Never mind collecting a cheque for more than £5,000 for his efforts, the bottom line for the 42-year-old is that the Wentworth experience has whetted his appetite for more portions of the big time.

“It’s always disappointing to shoot over par but I’ve enjoyed the experience,” he said after negotiating the West Course for the fourth and final time in three-over.

“My goal was to come here and try and finish top 20 and make the cut. I made the cut and am really over the moon about that.

“I’m obviously disappointed I’ve shot some over par rounds but it’s something I’ve done now. I’ve ticked that box. If I ever get to play in it again, I know what to expect. It’s not such a big deal – you’ve just got to go out there and play golf.

“I loved every single moment of it and would love to get a Tour card – you’re never too old. I’ve played with a few good players this year and there’s not a lot of difference other than consistency.”

The first competition for Professionals held last year was won by a former European Challenge Tour player Toni Karjalainen from Finland who complimented both the course and the organisation of the tournament.  The competition is open to a maximum of 50 professionals participating with the rest of the field comprising of top amateurs from Estonia and surrounding countries.

The registration fee for professionals is €250 and includes 3 nights stay at a luxurious hotel in Tallinn city centre and transfers between the hotel and the course throughout the tournament.

We look forward to welcoming you here in Tallinn and Niitvälja for this summer’s XXIII Niitvälja Karikas by Mandatum Life.

Click Here to Download the Entry Form

Following the board meeting on April 23, 2015 President Manfred Krainz paid tribute to the work of Dr. Korab, thanking him on behalf of the PGA of Austria and passed over the letter of appointment as well as the honorary membership card.

At this point we would like to repeat the thanks to Dr. Korab once again and congratulate him on his honorary membership!

The 2014 Ryder Cup yet again stepped forward as one of the world’s leading sustainable events, generating significant benefits to the community and environment, a new report released this week has concluded.

The Green Drive, led by key partners and engaging dozens of suppliers and contractors, ensured reductions in the event’s resource footprint, while maximising opportunities to deliver positive social and environmental legacies.

To download a copy of the report visit: www.golfenvironment.org/ryder_cup_2014_greendrive

Key findings in the report, ‘A Review of The 2014 Ryder Cup Green Drive’, include:

• High standards of environmental management and community outreach carried out by Gleneagles Resort, and Junior Ryder Cup venue, Blairgowrie Golf Club, including ecologically led site protection and restoration plans;
• Promotion of the Scottish Food and Drink Sustainability Charter ensured that local, seasonal and healthy food which met high welfare standards was sourced.  As an example, Fabulous Feasts sourced 68 percent of all produce from Scottish suppliers;
• Careful site planning and protection with monitoring by the Green Drive team ensured zero environmental incidents resulted from the staging of the event;
• Morrisons Construction substantially cut the footprint of one of the few aspects of permanent infrastructure – recycling on-site materials to avoid more than 600 lorry loads and 28,000 road milesduring the construction of the park and ride bus terminals, a key project in reducing car mileage and congestion around the venue;
• The lower carbon transport plan resulted in more than 7,500 additional spectators per day travelling by rail, straight into the newly refurbished Gleneagles rail station, and 181,744 spectators travelling on collective bus transportation from the three remote park and ride hubs;
• As part of the successful Zero Waste to Landfill policy, supported by lead contractors William Tracey and Spectrum, an extensive reuse and recycling scheme ensured that PVC, glass, timber and more than 70 percent of the vinyl, carpet and Astroturf from the main hospitality suites was redistributed to community groups;
• An effective energy management strategy, including a daily ‘power down’ and the use of bio-fuel in generators resulted in Aggreko delivering a 10 percent reduction in anticipated temporary power carbon emissions;
• In partnership with the Scottish Government, Perth and Kinross Council and the Scottish Golf Union, four Green Drive Legacy projects continue to deliver valuable community / environmental activities across Perthshire.

Edward Kitson, Ryder Cup Match Director, said “We are delighted to see how many practical results the Green Drive delivered across such a wide range of aspects of the event – from the venue management to staging to legacies and also in communicating and promoting sustainability. This information is now being shared with the organisers of The 2018 Ryder Cup in Paris, and at the same time the bidding nations for The 2022 Ryder Cup are currently outlining their sustainability plans in their submissions.  With the European Tour Green Drive also moving forward apace, it’s clear to see just how much importance we place on bringing value to the environment and communities alongside world-class sport”.

Richard Lochhead, Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and the Environment, said:  “The global spotlight was firmly fixed on Scotland in 2014, and The Ryder Cup was the perfect platform to showcase our nation’s breathtaking natural environment and world-class food and drink.  The Ryder Cup Green Drive included many innovative measures to make the event as sustainable as possible, including promoting the fantastic natural larder we have on our doorstep. I now look forward to seeing how this valuable experience can help raise knowledge and standards for the golf sector, as well as other major events in Scotland during our Year of Food and Drink and beyond.”

