Today’s guest, Stuart Morgan started out teaching on tour believing everything was about technique. The player he was working with ended up losing his card and leaving the game… That experience motivated Stuart to never let that happen again and begin a search to better understand performance.

One area he’s dived into is learning and player development and has become an expert at junior development, and now is the director of instruction at the IJGA academy.

Never dismiss technique. It’s still very important there is just a lot more to look at.

Skill Regression in Juniors

In juniors there is a nonlinear period of time when they’ll go through growth spurts and experience change in the brain and body. You can see the legs grow first, feet are bigger, and torso / arms are small.

This ultimately leads to a loss of coordination and potentially skill regression.

Sometimes it can be as obvious as drastic differences from one day to the next during this period.  One day they can be aimed perfectly and the next they’re completely different.  Juniors during this period just don’t have the same awareness and coordination.

There are also mental factors to watch for as juniors might be fatigued and lacking in motivation during this period.    Stuart shares how he helps golfers through his stage with a mental break.  You have to scale the over all environment for the player.  A suitable challenge point if a player regresses back keeps people in the game vs dropping out.

A coach needs to help educate the golfer and parent about this process!

This is a can’t miss converstion. Listen in below!

Links:

• IJGA
• Stuart Morgan on Twitter
• Article from Dr Steve Bain on small goals

About Stuart Morgan

Stuart Morgan, a Mid Wales native, played golf at the professional level and has been a PGA member since 1998. He has been a full time development coach since 2001 when he was asked to work for David Leadbetter. During his time with Leadbetter, Morgan was mentored by the father of modern coaching and spent time assisting him at two PGA Championships and at Champions Gate. Morgan has also established a personal client base on Tour and spent years traveling to tournaments with elite players.

Heavily specialized in player development, Morgan has trained with Dave Alred and studied from professors such as Dr. Richard Bailey, Dr. Martin Toms, and Tour player and lecturer Graeme McDowell on how to maximize results in a training environment.

Morgan’s Player Development redefines overall athletic training and incorporates a focus and understanding of each individual golfer’s unique needs. His approaches allow IJGA to remain at the forefront of training philosophies and technology.

Using select training methods he has helped develop junior players as young as eight years old to become international standouts and even juniors who have gone on to turn professional.

The announcement of the fourth edition of the Pro-Am comes not long after The Príncipe Felipe Hotel 5* being nominated in the third World Golf Awards in the ‘Spain’s Best Golf Hotel’ category – a category that it has won the last two years – and the South Course in the category for ‘Spain’s Best Golf Course’.

The resort continues to undergo exciting development including the recent opening of the new La Manga Club Golf Training Centre, led by PGA of Sweden professional, Thomas Johansson, Anthony McCarthy (PGA of GB&I) and Anders Thelberg (PGA of Norway).

Pro-am competitors will get to enjoy the testing North Course as well as two rounds on the renowned South Course – the site of Arnold Palmer’s 1975 Spanish Open win and also where he redesigned the course in 1996.

Eduardo Ruiz, director of golf at La Manga Club, said: “It gives us great pride that this tournament is celebrating its fourth year at La Manga Club.

“It is a great opportunity for amateur and professional golfers from all over Europe to compete on the resort’s internationally-renowned golf facilities. This year the competition was very close, and we’re hoping to see that same level of excitement from those taking part in 2017.”

Pro-Am packages for teams of one professional and three amateurs are available priced from €1,100 per amateur (free for professionals), but golfers can take advantage of an early booking offer of €1,049 when booking before 15th December. The Pro-Am participation fee for amateurs includes:

• Four nights’ twin-share accommodation at five-star Hotel La Manga Club Príncipe Felipe (6^th – 10th March 2017 inclusive)
• Buffet breakfast
• Three pro-am rounds (two rounds on South Course, one round on North Course. 7th, 8th and 9th March 2017)
• One official practice round (one round on South Course. 6th March 2017)
• Practice balls
• Welcome reception (6th March 2017)
• Light lunch on four tournament days
• Gala dinner and prize-giving ceremony (9th March 2017)
• Daily temporary licence from the Murcian Golf Federation
• Professional prize fund of €20,000 (based on 20 teams competing)

The 2016 edition of the Pro-Am was won by the PGA of Great Britain & Ireland’s Matthew Cort, who secured his first Confederation of Professional Golf Sanctioned Event victory with a wire-to-wire performance at the famous resort.

