The Teaching & Coaching Conference takes place at Brøndby Stadium near Copenhagen in Denmark and will see two golf greats carry out a variety of sessions. Tom Wishon will look at professional clubfitting during day one, followed by Brian Manzella’s coaching sessions on day two. There are also options to bolt on two additional days of live coaching with Brian Manzella.

PGA Professionals can find out more about the schedule and speakers by downloading the ‘Danish Teaching & Coaching Conference 2016’ PDF (0.7MB), with registrations being made directly with the PGA of Denmark’s Steffen Jacobsen (steffen@pga.dk). Registrations close 14th February 2016.

Download ‘Danish Teaching & Coaching Conference 2016’ PDF (0.7MB)

SCHEDULE

The evening is an opportunity for European attendees of the Trade Show to meet for an informal drinks and networking evening supported by PGA Golf Exhibitions.

Please also feel free to download the invitation image below and distribute to your colleagues/contacts as you wish.

For more information on the 2016 PGA Merchandise Show visit www.pgashow.com

Access to the programme is open to any PGA Professional that is a member of a Confederation of Professional Golf Member country, and entitles them to:

• The ability to buy directly from the manufacturer at the BMW AG headquarters in Munich, Germany
• Receive individual assistance from your personal VIP contact
• Benefit from preferential terms and conditions
• Select the appropriate model from the full range of BMW and MINI vehicles according to your country-specific requirements
• Choose delivery at any BMW or MINI dealer within Europe or at BMW Welt (delivery centre) in Munich
• Take advantage of our VIP Customer Care Programme (e.g. invitations to exclusive events)

PGA Professionals can sign up for the exclusive member offer by visiting http://eur.pe/PGA-BMW-Offer and registering their details.  Once their PGA Membership information is verified, their details will be passed to a BMW VIP Sales Programme representative who will contact them directly.

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

Register Your Details Here: http://eur.pe/PGA-BMW-Offer

Let’s talk about a great source of ignition and how (sadly) we’re really great at squashing it.

Take 2 min, check this out, then we need to have a quick talk.

https://youtu.be/ttztouyK2dg

Sweet, huh?

What I want to focus on is young Rory’s reaction and mindset when he saw Tiger taking the PGA tour by storm.

When Rory was watching Tiger he adopted the powerful belief that: “If he can do it, so can I.” This attitude is one of the most effective sources of ignition in a young student or athlete and a great display of a growth mindset. He saw someone great, was in awe, realized that the greatness came from years of work and dedication, and believed if he too worked that hard he could get better. IGNITION.

Unfortunately the more common reaction to this is to look at the situation with a fixed mindset.

As parents, coaches, and teachers we can help the situation. Watch performances, concerts, and games with your kids. Point out a great musician, athlete or singer, and explain how that person became great.

Greatness comes from years and years of hard work, mistakes and stumbles, and tons of grit and effort.

As one of my favorite musicians, Macklemore said:

“The greats weren’t great because at birth they could paint – The greats were great cause they paint a lot.”

For more on ignition and it’s role in the learning process check out The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle.

For more on mindset research click here.

For more on learning and how it really works click here.

“For the last 18 years I have been promoting the game of golf in my native country – Poland.

“Eight and half years of this time has been as the President of the PGA of Poland.  In this time we have reached the majority of our goals. The PGA of Poland is Fully Approved and the population of forty million do not think about a car when they hear the word ‘golf’.

“Now, is the time to prove that golf as sport is for everyone: young and old. Therefore: I have decided to play the match against the young Polish snowboarding champion and member of the Olympic team, Michal Ligocki, who is thirty and an eager amateur golfer.

“He is definitely a sporting celebrity and therefore often appears in the media. I am a seventy year old amateur, who is playing the game twice a week and I want to prove that golf is for everyone at any age, and I want to beat a much younger amateur in the match play which will take place in June 2016 at the Warsaw Golf Club. The winner takes it all and donates it to a charity of his choice.”

The Annual Review looks at a variety of areas that the Association is involved with such as education across its 37 Member PGAs, golf development all over the world delivering golf development services to The R&A’s “Working For Golf” programme, as well as its work with Ryder Cup Europe through the vehicle of the Ryder Cup European Development Trust.

The 2014-15 Edition is once again hosted on the same platform as International Golf Pro News (IGPN) meaning a fully digital and responsive Annual Review exists for everyone to read whilst hosting rich media such as embedded videos and hyperlinks to related content.  A physical print run has also been created to give readers a tangible ‘in-hand’ reading experience.

The Annual Review also covers much of the Association’s 25th Anniversary Year and helps to show just how far the Confederation of Professional Golf has come over a quarter of a century.

The Review also looks at how the Association’s Communications continue to develop with the introduction of an new and improved website, cpg.golf, and the newly added A.S.K. section, along with the continued success of International Golf Pro News.

A timeline of the various events and key happenings is also included and gives a brief look at the strength and breadth of the Association’s activities.

View the Annual Review Online At http://eur.pe/2015-AnnualReview

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

‘Players need to know that you care, before they care what you know.’

Players like to know that the coach ‘cares’ about their needs and development.  I believe effective listening is the factor that demonstrates that a coach cares; that you care enough to listen intently even though you are busy.

I have met countless players who describe great coaches as those who are great listeners.  In fact, PGA Master Professional and world famous coach, Pete Cowen, once remarked to me that what set him apart from other coaches were two simple words: “I care.”

How do I listen more effectively?  Psychologists use factual listening.  This involves the application of a specific set of active techniques referred to as summarising, paraphrasing and clarification to gain accurate information, and importantly, to ensure a player feels they have been heard and fully understood.

Summarising

Summarising is the skill of accurately and succinctly recounting the range of information presented by the golfer, highlighting the prominent features of their story, and stating this back to them.

It can enable the coach to gather and integrate various strands of information given by the player, which can then be presented back to them.  The process of presenting information back to the player provides the opportunity for both coach and player to confirm mutual understanding.

Paraphrasing

This is the skill of presenting back what the player has expressed be it in the same or a different order/sequence from the one given by the player.