The Green Drive was coordinated by the Golf Environment Organisation (GEO), a non-profit group which has worked closely as the sustainability partner to Ryder Cup Europe since 2006.   GEO worked collaboratively with a wide-range of partners and stakeholders including the likes of Gleneagles Resort, Event Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage.

Jonathan Smith, Chief Executive of GEO said:  “Ryder Cup Europe continues to demonstrate an outstanding commitment to sustainability, and The 2014 Ryder Cup Green Drive has shown again how important it is to take a team approach at major sporting events. We look forward to continuing to work with Ryder Cup, other golf tournaments and golf organisations around the world, to build upon successes and lessons from Gleneagles to further golf’s position as a sustainability leader in sport.”

Dr Susie Tomson, Project Manager for the initiative added: “Having worked with the London Olympics it is fantastic to see events such as The Ryder Cup taking yet further steps to deliver across all aspects of sustainability. Ryder Cup has really set the benchmark for other golf tournament organisers.”

Linked to research carried out by Sheffield Hallam University, the report also identified the success of efforts to promote the initiative and raise spectator awareness – leading organisers to conclude that this was a clear area of opportunity for the future:

• 25 percent of spectators were aware of the Green Drive initiative
• 65 percent were aware of the Zero Waste Policy and promotion of recycling
• 24 percent noticed the FairTrade information at food outlets
• 45 percent were willing to consider a financial contribution to the initiative if they knew it was going towards worthy social and environmental causes around the event

To download a copy of the report visit: www.golfenvironment.org/ryder_cup_2014_greendrive

Zero Waste Scotland, a member of the 2014 Ryder Cup Green Drive steering group, has published a new guide to help event organisers to plan and deliver environmentally sustainable events.  The guide, which builds on learnings from high-profile events hosted by Scotland during 2014, including the Ryder Cup 2014 along with the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. The guide can be can be downloaded at http://www.resourceefficientscotland.com/resource/how-plan-and-deliver-environmentally-sustainable-events.

For more information on the Ryder Cup visit www.rydercup.com.

European Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke made the announcement during the build-up to this week’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open hosted by the Rory Foundation, revealing that the tournament, from September 3-6, will set the ball rolling.

“I am delighted that we are able to announce the start of the qualification for The 2016 European Ryder Cup Team,” said the Northern Irishman, who was unveiled as European captain on February 18. “This signals the start of what I know will be an intense and exciting period for me personally and for everyone involved with The European Tour.”

With the precise schedule for the 2016 European Tour season still to be finalised, the last counting event is not yet determined, but what is clear is the fact that the players will be operating under the same system employed for the 2014 qualification process.

To recap, that means the first four players bound for Hazeltine National in Minnesota in September 2016 will come from The Ryder Cup European Points List – based around points gained from events on The European Tour’s Race to Dubai – with the next five players coming from The Ryder Cup World Points List – based around Official World Golf Ranking points gained globally.

That will leave Clarke the task of choosing three wild cards to complete The 2016 European Team in the days after the conclusion of the final qualifying tournament.

“The qualification period is a truly global affair now and many of the players that will make the team will do so by playing in many tournaments around the world,” added Clarke.

“However, as I said when I was announced as captain, I’m focused on assembling the best team possible to represent Europe and I think this system gives me the opportunity to do just that.”

For more information on the Ryder Cup visit www.rydercup.com.

A  hugely successful online course for PGA teaching professionals accredited for 100 CPD Points.

This fully online course is packed with practical activities for the PGA professional to guide players through improving their mental game, and is endorsed by some of England’s best coaches. Coaches can complete the course at home so they will have no travel costs or time away from their work. All coaches need is a player to work with and the time to complete the course activities. The course takes on average 25 hours to complete.

Includes material and coaching resources on:

• Motivation and Assessing Needs
• Mental Skills for Golf
• Techniques to Coach

Click Here to Download Information PDF (0.4mb)

The meeting of Corporate Partners together under one roof took place at The Wentworth Club in Surrey, UK, on the Thursday of the BMW PGA Championship, following a fantastic day’s golf and dinner at Walton Heath Golf Club.

The week has special significance for the Association as the initial exploratory meeting took place at Wentworth on May 26th 1989 during the PGA Championship.

The Business Club was an opportunity to bring the Association’s family of Corporate Partners together to discuss topics relevant to both the Confederation of Professional Golf and their businesses, share ideas, and network with each other.

“It was a great pleasure to host our Partners this week,” said Confederation of Professional Golf Chief Executive, Ian Randell.  “The opportunity to bring representatives together in celebration of our Anniversary proved to be very fruitful both from our perspective from a feedback point of view, but also between the partners themselves.

