi Arabia.

“I have long admired the vision of Golf Saudi, but more importantly the work that is being done on the ground to provide access to the sport for all levels,” commented Mr. Player, who won his first Major title at the 1959 Open Championship. “I have had many fantastic experiences visiting the Middle East and was lucky enough to visit Saudi Arabia to see first-hand the great work that is under way, in particular the effort and focus to introduce the country’s youthful population to the health benefits the sport can provide.”

As a renowned golf course designer, Gary Player has also had initial conversations with Golf Saudi about how to further develop the Kingdom’s infrastructure and deliver on the scale of the organisation’s ambition when it comes to playing its part in Saudi Arabia’s transformation and meeting Vision 2030 targets, particularly in regard to the socio-economic benefits golf course development can bring to the country.

Majed Al-Sorour, CEO of Golf Saudi, said: “We are privileged to have Gary Player join us as our latest international Golf Saudi ambassador and support our ongoing development. Since his first visit in early 2020, we have kept in regular contact with Mr. Player and his interest in introducing golf to the younger members of Saudi Arabia’s population remains undimmed. Following his appointment as an official ambassador, we are looking forward to learning from his expertise and benefiting from his strong track record within the game to help us build a golfing ecosystem, which future generations can be proud of.”

For further information on Gary Player and his appointment as a Golf Saudi ambassador, please visit: www.golfsaudi.com.

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CAPTION: Lady Captain Helen Parkinson (centre) at her drive-in with Steve Fox (Captain), Ian Kennedy (President), John McManus (Vice Captain) and Trudy Atherton (Lady Vice Captain)

A Lancashire club is breaking down the barriers to encourage more ladies to take up golf.

Walmersley Golf Club – which was founded in 1906 – has established equal playing rights and privileges for both male and female members of the club.

The decision of the club – which can be found in White Carr Lane at Walmersley, near Bury – continues the transformational work going on in governing bodies at both national and regional level, down to individual facilities, to ensure the sport provides an equal platform for both men and women.

Lady Captain Helen Parkinson says: “If the game of golf seeks to move forward it needs to change with society and give equal opportunities to everyone regardless of gender.

“We have found in the past that it is quite difficult to recruit women for various reasons. For example, the time element is mentioned, particularly for those who have work or family to care for.

“Playing after work is not always possible while the alternative of playing on Sunday has not always been popular as this is seen as a family day. So being able to play at any time, even a few holes, will make the game more accessible.

“A big part of what it will mean at Walmersley is full acceptance for the women as equal to the men. It was clear that differences in attitude towards men and women were not acceptable in the 21st century, particularly to younger golfers.

“The women will now pay the same fees but consider this a huge step forward. Everyone knows all members are truly equal with no restrictions on playing times or access to various aspects of club life.”

Club Captain Steve Fox said: “This major change has been well received by everyone and we are proud of the agreement to implement this proposal. It means equal opportunity for all and is welcomed by the male players at the club. Equal playing rights and the same privileges is seen as the only way forward.”

Competition days will be Tuesdays and Saturdays while the club will continue with its coaching programme for newcomers with a free ladies taster session on Tuesday, April 30 (6.30pm-8.30pm), having received a full complement for their first session on April 7.

All equipment is provided on the day, with refreshments included. Further discounted group coaching lessons are available while the club operates a ‘buddy’ system to help new golfers when they get out on the course for the first time.

Says Helen Searle, club support officer for the Lancashire Golf Development Group and England Golf: “Walmersley have worked exceptionally hard in clearly communicating the message to their members as to the importance of equality and how this can grow the game and reach audiences that were once alienated.

“Women’s golf is a tough nut to crack, but creating a more welcoming environment is the first hurdle to overcome. I am so proud to work with clubs like Walmersley and others that are really trying to break the mould and make a difference to the game.”

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Spot the star …. former Lancashire county player Tommy Fleetwood – now number 14 in the world – with members of the Lancashire boys’ training squads when the Ryder Cup star shared some of his lessons from his formative years as a golfer

Lancashire clubs are hoping their support for the drive to get more people playing golf will help land a prestigious national award.

The Red Rose county has been nominated in the 2019 England Golf awards, sponsored by adidasGolf.

The Lancashire team are bidding to secure a double success, having been crowned County of the Year at the 2017 awards. This time round they will face competition from Wiltshire when the winners are revealed at a gala dinner in London in March.

County golf officials have been delighted by the support shown by the region’s 157 golf-related facilities, which has seen a wide range of projects to grow the game across Lancashire.

As a result, the county is bucking the national trend with a total membership increase in 2017 of just over 1% against a nationwide decline of 2%. This is on the back of a 4% increase in 2016.

And county organisers have praised clubs for being prepared to embrace a new approach to wooing the next generation of golfers.

Projects included a ground-breaking conference looking at increasing the number of girls and women playing golf, which saw industry experts offer advice across a range of subjects including marketing, customer experience, social media and what young women are looking for from golf.

Lancashire Union of Golf Clubs secretary Phil Harvey said: “Lancashire is a county which understands the complex barriers to participating in golf. Combining the strength, skills and experience of its partners it has capitalised on the ‘County of the Year Award’ 2017 to reinforce its position as leader in the quest to tackle those barriers.

“Our successful county conference and follow up initiatives – hailed as the ‘flagship’ for driving participation of women and girls – provided education, motivation and support.”

The award nomination brings together the work of a number of partners, including the Lancashire Union of Golf Clubs, the Lancashire Ladies County Golf Association, the Lancashire Golf Development Group, the Golf Foundation and the Professional Golfers Association.

They have set out a vision for the county which pledges “for the golf bodies in Lancashire to strengthen their relationship and play a key role in getting more people playing the game and developing talented individuals.

“The course for action provides a focus for the passion, determination and enthusiasm of the thousands of our paid and unpaid ‘guardians’ of golf to deliver.”

The figures make impressive reading as Lancashire has promoted golf on national TV and radio, as well as at community events, meaning 111 people with disabilities have been helped into golf programmes, while more than 1,200 children have been offered a way into the sport.

New initiatives generated an estimated £190,000 in new business between April and September last year, while clubs have been supported to call on more than £616,000 in investment to secure their long-term futures.

Lancashire has recently appointed a new Director of Coaching to overhaul its entire coaching programme while strengthening its admin team over the past few years, adding experience in key areas such as marketing, finance, business development and club management to the committee structure.

More than 200 boys and 96 girls are on junior talent development programmes.

Other developments included new software to help counties collect fees and membership details, which is now used by 30 of the 34 counties in England, while 5,700 players subscribe to the free Lancashire County Card scheme.

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