Coaches can demonstrate that they have listened effectively by providing their understanding from what they have heard, which can be either confirmed and/or challenged by the player.  The different order of presentation of information by the coach provides the opportunity for players’ to ‘hear’ their own statements from an alternative point-of-view, creating the opportunity for the player to arrive at a new personal perspective and understanding.

Clarification

Clarification is a process that the coach may use to ensure an understanding of what the player has disclosed in the way in which the player intended it.

This may include the use of paraphrasing and other specific questions to access the information the coach requires to ensure their own understanding is accurate (e.g. to fill in gaps about facts/events/shots from a recent round or tournament that you need as a coach to fully understand the player’s story).

You don’t need to be a psychologist to be a good listener.  The above fundamental techniques are the cornerstone of building effective relationships with players.

Albert Einstein once said he didn’t teach his students anything; he merely tried to create the right conditions in which they could learn.  Try and incorporate effective factual listening into your coaching and you will be going some way to creating great learning conditions for your players.  Listening intently is a clear signal you care a great deal.

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

“I’ve been here since the beginning; it’s my third year here in Al Ain,” said Schultes.  “I’ve finished with results of second or fourth in the first two years so I feel like I was due – I didn’t want to jinx it but third time lucky so It feels pretty good!”

The final day of the tournament lived up to all the expectation of a tight and thrilling finale – overnight leader Georg Schultes had a four shot cushion going into the final day and with his excellent record in the tournament it seemed that this was to be the year to build upon his previous fourth and second place finishes.

Making a move early on in the day was the PGA of Austria’s Christoph Pfau who fired in five birdies and an eagle on his way to a 64 (-7), which saw him fly up the leaderboard and hold the early clubhouse lead.

Great playing conditions where obviously on the cards at the course located in the Oasis City of Al Ain, but no one foresaw the quality of the round that was about to come from last year’s runner-up, Alex Wrigley (PGA of Great Britain & Ireland).

A phenomenal round from the member of the victorious 2015 PGA Cup team saw him soar up the leaderboard and put the pressure onto Schultes in spectacular fashion. A strong opening to his final round was followed by an even stronger close ending up with a blemish-free course record of 61 (-10) leaving Schultes to face the tough task of not dropping a shot on the closing six holes of his round.

Schultes built on his overnight score immediately with a birdie at the first hole before dropping a shot at the Par 5 third hole before returning back to nine under on the 9th.  With news filtering through about the record breaking round from Wrigley, the pressure increased as his overnight cushion evaporated.  Seemingly unphased, one birdie and one bogey on his inward nine saw him finish on -9 and join Wrigley in a tie for first place to force a playoff.

With both players just missing out on birdie putts on the first play off hole it was halved in regulation pars and back down the 18th hole they headed.  Matching each other shot for shot, Wrigley had the first go at the birdie but his putt slipped just past the hole.  Schultes was left to hole the same putt he had missed on his final hole in regulation play to secure the win that had evaded him in previous years.

“I thought to myself the first time we played the 18th hole that he’d shot 61 so I went into it pretty open but as soon as he missed that short putt on the first playoff hole I thought I was in with a pretty decent shout…”

Gavin Chappell from the AESGC speaking after the presentaion “I am really happy for Georg to finally see him win this event at his third attempt and with coming close in the previous two years. Also commiserations to Alex after shooting his amazing 61 to make the play off to then miss out and have to settle for the runners up spot again as he did in 2015. I would also like to say a huge thank you to Mr. Mohammad Al Momani and his team at Eastern Motors for their continued support in this event as well as Mr. Aref Hamad Al Awani and the Abu Dhabi Sports Council for their involvement, without these we would not be able to stage this successful event”

Mr. Mohammed Al Momani, General Manager of Eastern Motors “Congratulations to Georg Schultes and the entire team! It’s been an exciting and unique tournament this year with 20 different nationalities including Emiratis; we are truly pleased to be a part of this elite sport as it is in line with our Mercedes-Benz brand persona as the authorized dealership. Golf is gaining more ground in Al Ain, and the UAE at large, corroborating that our efforts of engaging with the community these last few years has been successful. We are looking forward to seeing new players emerge and existing professionals to reach their athletic goals.”

In the Team Tournament Rockliffe Hall’s team led by PGA Assistant Professional, Jonny Dye (pictured above), completed a wire-to-wire victory after a closing 87 points (-15) built on their four-point overnight lead to win the title for the first time. In second place was Rockliffe’s Head Professional, Jonathan Stacey, who had valiantly stayed in touching distance of Jonny and his team but their closing 86 points (-14) was not quite enough.

For the final day of the tournament a Professional Shootout was introduced on Al Ain’s Academy Course. The exciting format saw all the Professionals play an initial nine holes to determine the top-10 Professionals who would then proceed to the shootout itself.  Daniel Whitby-Smith (PGA of GB&I) led the way after shooting a very impressive 6 birdies to secure his place in the final 10 but was knocked out on the second hole.  The field was eventually whittled down to two GB&I Professionals, Garry Houston and Michael Nesbit, who were forced to extra holes in order to determine the champion and the winner’s cheque of €1000. The consistent and steady Michael Nesbit took the title on the second extra play off hole with a regulation par after an excellent display of wedge shot precision.

For the amateurs an 18-hole nett strokeplay awaited and Tim Walker prevailed with the title after and excellent nett 66 (-5) saw him take the title by two shots.

For Full Final Scores Visit: http://eur.pe/2016MercInt

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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 ‘#MercIntProAm’, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

To find out more about Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club visit www.aesgc.ae.

IMAGE CREDITS – Dave Mitchell (www.davemitchellimages.com)

Koç’s death was announced this morning [Thursday] by Koç Holding on their website indicating he passed away despite all immediate emergency medical care measures taken. Koç was 55 years old.

Koç had a close working relationship with the Confederation of Professional Golf through one of his subsidiary companies, Beko, and the operation of the Beko Classic Pro-Am for 14 years as one of the Association’s Sanctioned Events, having started in 2001 at Kemer Golf & Country Club in Istanbul.