“We take great pride in the longevity of many of our Corporate Partnerships and the loyalty that exists on both sides.   These relationships are vital to the health of our Association, providing invaluable support along with opportunities for our Member PGAs and their PGA Professionals to benefit, and in order to be so successful must also, of course, enable our Partners to further their own business objectives.”

The Business Club is the first of a series of events celebrating the Association’s 25th Anniversary year that will culminate with a key celebration week at the 2015 Annual Congress in December.

A new sustainability initiative is running at this year’s BMW PGA Championship, which will see the provision of over 8,000m2 of carpet, lino and Astroturf donated to local charities and community projects after the event has finished.

Initially introduced at the 2014 Ryder Cup, where 5,000m2 of materials from its temporary structures were re-used, Arena Group and Green Element – Arena’s retained environmental management consultancy – worked alongside The European Tour and Golf Environment Organization (GEO), to bring this week’s project to fruition.

The European Tour has now enlisted Arena Group and Green Element to extend the scheme to other events including the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex and the Ricoh Women’s British Open.

Dave Withey, Arena UK & Europe sales and marketing director, explains: “Many of our products have long life-cycles which means that what we can’t re-use directly at other golf tournaments and events, can be a valuable resource to locally organisations. Some of the high quality materials we offer can make a real difference to groups such as schools and charities and we are really looking forward to continuing this work with The European Tour.”

Arena Group and Green Element are calling for any local charities or organisations that would like to get involved to register for a collection by completing the short form at this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ArenaWentworthPGA. Local scrap stores and charities have already expressed interest and signed up to the programme.

William Richardson, MD at Green Element, concludes: “This is a really important project and it’s vital if we want to ensure the long term sustainability of major sporting events. We’re also working with Arena Group on other projects including Wimbledon and the AEGON Championships; it’s great to see so many sporting organisations investing in sustainability and understanding the difference it can make.”

The re-use initiative is part of European Tour’s broader sustainability programme, The European Tour Green Drive, which reaches out across tournaments and the venues they are played at. The programme aims to enhance nature, conserve resources and support communities at events across the Tour’s annual schedule.

Fredrik Lindgren, Head of Corporate Responsibility at The European Tour, said: “The European Tour recognises the importance of hosting ever-more sustainable events. One aspects of this is minimising the consumption of resources, and working towards zero waste to landfill.

“The re-use initiative is one way in which we are reducing our impact here at the BMW PGA Championship this year and we are delighted to be working with Arena, Green Element and Golf Environment Organisation on this initiative, to provide local community groups with these useful new materials.”

The Coaches Circle takes place from the 27 – 28 July, 2015 at Pravets Golf & Spa Resort, Bulgaria, and will see national coaches, coaches of elite players (on a level 1,2 or 3 tour), and coaches involved in national junior programmes, attend theory and practical sessions.

This year’s event will focus on Junior Golf and the issues around development, retention, and working with talented young players, drawing on the vast experience of the speakers in the schedule.

Download Registration Form (DOC 0.7MB)

Day One will begin with a session from Confederation of Professional Golf Education Committee (EC) Chairman, Jonathan Mannie, looking at the challenges of coaching players to meet Federation objectives, followed by fellow EC Member, Martin Westphal, and his ‘ingredients for junior player development’.

Later in Day One, High Performance Manager for the Irish Ladies Golf Union (ILGU), David Kearney, will give an account of a girl’s journey in and out of high performance golf, which will be followed up with a panel session to close the first day.

Day Two begins with Director of Coaching for the Cranfield Golf Academy, Steven Orr’s, session detailing the skills and character traits of young players, whilst Managing Director of KRL Consulting, Karl Morris, will draw on his experience with both the Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke Golf Schools for his session on expectations and benefits of juniors attending a structured junior golf academy.

Advanced Fellow of the PGA of Great Britain & Ireland from the Impact Golf Academy, Ian Peek, will then look at the relationships between home coaches and their national/regional counterparts and whether this is a case of ‘coaching ego over player success’.

For more information on the programme, speakers, venue and packages visit http://eur.pe/2015CoachesCircle

Packages:

Coaches Circle Programme:

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For more information about the Confederation of Professional Golf, visit cpg.golf, follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter and search the Hashtag #CoachesCircle, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

“Bubba has a huge heart and continues to use his success on the golf course to help people in need, especially children,” said John A. Solheim, PING Chairman & CEO. “As we’ve seen on the golf course with his shot-making skills, he’s a creative thinker and his decision to distinguish himself by using a pink driver and shaft helped make this program possible. We’re blessed with the opportunity to partner with Bubba and are very grateful to golfers who choose to support this program for the benefit of the Bubba Watson Foundation.”

