The Confederation of Professional Golf’s ever-expanding educational schedule is to break not-to-be-missed new ground in March with the inaugural COACHES CIRCLE. This new event will bring National team coaches together with coaches of elite players and will be followed by the strategically important HEADS OF TRAINING SUMMIT. The events will be run separately but consecutively on Spain’s Costa Daurada.

The essential diary dates for the two top-level events staged at the Gran Palas Hotel and the attractive Lumine Beach & Golf Club, Tarragona, (within easy reach of Barcelona), are:

COACHES CIRCLE, March 12-14 featuring speakers Henrik Lundqvist, Dr Istvan Bayli (left), & Professor Dave Collins,
HEADS OF TRAINING SUMMIT (HoTS) March 15-16 featuring presentations by Education Committee members along with Neil Flanagan, a respected administrator at a string of world renowned resorts and Jane Booth (below), author of the Right Coach, Right Place, Right Time philosophy.
Theory and practical sessions of how to work on players short games will kick start the Coaches Circle, before a thorough discussion around Long Term Athletic Development (LATD) and Talent Identification and Development (TID) will take place. Two heavyweights on the subject Dr Istvan Bayli and Professor Collins, will share their enormous expertise and take questions in what proves to be a lively session which will examine the subject thoroughly. Surely a not to be missed opportunity to learn from the best for anyone dealing with developing young players.

The bridge day (Wednesday) will include practical demonstrations on the range and be an important part of the event, followed by a round of golf at the Lumine Resort.

Members of the Education Committee will be joined by Naill Flanagan (left) and Jane Booth to stage HoTS with subjects including linking PGA Education to national frameworks and higher education…Golf in developing/emerging markets….The Right coach, Right place, Right time philosophy…The European project – Golf Stand and its potential impact… Training for development of a career…  The core essentials of education/training and perhaps most importantly discussions around the rules of amateur status and the potential impact.

For a complete programme and speakers profiles…Click HERE

As a new, and enviable tournament for the Confederation of Professional Golf’s Pro-Am programme, the event is available to a maximum of 20 teams (1 professional + 3 amateurs) competing over three rounds stableford with the best 2 scores from  the team of 4 to count on each hole.

PGA professionals from around Europe and beyond, who have had limited scope for much-needed competition during the harsh winter months, thereby have the chance to greet Spring in enviable style.

The all-embracing format provides an opportunity for all categories with its professional prize fund of €15,000 (based on a minimum of 15 teams entering) along with handicap events for both men and women amateurs offering ‘fantastic prizes.

The full programme is:

Tuesday 20th March – Arrival and registration
Wednesday 21st March – Official practice round and welcome cocktails
Thursday 22nd March – First tournament round
Friday 23rd March – Second Tournament round
Saturday 24th March – Final round and gala dinner
Sunday 25th March – Day of Leisure and departures.
When Colin Mongomerie played there he described Le Touessrok as ‘truly spectacular’ and a ‘must play’ destination. Its arrival as a Confederation of Professional Golf destination enhances a schedule that already includes events in Turkey (two), Bulgaria, Greece, Portugal and Spain.

For further details – Click Here
Tournament Information and Entry Form – Click Here

This ground-breaking initiative, titled the ISPS Handa PGA Academy Programme, stems from the desire of founder and leading philanthropist Dr Haruhisa Handa for golf to become a Paralmypic sport and is launched on the back of ISPS becoming the new title sponsor of the £250,000 PGA Seniors Championship. The European Senior Tour event, which was first contested in 1957, takes place at De Vere Slaley Hall from June 7-10 and will be called the ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship.

Dr Handa and ISPS have supported golf at varied levels for more than 25 years, currently sponsoring a number of elite tournaments around the world, using them as a platform to promote opportunities for blind and disabled golfers.

As part of the ISPS Handa PGA Academy Programme, ISPS will also be providing a thousand free golf lessons for blind and disabled golfers with PGA Professionals while De Vere will take a lead role in the launch of the new initiative by committing De Vere venues and resident PGA professionals to support the scheme and by creating regional events for blind and disabled golfers culminating in a grand final at the ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship at Slaley Hall.

“ISPS is pleased to be sponsoring such a prestigious tournament as the PGA Seniors Championship in the superb setting of De Vere Slaley Hall,” said Dr Haruhisa Handa.

“We are especially delighted to launch the unique ISPS Handa PGA Academy Programme in partnership with the PGA. Blind and disabled golfers face a number of challenges in developing their game and to be able to provide them with greater access to specialised coaching is something we are very proud of.”