In recognition of Koç’s efforts and passion for the sport of golf in Turkey across a number of decades, the Confederation of Professional Golf presented him with the Association’s coveted Special Recognition Award in 2014.

“Mustafa was a true friend of the Confederation of Professional Golf and a strong supporter of golf in Turkey and the wider world,” said Confederation of Professional Golf Chief Executive, Ian Randell. “His passion for golf meant he was a key influencer in the spread of the game in his home country – without him many of the golf events that take place there would never have happened. He will be sorely missed by his friends at the Association and European Golf as a whole.”

Details of the funeral and Condolences can be found at www.koc.com.tr.

Schultes hasn’t finished outside of the top-five in the Pro-Am since the first edition in 2014 and he looks set to continue that remarkable record after his second round that consisted of six birdies and one solitary bogey. A two-round total of 134 (-8) gives him a four stroke advantage over the rest of the field.

In second place is the PGA of Great Britain & Ireland’s Daniel Whitby-Smith who fired in six birdies on his way to a second round 67 (-4) to move him to a total of 138 (-4) keeping him in touch of the lead.

Overnight leader, Jonathan Stacey (PGA of GB&I), dropped a couple of shots in Round 02 moving into a share of third place with 2015 Defending Champion and fellow countryman, Garry Houston, who matched his first round score of 70 (-1) to sit six shots off the pace.

In the Team Pro-Am Tournament, Rockliffe Hall Golf & Spa Hotel’s Assistant Professional, Jonny Dye, and his team extended their lead at the top to four points after an equally impressive second round score of 85 Points (-13); a two round total of 176 points (-32).

Jonathan Stacey and his team remained close after a solid second round of 83 points (-11) moved them to 172 points (-28) for their two rounds where they are joined by Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club Professional, Enda Maguire, and the PGA of GB&I’s Darren Bragg, whose team carded the best score of the day with 90 points (-18) for a share of second place.

With the top six teams being separated by just six points it is going to be extremely competitive closing round to determine who takes the top spot.

Special mention must also go to Martin McFlynn who made an exceptional hole-in-one with a five-iron from 172m on the 17th hole.

For Full Round 02 Scores Visit: http://eur.pe/2016MercInt

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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 ‘#MercIntProAm’, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

To find out more about Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club visit www.aesgc.ae.

IMAGE CREDIT – Dave Mitchell (www.davemitchellimages.com)

During the Congress in December we took time to look back on the first 25 years of the Confederation of Professional Golf as part of the anniversary celebrations, but we also took a prospective look forward.

So much has changed about the golfing landscape in the past 25 years – the Association has increased its membership from 13 countries to 37, in that time showing how golf has continued to spread across the continent – and so much has changed in the wider world as well. Think about the introduction of the Internet, email, social media, the ever-changing political situations across the planet, technological advancements around the world and more.

Futurists spend their time using what we know and where we have come from to work out where we might go next. So using some of the growth predictions and trends futurists have come up with, we put together our thoughts based on facts such as:

• By 2028 62% of the global population will live in cities
• Wearable technology will be controlled by thought and many jobs will be replaced by artificial intelligence
• In 2028 1 in 3 people will live beyond 100 years of age

Using just this tiny handful of statements we considered what effect they might have on the Confederation of Professional Golf, its member PGAs and golf in general – after some thought and discussion even these few things would be game-changing.

And like any good futurist would do we posed some questions:

• How would golf cope with such a high percentage of its players living in heavily populated areas? What facilities would need to exist? What would the effect be on existing facilities? (We also speculated that these could perhaps be solved in part by projects such as France’s 2018 short courses or through new forms of urban golf facilities)?
• How can golf be prepared for advancements in technology and communications, and how can it be ready to embrace new technologies as and when they come along?
• Golf is a sport for life and as such is an aging population a great opportunity for golf to grow? And how can the PGA Professional and golf in general take advantage of this?

Of course foretelling the future is not always that accurate but speculating with educated guesses is never a bad thing. Take the upcoming golf season and 2016’s Majors – how will golf’s new big-three of Rory, Jordan and Jason follow up on their successes of last season.

Much like the European Ryder Cup Team too then… A glance at each week’s leaderboard on the European Tour reveals so many candidates for Darren Clarke’s team it could drive you mad trying to pinpoint a team any time soon – especially with the likes of some exciting young Europeans like Danny Willett, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Bernd Wiesberger, Andy Sullivan, Thomas Pieters to name but a few – which could result in the team looking very different to how it did at Gleneagles. The Confederation of Professional Golf office has selected our picks for the team so we’ll reveal how close any of us were later in the year.

From all of us at the Confederation of Professional Golf, best wishes for a happy and successful 2016!

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

1. Continued Use of Mobile

Global usage of mobile Internet devices crossed over desktop usage in 2014 and continues to grow at a higher rate and there are now more devices on Earth than humans. By the end of 2016 Tablets will exceed 10% of global mobile data traffic, and by 2019 smartphones will reach the 75% of mobile data traffic milestone.

What does it mean?

• Optimise your website for mobile/different screen sizes and orientations and think about how people will interact with it.
• Any message you communicate, be it via email, website, social media, forum, intranet, etc. should also be easily read/consumed on any device.
• Test, test, and test. Have due diligence in checking web pages, email communications, and social media updates across devices.

2. Marketing Automation

A trend expected to grow this year is automation (and to some extent personalisation) – the 2016 consumer is more attuned to messages that are personalised and relevant to them; they want to be engaged with, not sold to.

What does it mean?

• You need to be collecting the right information, not necessarily more. When users sign-up/register/join you need to ensure you gather accurate data and also the information most relevant to you? Take a step back and ensure you gather only the relevant information you need and will actually use.
• Look at the small things within your communications – for example can you add users’ names to mass mailouts (e.g. merge tags in Mailchimp) to personalise a message?
• The importance of targeting has never been more important – is the message you’re sending relevant to all the people in your audience? If not then how can you break it down?