Widely recognised as the longest driver in golf, Watson has used a pink PING driver since 2012, the year he won his first Masters. Following that victory, PING introduced a similar program with its pink G20 driver. Those funds were donated to the Phoenix Children’s Hospital and used to help build the recently opened Bubba Watson-PING Golf Motion Analysis Lab — the first and only dedicated pediatric Motion Analysis Laboratory (MAL) in the state of Arizona. The MAL uses advanced assessment tools to evaluate and treat children and adolescents who have movement disorders or walking difficulties caused by conditions like Cerebral Palsy.

“I’ve been playing PING clubs since I was eight years old,” Watson said. “Besides making great equipment that helps me have success on the golf course, PING and the Solheim family are incredibly generous in giving back to the game through ideas like the limited-edition pink G30 driver program. I’m excited golfers have the opportunity to participate in this great cause knowing they are also contributing to help improve the lives of the less fortunate.”

The limited-edition G30 drivers will have a bright pink shaft and clubhead featuring the same technology, including turbulators on the crown, that has earned the G30 high marks for its performance from golfers of all abilities. The pink G30 drivers are offered in 9º and 10.5º lofts (adjustable +- 1º) for right-handed players; 10.5º (adjustable +- 1º) for left-handed players. It is available in R and S flexes. All come with a matching pink-accented head cover.

For more information on PING visit www.PING.com.

I was invited along with representatives of a variety of golfing bodies to participate in the European Golf Federations’ Conference hosted by the European Tour at Wentworth where amongst other things we heard from the Czech Republic, Danish, French, and German Federations on some of the initiatives they were working on and that had been successful in their countries.

We also received an update on the progress of Golf in the Olympics and the role that it can play in the development of the sport in the coming years, along with a “Challenges Facing Europe” session.

Something we at the Confederation of Professional Golf are particularly focused on is the development of ‘Golf Europe’ – a group of European golf stakeholders collaborating to grow golf and enhance the sport’s contribution to European society.

I joined representatives of the EGA, European Tour, LET and The R&A on a panel that introduced ‘Golf Europe’ and in particular ‘GoGolf’, an Erasmus+ funded initiative designed to engage young people in golf at a pan-European level and enhance the evidence base of the health benefits of golf.

The opportunities to grow the sport that lay in front of us, and future ‘Golf Europe’ initiatives that will be announced soon, must be seized and will surely prove to be hugely beneficial for our sport.

Also this month I was pleased to facilitate a more internal initiative between the CEOs of some of our larger Member Countries.  The first call of what will hopefully be a regular activity provided a platform for them to discuss current topics of interest and share successes and challenges that they face.  I am sure these calls will develop a lot to report in the future and I would encourage people to replicate the idea.

Meanwhile, the first Major of the year was full of excitement as professional golf welcomes a new era of emerging talent and sporting rivalries.

Whilst we all enjoyed seeing Tiger and Rory match up during the final round of The Masters, I must say the thought of a Rory McIlroy/Jordan Spieth rivalry in the future is an exciting prospect and certainly good for the sport as a whole as they each exude excellent qualities both as golfers and as people.  What a great advertisement for our sport!

And so to this month’s IGPN.  Themed around fitting and equipment, the issue explores a variety of aspects that fall within those categories, one such example being custom fitting.

As you will see in the piece later in this Issue from our Corporate Partners, PING, renowned as being at the forefront of custom fitting, there are many benefits for PGA Professionals.

But I think sometimes we sell ourselves short in terms of how important custom fitting is in helping golfers perform and also how useful it can be to a PGA Professional.  There are not many other sports where an almost infinite amount of specification can be made to one’s equipment – and perhaps no other sport where this type of customisation can have such a big impact on a person’s game.

PGA Professionals should always stress the importance of getting appropriately fitted equipment to their students and customers and really make the most of an opportunity to not only help make players better and enjoy themselves more, but also generate revenue.

IGPN is filled with ways to improve your understanding of fitting [in many senses of the word], along with how to capitalise on this knowledge to better aid your clients and customers, as well as your business.  Enjoy the read!

This article originally featured in International Golf Pro News. Visit the IGPN Page to find out more and subscribe for free.

Brazil is gearing up for next year’s Olympics with the launch of the 12-month Rio StreetGolf Programme, a project designed to breakdown sporting and social barriers and highlight the key values of golf – honesty, respect and integrity.

The scheme was launched last week in the grand surroundings of Rio’s Maracanã stadium, where 15 children from Japeri, one of the poorest communities in the city, became the first people to play golf in football’s spiritual home.

Supported by The R&A, the Golf Foundation and the Rio Golf Federation, the programme aims to reach more than 15,000 kids and adults through a mixture of school and community projects and four high-profile StreetGolf tournaments in central Rio.

Cristian Barcelos, 20, who two years ago became the first Brazilian from outside a private members’ club to win the Brazilian Junior Golf Championships, is one of the five-man team being trained by the Golf Foundation to deliver the programme.