The launch of the ISPS Handa PGA Academy Programme was welcomed by Dr Kyle Phillpots, PGA Director of Education and Career Development, who paid tribute to Dr Handa and ISPS and identified their commitment to the project as a significant milestone in helping improve coaching standards for disabled golfers in the UK.

“Many of our members already do excellent work with golfers with a range of disabilities but this is the first time we have had the opportunity to devise a specific programme for PGA professionals interested in this field,” he said.

Daniel Hodson, Golf and Leisure Director for De Vere, said: “We are delighted to welcome ISPS on board as the title sponsor and De Vere fully supports their aims to improve golfing opportunities for blind and disabled golfers.

“This is the fifth successive year that the PGA Seniors Championship has been staged at Slaley Hall and with the support of ISPS we are looking forward to another week of exciting golf.”

Andrew White, Chief Executive of WSM Communications, who brokered the sponsorship deal said: “The ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship offers a great platform for ISPS to further raise the profile of the valuable work they do in blind and disabled golf.

“The ISPS Handa PGA Academy Programme is also a great partnership with the PGA providing tangible grassroots support in advancing participation and development in golf for the blind and disabled.”

Dr Handa, who is vice president at the Royal National Institute for the Blind, set up the Japanese Blind Golf Association in 1988 and was also a driving force behind the formation of the International Blind Golf Association.

For further information contact Nathaniel Sylvester, PGA Head of Media on:

01675 470333 or email Nathaniel.sylvester@pga.org.uk

ISPS enquiries:
Francesca Johnson
WSM Communication ­ PR Manager
E: francesca.johnson@wsmcommunication.com
T: +44 (0)770 367 2589

Image above courtesy of Adrian Milledge of (left to right) Andy Stubbs, Managing Director European Senior Tour; Sandy Jones, PGA Chief Executive; Midori Miyazaki, Executive Director of International Affairs at ISPS; Andrew White, WSM Communications Chief Executive and Daniel Hodson, Golf And Leisure Director for De Vere

The plus-two handicapper clinched his top-of-the series place by earning a play-off for first place against the American Cody Proveaux when they both shot five under par for 54 holes in the final tournament, The Gate American Junior.

The World Junior Golf Series is an international tour structure designed to showcase the best junior players (ages 12-19) on the world stage, described as ‘shadowing the ambitious operational concept of the Harder German Junior Masters as well as other highly recognised events around the world’.

The World Junior Golf Series began with five international tournaments and plans to grow to ten in the forthcoming years. Qualifiers earn the chance to apply for a scholarship to the Foundation’s golf academy located at Jacksonville, Florida.

Adrian then, after Christmas, played at the Orange Bowl in a tournament unofficially classed as World Junior Championship. After three days he was leading but, being unused to playing four round tournaments, finished 11th, and consequently now ranks No. 2 Junior in the world.

This success has opened up to him all the gates to the best colleges in the USA. Adrian´s home coach, Matthew Tipper, is the Head Professional at the Leadbetter Academy at the Toya GC, the only Leadbetter Academy in Poland.

Meronk’s success is a well-earned reward for Confederation of Professional Golf members Poland’s ambitious and well-structured campaign to establish themselves as a challenging golfing nation by virtue of their firm dedication to a philosophy of education.

Further indication of Poland’s progress at this level was provided by Meronk’s Toya GC clubmate Mateusz Gradecki and by Jan Szmidt who also featured well in the series.

Marek Podstolski, president of the PGA of Poland has worked ceaselessly to instill a golfing culture into the eastern European nation that is virtually a newcomer to the sport on the last decade, attending Confederation of Professional Golf events at every opportunity in pursuit of the necessary knowledge and experience.

This philosophy was furthered by Education Committee recognition of its training programme and by aid from the Ryder Cup Europe Development Trust and was underlined by a Confederation of Professional Golf 5-Star Professional award for Mike O’Brien, the PGAP’s head of training.

“I am proud as the PGA of Poland for Adrian Meronk’s success, and in particular of   Mike O’Brien and Filip Naglak, who are in charge of junior coaching for the Polish Golf Union,” said the Polish PGA president. “As we said 4-5 years ago in one of our brochures ‘first we have to educate our golf teachers, then the golf coaches.  Then we may start to train the juniors’.

“It is very satisfying that this has proved to be correct…and, perhaps, in a shorter time than we may have expected.