3. Content Continues to Dominate

The content marketing area of communications has really grown significantly showing people want to develop a relationship based on trust and relevancy with a brand or organisation. A survey in 2015 showed that 86% of B2B organizations have a strategic content marketing strategy, whilst another showed only 23% percent of consumers trust content from companies who they are not involved with, but if the source is a company they have a relationship with, that number nearly doubles to 43%.

What does it mean?

• Develop a strategy to give direction to what you do. A strategy will let you work out why you might need to develop content, who it is targeted towards, and what it should do and be in order to meet those requirements.
• Make sure you appeal to your users’ needs and wants (and do the research to find out what they might be).
• Have patience – it takes time to build trust with an audience even if they are heavily invested in your brand or organisations already. Keep it consistent in terms of subject matter, frequency and distribution.

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

A superb blemish-free round of 67 (-4) that consisted of two equally impressive nines cemented his place at the top of the leaderboard:

“I’m pleased – I played really nicely and the greens are amazing out there so you certainly know when you’ve holed a putt,” said Stacey.  “I haven’t got a gameplan coming out here – it’s -1 degree back home so I’ve hit a few balls but other than that I’ve got a low expectations.  It’s the first time I’ve played the course and it’s a really good test of golf off the back tees so I’ll see if I can keep it going.”

Starting on the 10th hole, Jonathan parred the first four holes before birdieing the par-four 14th – another birdie was to follow on the par-three 17th to reach the turn in a two-under 33.  Six straight pars followed, however two birdies in the final three holes saw Jonathan post an unmatched 67 and gain the early initiative over the 28 Professional-strong field.

Just one shot behind are Andrej Kraljic (PGA of Slovenia) and Georg Schultes (PGA of Austria) who signed for matching 68s.  Kraljic’s round consisted of two bogeys, three birdies and an excellent eagle on the 18th, with Georg matching the Slovenian with two bogeys and five bogeys to sit close behind the leader moving into the second round.

Two shots further adrift is the defending Champion, PGA of GB&I’s Garry Houston, who, along with Andrew Pilfold (PGA of GB&I) remain in an excellent position after both signing for 70.

In the Team Pro-Am competition it turned out to be a closely fought contest between the two teams from Rockliffe Hall, who were both battling for the clubhouse lead and early advantage heading into Round 2.

Head Professional, Jonathan Stacey, held the clubhouse lead for a considerable amount of time with his team’s superb score of 89 points (-17) that was seemingly unbeatable.  However Rockliffe Hall’s Assistant Professional, Jonny Dye, and his team of Richard Roper, Tanny Sinfield and Tim Walker, went two better with a sublime team score of 91 points (-19), made up from an exceptional 13 Nett Birdies and 3 Nett Eagles to give them a slender lead at the top.

For Full Round 01 Scores Visit: http://eur.pe/2016MercInt

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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 ‘#MercIntProAm’, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

To find out more about Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club visit www.aesgc.ae.

IMAGE CREDIT – PGA of Great Britain & Ireland/Getty Images

Golf Business Monitor’s Miklós Breitner assesses the ways in which these new devices could be leveraged by your marketing team.

The usage of wearables is not totally new to the golf industry. Those who were lucky enough to attend the Ryder Cup were able to experience the advantages of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). This got me thinking about how pro-shops and other golf retail outlets could utilise wearables.

For many of us, if I ask them about wearables, the following things come to their mind: Google Glass, smartwatches (e.g. Motoactv of Motorola), and activity trackers (e.g. Fitbit). In 2014 there were more searches on Google for wearable devices than for fitness apps.

As usage increases we need to think how could we maximise these technologies to enhance customer experience in pro-shops and golf retail outlets.

At the moment I can see 3 major areas where wearable technologies could be utilised – in this first part of the article we’ll look at the first:

Providing more product information

Bricks-and-mortar companies have to compete with online retailers. Needless to say that online it is easier to obtain relevant information (and reviews) about products and services and compare them. Some retailers are already using QR codes to provide extra product information, such as Best Buy in the US adding QR codes to the fact tags.

Our challenge is to find out how to utilise wearable technologies to provide personalised offers and solutions in real-time. Customers today are expecting more and more relevant offers, greater access to deals and promotions and fast checkout (I will talk about payment solutions in the next part of the article). More importantly, once the customer walks in, the store can immediately engage him or her with services.

If the customer opts to provide personal information via wearable, this can give retailers further opportunities for marketing.

I would not neglect the demand generation capability of wearables. Burberry’s solution, launched in 2013 (see video on this page), is a good example where the company embedded a textile RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) label into its products. Burberry were then able to provide bespoke multimedia content specific for certain products.

Another interesting aspect is how your sales team communicates with customers in the pro-shop. We should think how we could support their work with extra information via wearable devices – for example, ongoing communication; remind the shop assistant that he is dealing with a loyal customer and what the customer’s brand preferences are, their shoe size, preferred payment solution etc.

We could also avoid the embarrassing situations when colleagues called to a certain place within the golf club via loudspeaker. In addition to this the wearable can improve employee efficiency, enhance training and reduce nonproductive time.

The Container Store (TCS) for instance in 2014 replaced its walkie-talkie system with Theatro Wearable (a wearable in-store communications device clipped to employees’ shirts) to improve the communication among its workers.

To succeed we must integrate the implemented wearable solutions with our point of sale, CRM, order management, campaign management and web content management systems. For integration to be effective then we are reliant on developers creating programming interfaces/APIs but this will no doubt take place as time goes on. I am less worried about security and privacy since our employees are used to being monitored.

In the upcoming second part of the article Miklós will look at 2 more areas where wearable technology could be utilised.

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

We have many people working on various elements of developing golf across the continent and further afield including coaching, development of programmes, monitoring of standards etc.  But something I can assist with in my capacity as Communications Manager is two-fold:

1 – Communicating Best Practice Examples and Initiatives

Golf development activities are taking place all the time all over the world but it is safe to say that very few of them will be exactly the same.  Of course general concepts and ideas are followed but locally they will be heavily tailored to the market.