“It is brilliant to be able to teach golf to kids from my community in the home of my favourite football team, Flamengo,” Cristian said. “No one believed that we were going to play golf in the Maracanã.”

Rio StreetGolf uses adapted golf balls and clubs to make the sport possible in any urban environments.

Cristian and his friends, guided by the experts from the Golf Foundation, have spent the week teaching kids in schools and communities, including Mangueira, the favela overlooking the famous stadium.

The team will soon begin weekly training sessions across Rio in preparation for the first public StreetGolf Tournament on August 5 – exactly one year before golf returns to the Olympic Games after a 100-year absence.

“No one in England can understand what it is like to watch these kids play golf in the Maracanã!” said Golf Foundation development officer Katie Moggan. “This is a fantastic event and the start of showing young people in Rio de Janeiro that they can play golf if they want to and it’s a sport that does have something to offer everyone.”

Luiz Henrique Lopes Leão Teixeira, president of the Rio Golf Federation, added: “This is a really strong project for increasing awareness of golf in Rio de Janeiro and showing people from all backgrounds that this is a sport that is accessible to them.”

The Golf Foundation team kept a video diary of their experiences, the first two of which can be seen below:

https://youtu.be/U6n-6mdsGSQ

Courtesy of Golf Monthly. Read more at http://eur.pe/1L6VBBN.

Jean-Etienne was a figurehead at the forefront of professional education for PGA Professionals and a key driver in the creation and development of the Confederation of Professional Golf.

His work with the Association, the PGA of France and the Fédération Française de Golf (FFGolf) has impacted upon almost every PGA Professional that has gone through a training programme across Europe.  He was recognised many times for his influence on golf in Europe, including most recently Special Recognition by the FFGolf as a Master in his field.

“On behalf of all Confederation of Professional Golf Officials and Staff, both past and present, I would like to express my deepest condolences to Jean-Etienne’s family and friends for the loss of such a fantastic person,” said Confederation of Professional Golf Chief Executive, Ian Randell.

“Jean-Etienne was not only hugely influential in the development of our Association, but also in many of us as individuals.  Not least of all the tens of thousands of PGA Professionals across Europe and the wider world that have been influenced by his vision and efforts in developing professional education.  His energetic personality and enthusiasm will be sorely missed by all.”

Confederation of Professional Golf Chairman, Sandy Jones, added: “Jean-Etienne was without doubt one of the nicest people I have ever met.  His passion for the Confederation of Professional Golf was never-ending and he had the vision and the drive to establish the foundation stones of our education across Europe that have brought us to the successful position we now enjoy.  We should all be indebted to him for his outstanding contribution and wonderful vision.”

Jean-Etienne was a stalwart figure in the Confederation of Professional Golf across its entire history having attended the exploratory meeting of several PGAs at Wentworth in 1989 and was heavily involved in the official formation the following year.

1990 also saw Jean-Etienne chair the very first Training Standards Committee meeting, which later became the Education Committee (EC).  His vision and leadership of the Committee established a recognised European Standard for professional qualification that was accepted by all member countries.

In 2003, Jean-Etienne retired from his position as EC Chairman handing over the reigns to Leif Ohlsson, who then later passed the leadership to its current Chairman, Jonathan Mannie.  Jean-Etienne was recognised by the Association with the Christer Lindberg Bowl award that was later bolstered by the 5 Star Professional Award in 2008.

In 2010 he succeeded Heinz Fehring as Honorary President at the 2010 Annual Congress and later handed over to Donato Di Ponziano in 2012.

He also acted as a Golf Development Consultant for the Confederation of Professional Golf working on behalf of The R&A carrying out various missions in many countries such as Tunisia, Morocco, Chile, Uruguay, Bolivia and Paraguay.

Current Chairman of the EC, Jonathan Mannie, said: “One very special person for me during my time with the Confederation of Professional Golf has been Jean-Etienne Lafitte.  I remember at the Annual Congress many years ago I had the privilege of sitting next to him.  Halfway through he gave me a little note – he had written ‘It is tremendous to see your enthusiasm and your concentration’.  That was really special coming from somebody like him.”

Jean-Etienne’s influence outside of the Confederation of Professional Golf cannot be overstated – his involvement with French golf started long before.  He became the PGA of France’s Chairman in 1981 and was French National Team Coach from 1983 to 1992, where he led the junior national team to a European Championship title in 1988, his last year as the PGA’s Chair.  He was National Technical Director until 1997 during which time he helped to establish the first Federal School for golf coaches.

“As a passionate and erudite golfer, master teacher and friend, Jean-Etienne was outstanding,” said current Confederation of Professional Golf Honorary President, Pierre Bechmann.  “He only had the interest of the game of golf at heart. He wanted all golfers to live up to the game’s principles and traditions.  He saw how golf could help individuals to be better people. He has given a great deal to golf and will be remembered for his exceptional and enthusiastic contribution to the game.”