“Adrian is definitely to attend a college in the USA, where he is going to experience week-by-week tournaments and championships. If he works hard on his game, and course management, we might have someone following a similar career path to Luke Donald and others like him. At the moment we are, of course, very excited, but we do know that we need more Adrians to break through into the professional game at the highest level.”

Ian Randell, the Confederation of Professional Golf chief executive was equally enthusiastic about the Polish breakthrough into the world golfing arena, albeit at junior level. “It shows the results of hard work and building the correct foundations,” he said.

“This was a magnificent performance by young Adrian and an indication, maybe that more such fine players will emerge through the Polish training programme.”

As a former director of golf at Markischer Golfclub Potsdam in the late 1990s, Martin Westphal (left) was shocked to discover three years ago that the Berlin club had gone bankrupt.

The superbly situated facility boasted 27 holes, a par three nine hole course plus a 10 hectare practice area with five putting greens and four pitching greens, all set in sprawling woodland.

But the harsh reality since Westphal’s four year tenure at the private members club was that it had succumbed to the realities of a changing golfing landscape.

“It went bankrupt because they had to get in €20,000 on top of the annual subs and the price was too high,” explained Westphal.

“The club had one of the biggest and best practice ranges in Europe but that means nothing if it doesn’t make money.”

Westphal, eager to step into the golf management business, saw an opportunity and seized it with both hands and after initially renting it, bought it outright with investors in October 2010.

The transformation has been spectacular. He has gone from employing one PGA professional to eight, increased membership to 1,200 and seen the number of rounds a week rise from near zero to 1,400.

But the 49-year-old, who has been a PGA pro for 32 years and a British member since 2006, has had to take a radical approach to meeting the modern demands of the golf industry.

“Golf clubs in Germany are driven by member clubs and have never been focused on a commercial way of running a golf facility,” he explained.

“My communication to older members was that I am going to run a 100 per cent semi-private golf club, it means if you offer a price it is a season’s green fees not annual subs.

“I calculated the number of rounds required to make it busier and created an appropriate pricing system.

“I changed the infrastructure of the club, I converted part of the restaurant to make the pro shop bigger. The pro shop was making little money but the pro shop is key to talking to people about golf and explaining about the game and equipment. It is a good communication centre.

“Most importantly I also had to make sure my pros understood the message we were going to tell. It meant the pros have to come away from the idea that people will come knocking at their door so to speak. They have to sell themselves.

“I bought lessons from the pros for members so that the pros could sell and promote themselves. That was their opportunity, one-to-one, to make a positive impression.”

As part of his radical overhaul of the club, Westphal has also introduced a kindergarten.

“The golfer of today is not just a golfer, he is a family man who has to take care of the family so I’ve implemented something where he can come and have a game and leave his or her kids in a safe environment.”

Other developments have been the implementation of physiotherapy and sports science personnel five days a week while there is a massage and training room.

Plans are also in the pipeline for a new centre for physical fitness and an education centre because it has become the education centre of the PGA of Germany’s junior section.

 “Membership for children up to 14 is free, and they can get lessons at a reduced rate. Now we have 104 kids in training which in turn has created access to apply for additional funding.

“My aim next year is to get members to spend more time at the club. If they spend more time at the club they spend more money.

“I plan to introduce training cards for all members. They will find training aids and certain instruction areas. The PGA pro will set aside time to instruct the amateur and leave info on the card to make sure they are practising the proper way so they can improve as players.

“Germans are very technical, and love the how and whys of the golf swing.

“Pros have to learn to entertain to make sure they come back and create referrals. If you are working at an active place it depends on the pros to show what they can do.

“I want to make people play the best golf they can, the courses are full and I like my practice facilities to be busy.

“As PGA pros we have to educate the customers and tell them if you want to become better golfers you should practice and if you practice the way I am showing you will have fun too.”

Westphal, who is a member of the Confederation of Professional Golf education committee and has also worked for the R&A for 14 years on missionary work, is optimistic for the future but believes clubs need to adapt.

“There are 600,000 golfers attached to the German Golf Federation but there are 1.6 million playing ‘unorganised’ golf and a further 11 million that would like to play golf.

“But they are not getting into golf because the German Golf Federation is driven by people in golf clubs and the traditional entry fee and subscription model.

“But today’s customer wants to be flexible. The average age of our new customer is 46.

“My market is not organised. The traditional members are getting old but the new customers coming into golf are not willing to step into their foot prints. The old members are still asking for the way it was but in many cases that is not possible.

“But the success I have today tells me the way I am running the facility is working. Thirty per cent of the rounds are green fee rounds and there has been an increase of 40 per cent of golf rounds played year on year.”