Where communications can help is in developing a library of good practice examples that can then be applied to other places – the best bits of one programme and the best of another could mix and be adapted to create a very effective activity somewhere else.

These resources can be collected and shared effectively with organisations that are interested in creating an initiative or programme with, for example, the assistance of the Confederation of Professional Golf’s Golf Development Professionals and Education Committee.

2 – Raising Awareness of Development Activity

Communications then plays a part in sharing information and updates about development activities.  Using case studies and sharing success stories helps to bolster the resources mentioned earlier but it also gives coverage to specific initiatives that can help them.

A project or programme may also want to gain coverage to promote their work and its outcomes, promote the host facilities, the key supporters, etc.  Often programmes will be supported by commercial entities so promotion will give them coverage and hopefully spur on continued investment and support.

There are some excellent examples of golf development activities out there and plenty put a strong emphasis on promoting what they do.

A good example of strong promotion and coverage from an initiative is this week’s Drive, Chip & Putt Championship – The PGA of America, USGA and Masters Tournament’s nationwide youth golf development program final.

Of course three major organisations in the game have a lot of resources behind them but their methods of communication can still be learnt from and replicated.

Daily articles from the finals, blog posts, interviews with competitors, videos of the event, and fantastic imagery all make for a well formulated comms plan – take a look at www.drivechipandputt.com for examples of how to build content and communicate it around an initiative.

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

Following on from successful events in 2014 and 2015 the Golf Club, will once again open its doors to professionals and amateurs from around the world for the 4 day event consisting of a practice round and 3 days of tournament golf.

All the teams made up of one Professional and three Amateurs will be following the best two from four format with the Professionals keeping their own individual score as they compete for the €31,000 prize fund.

“Everyone at the AESGC is really excited for the week ahead and looking forward to another great Pro Am event” said AESGC Golf Manager Gavin Chappell. “We have 28 teams participating this year with nearly twenty different countries represented; it is also great to have a team representing the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, the Emirates Golf Federation and again a team from Mercedes – Benz. As in previous year having Eastern Motors as part of the tournament is vital in making the event a success, along with the support we have received from the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, I cannot thank their respective teams enough”

“Eastern Motors has always been steadfast on being a part of the Mercedes-Benz Pro-Am in Al Ain and supporting the integral role the Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club has in promoting the elite sport of golf among the UAE national community,” praised Mohammed Al Momani, General Manager of Eastern Motors. “In line with the overall CSR strategy of our parent company, Al Fahim Group, Eastern Motors is a proud endorser of various sports and activities which encourage engagement in the Al Ain society, as well as inspire young and talented athletes to follow their dreams.”

The Pro-Am which again will be sanctioned by the Confederation of Professional Golf has been scheduled to allow all the participants a chance to stay in Abu Dhabi a few extra days to catch the climax of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

The 2015 winning Professional, Garry Houston from the PGA of Britain will be coming back again to try and defend his trophy 12 months on.

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The Pro-Am will visit some of Abu Dhabi’s premier golf courses and will see 26 Professionals and their three-amateur teammates compete across Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Yas Links Golf Club and Saadiyat Beach Golf Club with Professionals competing for a €26,000 prize fund (based on 26 teams).

The events visits world-renowned courses that have played host to numerous prestigious events, such as the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship at Abu Dhabi Golf Club where Rickie Fowler recently claimed his second European Tour title.

For more information on the OnCourse Golf Abu Dhabi Pro-Am visit http://eur.pe/2016AbuDhabi or contact Stephen Rutter on steve@oncoursegolfme.com.

Package Information:

• AED 7,600 – in the Abu Dhabi Westin Hotel, Twin sharing
• AED 9,300 – in the Abu Dhabi Westin Hotel, Single Room.
• Professionals free of charge

Package Includes:

• 5 night’s accommodation in The Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort & Spa including breakfast and taxes, Monday 25th through to Friday 29th April (Check out Saturday 30th)
• Complimentary use of all practice facilities throughout the event at designated times
• Official practice day and 3 tournament rounds.
• Complimentary use of all Practice facilities throughout the event at designated times
• Shared golf carts for all 4 rounds of golf, Professionals will be allowed to ride in golf carts for all rounds.
• Cocktail reception with drinks at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club , Monday 25th April
• Gala dinner and awards ceremony with drinks at the Westin Abu Dhabi, Thursday 28th April

Find Out More at http://eur.pe/2016AbuDhabi

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For more information about the 2016 OnCourse Abu Dhabi Pro-Am visit http://eur.pe/2016AbuDhabi follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter and search the hashtag ‘#AbuDhabiProAm‘, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

For more information on OnCourse Golf visit www.oncoursegolfme.com.

Up to 120 PGA Professionals Pairs will compete for a minimum guaranteed prize fund of €31,250 that will increase by €250 with each additional entry beyond 25 teams. Entries are now being accepted and are open to all male and female classified PGA members and trainees within a Confederation of Professional Golf member country.

In 2015 95 pairs competed in the Championship that was won by PGA of Great Britain & Ireland Professionals, Matthew Cort and Craig Shave, who carded an eight-under 64 in their final round to claim the 2015 title and the winners’ cheque for €6,400.

Adam Ward, Director of Golf Pro Relations for Golfbreaks.com said: “We are delighted to once again be sponsoring the Fourball Championship in 2016.  It’s a tournament that is growing in reputation each year at a superb venue that is perfectly positioned to host this prestigious event.  We have an excellent relationship with the Confederation of Professional Golf and are committed to working closely with them and their members as more and more professionals use Golfbreaks.com for their golf travel needs.”

“We can’t wait to have the Fourball competitors back at Lumine again,” said General Manager, Calle Carlsson. “We are very proud to host the tournament and it is always a pleasure to welcome so many PGA Professionals to the Costa Daurada.

“We hope the Championship will build on the record number of Professional pairs that played last year, and we’re thankful to the Costa Daurada Tourist Board, as well as the local tourism agencies, for their help in making the event a continued success.”