A funeral service for Jean-Etienne will take place on Friday 15th May at 10:30am at the Saint Jean-Baptiste Church in St Jean de Luz, near Biarritz, France.

Please feel free to leave messages of condolence in the comments section below.

Find out more information by reading below or visiting PGASpain.es | SEMINARIO DEL DR. RICK JENSEN.

Download PDF Information Sheet (0.3MB)

Download DOC Registration Form (0.1MB)

TAKE YOUR GOLF INSTRUCTION TO THE NEXT LEVEL

Are you looking to . . .

• Develop World-Class Coaching Skills?
• Accelerate Your Students’ Learning and On-Course Performance?  Gain Recognition as a Leading Golf Instructor?
• Differentiate Yourself from Less-Qualified Teachers?
• Make a Better Living & Live a Better Life?

If so, come meet with renowned sport psychologist and business expert, Dr. Rick Jensen, and you will learn what it takes to become world-class. Through the use of outdoor demonstrations, discussions, video demonstrations, and case studies of touring pros, Dr. Jensen will provide you with practical coaching strategies that are proven to work. You will learn to differentiate yourself from traditional quick-fix teachers by understanding how to facilitate the mastery of golf skills, design effective practices, and help players take their game from the range to the course.

Additionally, you will learn the specific programs and business models used by instructors who consistently earn more than six-figures annually. Spend time with Dr. Jensen in the classroom, on the practice range, and on the putting green as he shares with you the coaching strategies used by the world’s top golf instructors. The two-day program, scheduled for April 20-21, 2015, will focus on the following three coaching topics:

TOPIC #1: SHIFT FROM TRADITIONAL TEACHING TO MODERN GOLF COACHING

Around the world, teachers and golfers realize that traditional golf instruction is ineffective. Players hit the ball better during a lesson, yet the skill doesn’t transfer to the golf course when it counts. Dr. Jensen will explain “why” and provide you with advanced coaching tools and strategies that will take your golf instruction to the next level. You will learn:

• The four steps to mastering golf
• Research-based coaching strategies that accelerate skill acquisition
• Understand why players choke under pressure and what you can do about it
• Strategies to help players transfer their skills from the practice range to the golf course

TOPIC #2: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

The research is clear – what separates the best golfers in the world from the rest is the quality and quantity of their practice. Dr. Jensen will teach you everything you need to know about designing and supervising player’s practice programs. You will learn how to:

• Create effective practice programs and training schedules
• Utilize video, training aids and effective feedback to accelerate swing changes
• Provide and get paid well for group supervised practice sessions

TOPIC #3: THE BUSINESS OF COACHING GOLF

Unfortunately for most golf instructors, they work long hours and make too little money. Dr. Jensen will share the business strategies used by golf instructors who earn over six-figure incomes annually. You will learn business techniques that will help you:

• Work less hours while doubling your income
• Promote and differentiate yourself as a modern golf coach
• Start running your business so it doesn’t run you

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Rick Jensen, Ph.D., is the founder of Dr. Rick Jensen’s Performance Center and a nationally recognized performance consultant and sport psychologist. Dr. Jensen is the author of Easier Said Than Done: The Undeniable, Tour-Tested Truths You Must Know (and Apply) to Finally Play to Your Potential on the Golf Course. In golf, his clients include more than 50 touring pros on the PGA, LPGA and Champions Tours. Dr. Jensen’s clients have won a total of 199 tour victories. Fourteen of his clients have won at least one major championship and have combined to win a total of 33 majors.

Dr. Jensen is a performance consultant to the PGA of America, the LPGA, the Canadian PGA, ESPN Golf, the Women’s Tennis Association, and the United States Olympic Training Center. He has been featured on ABC, ESPN, CNN, and the Golf Channel, and he is also a contributing writer for GOLF Magazine.

• When: Thursday 9th July 2015 from 10.00 until 16.00
• Where: Harvest Fields Centre, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B75 5TJ, UK

Speaking in the UK for the first time in over 15 years, Prof. Wulf , one of the world’s leading experts in the field skill acquisition, will share the results of two decades of peer reviewed, innovative research. Her studies have covered an extensive range of sports including, basketball, football, golf, tennis etc, and she and her colleagues have shown that by simply directing a player’s attention appropriately you can significantly enhance learning…..skill acquisition/retention…..and performanceunder pressure. This inspirational and ground-breaking presentation is aimed at coaches, managers and everyone involved in sport who is passionate about developing world class performers!

Prof. Wulf is joined by Dr. Rebecca Lewthwaite, an expert in the area of self-controlled practice. This fascinating research demonstrates that when players are given choice in a task as opposed to specific instruction skill development is consistently enhanced.