For more information and to enter visit: http://eur.pe/2016Fourball

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

With thanks to Golfbreaks.com (www.Golfbreaks.com/pga-pro), LUMINE Mediterránea Beach & Golf Club visit (www.lumine.com), Costa Daurada (www.CostaDaurada.info), Cambrils (www.Cabrils-Tourism.com), La Pineda Platja (www.LaPinedaPlatja.info), and Salou (www.visitsalou.eu).

It’s more than 30 years since Time magazine famously named the computer as its ‘Man of the Year’. Our square-faced companions have been encroaching further into our working lives ever since.

Technological unemployment, as it’s known, has long been key issue in the word’s industrialised nations. Between 1900 and 2000 the percentage of Americans employed in agriculture decreased from 41% to just 2%, while the number of US manufacturing workers has fallen by two thirds since World War II.

American employees are by no means alone in their predicament: according to a joint study by Oxford University and Deloitte, about 35% of UK jobs are at high risk of being taken over by computers during the next 20 years. The study ranked around 400 professions against a series of key skills, including social perceptiveness, negotiation and persuasion, to see which were most under threat.

The roles of financial officer, bookkeeper and legal secretary came top, with a 97-99% risk of being automated over the next two decades. Meanwhile, social workers, teachers and therapists can rest easy, with the chance of these roles being ceded to a machine calculated at around 1% or less.

Most roles fall between these two extremes, but the good news here is that there are plenty of ways you can future-proof your career against the inexorable march of the machines.

To start with, you can position yourself in an industry where there is expansion and therefore less need for cost-cutting and automation. Areas such as health and nutrition, sustainability and clean energy are likely to be important sources of job creation going forward.

You should also think about the kind of soft skills you need to be developing alongside your core professional competencies. Think problem-solving, adaptability, and communication, in particular, listening and negotiation skills.

Then of course there is the ‘can’t beat ’em, join ’em’ argument: as long as there’s technology, there will be a need for people who can harness and interpret that technology. It’s never too late to start picking up basic skills in areas such as coding and website design. Codeacademy.com is just one of a number of free, online platforms that can help get you started.

As history has shown us, professions and entire industries will come and go over time. However, by embracing this technological shift and maintaining a broad skill set, you can stay one step ahead of the curve.

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: Bcdwire; NPR; BBC; HuffingtonPost

Brain vector designed by Freepik

The Galway native passed away in his sleep while on holiday in Tenerife. He is survived by his wife Ann, daughter Ann and son Nigel.

O’Connor Jnr is best known for hitting one of the most famous shots in Ryder Cup history – a two-iron approach to the 18th green at The Belfry in 1989 which came to rest four feet from the hole, helping Tony Jacklin’s team retain the cup courtesy of a 14-14 tie.

That was the first of two appearances in the world’s most famous team golf event, having also represented Great Britain and Ireland in 1975 following the most successful of his 28 seasons playing on The European Tour, spanning three decades.

The nephew of another famous Irish golfer, Christy O’Connor, two of his four European Tour victories came that season, the second of which was a glorious homecoming at the Irish Open, and he later added two more titles – the latter in the 1992 British Masters.

From The European Tour’s inception in 1972, he did not finish outside the top 100 in the Order of Merit in his first 21 seasons, and that class and longevity extended into his Senior Tour career.

In his maiden campaign in the over-50s ranks, O’Connor Jnr stormed to a three-shot victory in the 1999 Senior Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club, before returning to Northern Ireland a year later to successfully defend the title at Royal County Down.

He also lifted two titles on the Champions Tour in America in 1999, and his success did not halt after hanging up his clubs.

O’Connor Jnr latterly forged an extremely successful career as a golf course designer, with Shane Lowry’s home golf course Esker Hills, former Irish Open venue Fota Island and recent host of the Challenge Tour’s Irish Challenge, Mount Wolseley – where he played in the Pro-Am last October – among the lay-outs in his portfolio.

Tributes:

George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour from 2004-2015, said: “It is a very sad day for the O’Connor family and for Ireland as a whole.

“Christy Jnr was a legendary figure and his immense legacy is far more than purely his playing record. He was a universally popular player and always enhanced every tournament he played, no matter the occasion. His infectious charm will be sorely missed.”

Ken Schofield, Executive Director of The European Tour from 1975-2004 and Board Director for the Confederation of Professional Golf, said: “Christy Jnr’s playing record will rightly depict him as one of Ireland and Europe’s leading players of his generation – the generation that set the template for today’s global European Tour.

“Much more so for everyone involved with the Tour and the game of golf, Christy will be remembered as a gentleman spirit – every amateur golfer’s dream as the perfect Pro-Am partner, on and off the golf course. It is a very sad day for the game and our hearts go out to Ann and all the extended family.”

PGA Chief Executive and Chairman of the Confederation of Professional Golf, Sandy Jones, added: “It’s fair to say Christy will probably be best remembered for the incredible shot he hit at The Belfry in the 1989 Ryder Cup when he beat Fred Couples. It’s one of those moments that will live long in the memory of anyone who saw it.

“He was an outstanding player and also an Irishman who won the Irish Open, so he had a good career including playing in two Ryder Cups 14 years apart, which was an amazing feat, but more than that he was a really nice guy.

“I knew him quite well and did a few dinners with him and always enjoyed his company. The great thing about him was that he always had a laugh and a smile on his face and was a legendary figure of Irish golf.

“He was a great character and I was very shocked and very saddened to hear of his sudden passing and he will certainly be missed.”

Tony Jacklin, two-time Major winner and 1989 Ryder Cup Captain, said: “It is very sad news. Looking back, it was very hard not to pick Christy for the 1985 Ryder Cup team but José Rivero had won on The Belfry that year so it was obviously a decision based purely on golf.

“But we were delighted to have him on the team in 1989 and I remember he was very excited when I told him.

“Obviously I followed him very closely down the last two holes at The Belfry in 1989 and I caught him before he teed off at the 18th. I had noticed on the previous hole that Fred’s (Couples) hands were not operating properly – he had missed a short putt – so I knew Christy had him.

“Christy hit a wonderful tee shot and the Fred pulled his, but because he was so long he cleared the water, leaving himself with an eight iron, while Christy had a two iron. I said to Christy, ‘come on, one more good swing for Ireland’ and of course he hit the shot of his lifetime. We couldn’t have retained it without him, no doubt.

“He had a great effect on the team room too. We had a great team unity and he was a big part of that.

“Obviously Christy played in the shadow of his uncle but he became a legend in his own right, especially in Ireland. He will also be remembered for his architecture and his name will live on for a long time to come.

“My thoughts go out to his family. Of course, he endured the loss of his son and we will all be thinking about his wife Ann at this difficult time, no doubt about that.”

Eamonn Darcy, European Tour and Senior Tour veteran and close friend of O’Connor Jnr, said: “Christy and I used to reminisce a lot about the early 1970s, when we used to travel together everywhere and practice and play together all the time.

“Actually it is exactly 40 years since we won a famous old ‘better-ball’ event down in Bournemouth, which I was reminded of today – a tournament we won back-to-back together.

“Then of course we played together in the 1975 Ryder Cup, which was a very proud moment for both of us.

“I think you could write two books about our lives together. He was a great man, a real family man who obviously went through a bad time when his son passed away. But that shot in 1989 was just amazing and it was such a great time for his family.

“Christy obviously had big boots to fill after his uncle, but I never thought Christy Senior would be burying his nephew.

“He was the life and soul of every party – ask anybody on tour and they will tell you the same thing. He would always be the one to get the party going if the atmosphere on tour was a bit flat.

“He was very dedicated to his family and loved them to bits – obviously that is said of a lot of people but it was so true for Christy.

“He was a great player and a great friend. He had a great life but I’m just sorry it went so quickly and so suddenly, without time to say goodbye. It’s hard to comprehend – I had only had dinner with him last week.

“He was great for golf and did so much work for charity in Ireland. He was a household name and it is a very sad day. I have lost a true friend.”

The 2014 European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley said:  “This is a terribly sad day for Christy’s family, obviously, but also for all of Ireland and lovers of golf worldwide.

“I couldn’t believe the news when I heard it this morning, especially as just before Christmas I had a wonderful night out in Dublin with Christy and some of the older Irish pros  – Des Smyth, Eamonn Darcy, Philip Walton, Jimmy Heggarty and Paddy McGuirk, as well as Ray Latchford who used to caddie for Christy and Des.

“We had a great night – full of memories, full of stories and full of good old Irish craic and laughs, and it is the laughter and fun that I will remember most about Christy.

 “When I first came out on Tour in the early 1990s, guys like Christy, Darce, Jimmy Hegarty and Smythie were senior players and made time for me and took me under their wing. I had countless dinners with those guys, what a learning education that was!!

“They helped equip me for life on and off the Tour. I was very lucky to have had that time and a great relationship with Christy, which makes today’s news all the harder to take.”

@michaelalter

Here’s how you can determine what type of fit is most needed to successfully move your company forward.

Fit is by far the number one criterion to use when hiring for your team. More times than I would like to admit in my career, I’ve “fallen in love” with a candidate on paper and hired them quickly to avoid the pain of not having their skill set in the company. More often than not, it ends up not working. It’s not because they didn’t have the skills to do the job, but rather they were not the right fit for our company culture.

At The Tie Bar we like to focus on cultural fit before we ever dig into someone’s skills or abilities. We’ve even developed a set of common criteria to draw from when interviewing a candidate to test for cultural fit. Things like brand curiosity, possessing an ownership mentality, being a team player, and willingness to take calculated risk are all attributes I weigh potential hires against. As a result we’ve passed on a number of candidates who possess the right skills and abilities but we felt were just not a match with our environment. It doesn’t mean they’re not a good worker or bad people, just that they would possibly be unhappy or not fit well within our company.

Once you have a qualified candidate and know they would be a good fit, you have to determine whether you want to hire leaning more towards their ability or more towards their skills. You will find that the decision to lean more towards skills or ability is situational. I always rely more on current skills when we need results and/or change quickly-particularly when a department or area is under intense pressure to perform. In these situations you should choose skills over ability, as you don’t really have time to allow them to develop what you need. For example, if you have a department that is experiencing accelerated volume, is underperforming, or has high staff turnover, you need to make sure your new hire has the skills on day one to tackle the situation at hand.

Conversely, if that same department finds itself functioning at an acceptable level, you can afford to bring in someone with a broader scope of abilities. One who is capable of growing into a bigger role than the current one you are hiring. Someone with a “longer runway” if you will, since you have the luxury of time for them to get up to speed and learn the skills specific to their new role. This is a way to grow the depth of your management team without having to hire more staff than you currently need.

We all know that in the “ideal world” you would hire someone with the right fit, who possesses both the skills and ability to handle the job today, tomorrow, and moving forward. But in the real world, running a business requires making choices based on the needs of today weighed against the available talent pool. You need to fill your needed roles, sometimes faster than others, so we must make trade-offs between choosing someone with the right skills today versus the ability to do the role and much more in the future.

Just make sure that as you balance these two factors you consider cultural fit first and foremost. If not, in my experience, you will be settling and likely disappointed in the long-term. Think back on the employees that have not been successful in your company and ask yourself why was that? How many of them were not successful because they didn’t fit versus they did not have the abilities or skills to do the job? I’d be willing to bet that fit was the problem, or a major part of the problem, in most if not all cases.

This article originally appeared on Inc.com – to view the original article visit http://eur.pe/1RI61um.

Rod Davis from Playgolf Bournemouth, Roger Brown at Germany’s Hamburger Golf Club and Derek McKenzie from Thailand’s Santiburu Samui Country Club have all been accorded PGA Fellow Professional status.

The accolade reflects their varied and outstanding careers in golf to date.

Dorset-based Davis, 46, who combines estate manager and coaching roles at his facility, has enjoyed a wide-ranging career which began at Parkstone, included a stint at Canford Magna (where he designed a 9-hole par three course), a foreign foray to the Middle East and Abu Dhabi and back home at Remedy Oak which he helped design and develop.