Stuart Armstrong, Player Pathways Development Manager at The Rugby Football Union and PGA professionals and England Golf Coaches Kendal McWade and Steven Orr will share their 50+ years of coaching experiences and how they have practically integrated Professor Wulf’s research into their coaching.

Tickets are £150 but available at a discounted rate of £99 for PGA professionals.

Click here to book your place: http://eur.pe/1KjW5FO

*Please note this seminar is not a Confederation of Professional Golf event and the Association accepts no responsibility for any Terms and Conditions regarding the event.

This unique championship sees two PGA of Canada professionals pairing up with the partner of his or her choice. The pair competes together in their respective PGA of Canada Zone Qualifier with hopes of landing one of the coveted spots in the $90,000 purse Nike Golf PGA Team Championship of Canada.

“We couldn’t be more excited to launch this one-of-a-kind PGA national championship with our friends from Nike Golf Canada,” said PGA of Canada CEO Gary Bernard. “Their support of the association, at both the national and zone level. with this championship will create incredible competition and camaraderie around the country.”

A Nike Golf PGA Team Championship of Canada qualifier will be held in each PGA of Canada Zone this summer with the 52 top teams booking their ticket to the national championship final at a location that will be announced in the very near future.

“We are proud to launch the inaugural Nike Golf PGA Team Championship,” said Tyler Keenan, Marketing Director at Nike Golf Canada.  “We are confident the format will inspire PGA professionals across the country to team up and compete for a spot in this one-of-a-kind national championship.”

The Nike Golf  PGA Team Championship of Canada will be a 54-hole championship with a different team format each day—fourball, scramble and foursomes.

The winning team from the Nike Golf PGA Team Championship of Canada will also receive an exemption into the Confederation of Professional Golf International Team Championship in December to represent the PGA of Canada

This year’s championship will be staged at St Andrews from July 13-19 and PGA Members should purchase daily tickets for their own use.

There are two price bands: tickets purchased before 31 May 2015 and tickets purchased from 1 June 2015.

The purchase price of the ticket will be printed on the ticket and this will be refundable. Refunds can be obtained by registering at the PGA Member Marquee and documentation will be issued to take to the on-site HSBC Bank, the banking patron of The Open Championship.

Membership cards MUST be produced for the registration process and refunds should be claimed as soon as possible – before 5.00pm and 3.00pm on the final day.  Refunds cannot be issued at any other branch of HSBC during or after the event and must be claimed on the day for which they are valid – no tickets can be refunded for a previous day or in advance.

As last year, season tickets should not be purchased as these cannot be refunded.  Members and Assistants are welcome to bring guests into the PGA marquee subject to space being available.

Ticket details are available at www.OpenGolf.com.

Please direct queries to Jo-Jo Hamer Philip at jjhp@CPG.com.

The purpose of this presentation is to look closely at the development of junior players who are close to, or have just begun to play, for their country in national and international matches.

Working with many talented junior players individually and also as an England Golf coach for the south-east of England, several players make the step up, while many more don’t.  This presentation will attempt to answer the following questions;

• What skills do junior players need to move up from regional to national level?
• What is the difference between those who move up and those who don’t?
• What happens when roadblocks appear? And should the coach create these intentionally?
• How can a coach implement mental skills into the players training? And which are most important for a player at this stage of development
• How can a coach effectively create habit change in junior golfers?

In an attempt to answer these questions, this presentation will draw on research on psychology, motivation and habit change as well as looking at real world case studies of players that have progressed and those that haven’t and reasons why.

Pre-Event Reading

• Grit: Perseverance and Passion for Long-Term Goals (Duckworth et al., 2007) – PDF 0.5MB

For more information on the 2015 Coaches Circle Visit the Event Hub Page: http://eur.pe/2015CoachesCircle

Up to 20 international teams will have the opportunity to compete over four rounds at courses in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, including this year’s Irish Open venue, Royal Country Down, former Irish Open and Walker Cup venue, Portmarnock Golf Club, as well as future Open Championship venue, Royal Portrush.

The event follows on from the successful second Carr Golf Links Pro-Am in 2014, the first time the event was sanctioned by the Confederation of Professional Golf, which was won by PGA of Great Britain & Ireland Professional, Gareth Wright.

“Carr Golf are delighted to partner with the Confederation of Professional Golf once again on this world class Links Pro Am,” said CEO of Carr Golf Travel, Marty Carr.  “This agreement fits with our strategy of PGA partnerships, where we already have five regional PGA partnerships in North America.”

Carr Golf Links Pro-Am packages are free for Professionals and start at £2,095 per amateur and include:

• 4 rounds of Championship golf
• $10,000 prize fund for PGA Professionals (based on 20 participating teams)
• 5 nights’ accommodation
• Amateur prizes
• Full Irish breakfast and lunch each day
• Gala dinner
• Tournament gift
• Transport in the form of coach & driver
• Tournament concierge with Carr Golf representatives on
site throughout

There are also additional options for teams to play Royal Dublin Golf Club before the tournament gets underway.