Brown, 66, gained his first assistant’s role at West Sussex Golf Club and then moved to Porters Park, Hertfordshire where he spent two years chasing a European Tour card.

Injury curtailed his playing hopes but an opportunity in Denmark sparked a new chapter and head pro roles at Gilleleje and Odense Golf Clubs followed. He was also national coach for the Danish Golf Union and helped it develop into one of the strongest in Europe in the space of 10 years.

In 1990 he moved to Hamburger Golf Club as head professional and during his time there has been shortlisted for the German PGA Teacher of the Year award.

Also carving out a successful career overseas has been McKenzie, 44. Initially an assistant to Sandy Aird at Forres Golf Club he then joined the late Doug Smart at Banchory and then Brunston Castle.

A move to Germany’s Burg Zievel sparked a globe-trotting lifestyle which has also taken him to Egypt, at the Gary Player-designed The Cascades on the banks of the Red Sea, Mallorca and now Thailand where he is the general manager of the luxurious Santiburi Samui golf resort.

Still a keen player, he has also pursued academic studies with the Open University, completed the Certified Club Manager award with the Club Managers Association of Europe and is part way through an MBA with Herriot Watt University.

David Colclough, The PGA’s head of member education, commented: “Once again the APAL awards highlight the varied nature of activity that PGA Professionals engage in.

“Each one has gone on to good success within their own chosen field, and should provide inspiration to anyone looking to make their career in golf.

“The PGA is committed to providing opportunity to all its members to grow as a PGA Professional, and rewarding their success in whatever job role they may chose once they become PGA qualified.”

Also celebrating in the APAL awards are the following members who have all been accorded PGA Advanced Professional status:  Tim Bamber (PGA HQ), Martin Beaty (Crompton & Royton), Justyn Branton (PGA West), Stephen Cox (Weybrook Park GC), Thomas Gibbs (Three Hammers Golf Complex), Neville Hallam (Alfreton GC), Steven Munro (UAE PGA) and Kelvin Vince (Rushmere GC).

Visit the PGA of GB&I’s Hub Page to Find Out More

The four-round Pro-Am will see teams compete across one of the most well-known golf resorts in the United States including rounds on Pinehurst No 4, 8, 9, and the host venue of the 2014 men’s and women’s US Opens, No. 2.

The event is open to all PGA Professionals of a recognised PGA and their teams of three amateur partners offering an Individual Professional prize fund of £10,000 / €13,900 / $15,500 (based on 20 teams competing).

“We are very pleased to be able to run this event for the second year,” said Golfbreaks.com USA CEO, Daniel Grave. “Our relationship with the Confederation of Professional Golf continues to get stronger and stronger with each year and it is an honour to have held the Association’s first international Pro-Am in North America and we look forward to welcoming teams from across the globe to Pinehurst.”

Entry to the Pinehurst Pro-Am costs from £1,889/€2,625/$2,929 (based on shared occupancy), with the Professional going absolutely free, and includes:

• 6 nights at The Holly Inn including full American breakfast
• 5 rounds of golf (Four tournament rounds including Pinehurst No.2 and one practice round)
• Welcome buffet dinner including wine, beer and soft drinks
• Prize giving luncheon including wine, beer, and soft drinks
• Buggies for each round
• One caddie per two players for the round on Pinehurst No.2
• Unlimited range balls for the duration of the stay
• Welcome goody bag from Golfbreaks.com

For full details visit http://eur.pe/1kj0Y7A, the Confederation of Professional Golf Tournament Hub Page: http://eur.pe/2016Pinehurst or contact Golfbreaks.com’s Golf Pro Relations Department on +44(0)1753 754 355.

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

To find out more about Golfbreaks.com visit http://www.golfbreaks.com/pga-pro.

The Pro-Am announcement comes at the end of an outstanding year for Spain’s La Manga Club, As well as the opening of a new Leadbetter Golf Academy – the only one of its kind in the country – the resort was named ‘Best Golf Hotel in Spain’ at the 2015 World Golf Awards for the second year in a row, voted ‘Spain’s Best Golf Resort’ at the 2015 Today’s Golfer Travel Awards for the fourth year running and earned a place in Golf World’s benchmark ‘Top 100 Courses in Continental Europe 2015/16’ rankings.

Eduardo Ruiz, director of golf at La Manga Club, said: “As one of the world’s most famous sports and leisure destination resorts in the world, it is imperative that La Manga Club continues to stage prestigious events of this nature.

“We have been delighted with the response we’ve received having hosted the pro-am for the last two years and are looking forward to working with the Confederation of Professional Golf again, and showcasing to professionals and amateurs the outstanding golf and practice facilities that have made the resort the envy of Europe over the years.”

The 2015 Pro-Am was won by the PGA of Great Britain & Ireland’s Darren Bragg after a final round three-under par 70 earned him his first Confederation of Professional Golf event win.

Pro-Am packages for teams of one professional and three amateurs are available priced from €1099 per amateur (free for professionals), but golfers can take advantage of an early booking offer of €1049 when booking before 15th December. The Pro-Am participation fee for amateurs includes:

• 4 nights’ twin-share accommodation at 5* Hotel La Manga Club Príncipe Felipe (14th – 17th February 2015 inclusive)
• Buffet breakfast
• 3 Pro-Am rounds (2 rounds on South Course, 1 round on North Course. 15th, 16th & 17th February 2016)
• 1 official practice round (1 round on South Course. 14th February 2016)
• Practice balls
• Welcome reception (14th February 2016)
• Light lunch on 4 tournament days
• Gala dinner & prize-giving ceremony (17th February 2016)
• Professional prize fund of €20,000 (*based on 20 teams entering)

Find out more information and download the Entry Form here: http://eur.pe/2016LaMangaClub

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

For more information about the resort and to book a break, call 00 34 968 17 5577, email reservas@lamangaclub.com or visit www.lamangaclub.com.