For more information download the entry form here: http://eur.pe/1IPApyt, and visit the Tournament Hub Page here: http://eur.pe/2015CarrGolf.

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For more information on the Confederation of Professional Golf visit the Tournament Hub Page, follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter search the Hashtag ‘#CarrGolfProAm’, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

Visit the Tournament Hub Page – http://eur.pe/2015CarrGolf

Approximately 7.9 million European citizens play golf in an industry that contributes over €15.1 billion to the European economy. Golf Europe, a group of European golf’s major stakeholders, will aim to progress golf’s contribution to European society and the focus it receives within the community. The Europe 2020 strategy, which outlines the European Union’s vision for the 21st century, included sustainability as a key driver for economic growth and resource efficiency. In this context, Golf Europe’s activities of growing the sport of golf in an environmentally, socially and economically sustainable way are in line and contribute to realising Europe’s 2020 vision.

Under Erasmus+, the EU programme for Education, Training, Youth and Sport for 2014-2020, the European Commission has awarded funding to the GoGolf! project, which be focused on sport, health and participation with transnational collaboration and two high-level aims:

• Increasing the evidence base for the health benefits of golf for the European citizen
• Driving increased participation in the sport at a pan- European level

Download PDF Press Release (1.1MB)

The European Golf Association (EGA) General Secretary, Richard Heath, commented that:

“…The EGA is excited to be in a position to collate and develop the evidence-base of golf in an EU-sponsored project. We feel that a more formal realisation of the benefits will create a cascading effect to benefit the European population through increasing participation at a grass-roots level.”

In the context of EU policy, the project aims to target the recently published Eurobarometer report on Sport and Physical Activity, which found that:

• 59% of EU citizens never or seldom exercise or play sport at least once a week
• Almost three-quarters of EU citizens (74%) say that they are not members of any sports club, a 67% increase since 2009.

With golf functioning as a major participation sport across Europe, the GoGolf! project will seek to identify how the European golf community can come together to address some of these impending health challenges for the European Community.

On behalf of The R&A, Steve Isaac, Director of Golf Course Management stated that:

“The Erasmus+ funding for GoGolf! provides a great opportunity for golf to demonstrate its value in providing health benefits to European citizens. Golf is an excellent way to address Europe’s potential health crisis, being a sport providing gentle exercise and one that can be played by all ages.”

A key aim of GoGolf! is to compose a multi-national, multi- stakeholder planning and delivery team which can bring a diverse set of skills, perspectives and resources to the work being undertaken. Partners include: The Confederation of Professional Golf, Portuguese Golf Federation, Estonian Golf Association, Royal Dutch Golf Federation, Czech Golf Federation, French Golf Federation, and the University of St Andrews as a research partner. Coordinating the partners will be the European Observatoire of Sport and Employment (EOSE). Financial partners include the EGA and the PGA European Tour (CPGT).

Fredrik Lindgren, Head of Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability at the CPGT said:

“It is great news that European golf has been recognised as a positive contributor to the health enhancing physical activity aims of the European Commission. We look forward to working with our European partners to engage young people in golf across the five countries involved in this Erasmus+ project and to showcase the work at European Tour events and during the European Week of Sport.“

Czech Golf Federation (CGF) Vice-president, Miroslav Holub has stated:

“We believe that this research/project will have a huge impact on CGF’s future projects as well as on future projects implemented by other federations.”

An Expert Advisory Board comprising seven members will contribute strategic value to the initiative, namely:

• The dynamics, structure and organisation of the European golf sector
• Golf coaching and specific outreach to minority groups
• Gender equality
• Sports management and research
• The health and social benefits to be gained by all members of society through regular physical activity
• Youth engagement
• EU sport policy

In alignment with the EU Physical Activity Guidelines, it is envisioned that the GoGolf! project will offer a valuable contribution towards the wider objective of increasing the physical activity levels of European citizens. Golf can function as an important vehicle for introducing children to sport, providing continuity into later life.

The planned deliverables for the project will include:

• A core participation-driving framework, which is flexible for integration according to the specific variables of each national environment
• A platform for pan-European knowledge sharing
• A published comprehensive overview of the health benefits of playing golf
• A validated European blueprint for increasing golf participation through targeted junior programmes in EU Member States
• An information booklet for children on healthy living and the sport of golf
• An awareness-raising website and promotional film.

The GoGolf! project aligns well with Golf Europe’s strategy to promote golf as a growing sport, valued as a force for good in European society. It is foreseen to be implemented over three years.

For more information, please contact the Golf Europe office: info@ega-golf.ch.