For more information and to enter visit http://eur.pe/2017LaMangaClub

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For more information visit the Tournament Hub Page (http://eur.pe/2017LaMangaClub), 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.

Here are some DOs and DON’Ts to be aware of in forming your answer:

DO

Understand what they’re looking for

Whatever the specifics of your answer, it needs to align with what the employer is hoping to gain in advertising for the position. Research the organisation, their recent activity and where they’re headed. For example, if the firm has recently gained a new client or entered a new market, you could refer to recent projects where you’ve helped break new ground.

Show your passion

Above all else, a recruiter or hiring manager is looking for genuine enthusiasm for the position and for the organisation itself. Try to work a little of your personal ‘story’ into your response; a typical answer might read: “I’ve always been ambitious and curious and I wanted my first full-time position to be with a firm at the forefront of harnessing new technologies, like cloud computing.”

Talk about your goals

Accompanying this should be a logical argument about what you hope to achieve with the organisation over the coming years. You want to demonstrate that you’ve thought clearly about your decision to apply and how it fits into your long-term aspirations – e.g. “I’m looking to add emerging market experience to my CV and I’d be excited to help the company expand in this region.”

DON’T

Give generic answers

Be careful not to rely on stock answers you may have heard others give, which can be a common pitfall, particularly when reaching out to a number of employers in the same field. Try to express specific qualities about the firm rather than relying on buzzwords like ‘dynamic’ or ‘market-leading’.

Focus on the wrong areas

While the compensation, holiday allowance and other perks you may receive will naturally be at the back of your mind, allowing these concerns to take centre stage could undermine how you feel (or what the recruiter thinks you feel) about the role.

Offer irrelevant information

Likewise, talking about skills or interests that bear little relevance to the job may also detract from your hiring chances and may imply you haven’t spent sufficient time investigating the role or employer. A classic case might be talking about a university research project you worked on in isolation when teamwork is critical to the role.

To summarise, your response to this age-old inquiry should be an opportunity to showcase what you understand about a job position and how it relates to your skills and passions. So long as your interest in the role is genuine, with a little thought and time investment there’s no reason you can’t make this question work to your advantage.

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: Abintegro.com

Working on your body language prior to an interview, client meeting or any other stressful public event can have considerable benefits. Just acting more relaxed and confident can trick your mind into following suit. Here are some techniques for getting your body onside for when it matters.

Plan Your Entrance

30 seconds is reportedly how long it takes for some hiring managers to make up their mind, so how you greet your interviewer is crucial. A strong handshake goes without saying, while smiling and maintaining eye contact also helps to display confidence. Practice your entrance in the mirror (preferably when no one is watching…).

Develop Your Eye Contact

If you don’t make eye contact people don’t trust you, but for many of us it’s a struggle, particularly when we’re nervous. Also if you are deliberately trying to hold eye contact with anybody it can make you feel incredibly self conscious and more likely to start looking at the ceiling. So practice when you’re out with friends by choosing a point on the centre of their face to look at, round about the bridge of their nose. It’ll help you to relax and become less self conscious; they will never know and you’ll find yourself making eye contact effortlessly.

Aim For a Relaxed Approach

Crossing your arms, sitting too far back or forward and averting your gaze can mean you come across as defensive, arrogant or disinterested – unlikely to be what you are going for! So along with your new-found eye contact skills, use some relaxation techniques such as controlled breathing just before the interview to help keep your nerves in check. And remember to sit up, keep your posture open and smile. It will make you feel more ‘in the zone’ and happier.

Stay Focused

Feeling nervous or self conscious can lead to involuntary movements – shaking your foot, rubbing your neck or rocking back in your chair – which can undermine the composed image your are trying to portray. Becoming aware of your body language in group situations should give you an idea of the kind of things to watch out for. Find an alternative action, such as taking a deep breath and adjusting your posture when you catch yourself making one of these unwanted movements.

Hopefully, a little pre-planning and preparation can take much of the stress out of the big day. With your body language in check, all that’s left is for you to wow your interviewer into believing you’re the right person for the job. Piece of cake, right?

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: LinkedIn.com; CareerBuilder.com

@EntryLevelRebel

A new study finds that great coaches don’t focus on finding and fixing their team’s weaknesses. They do this instead.

Sure, running a business is about maximizing the bottom line, but few entrepreneurs care only about the dollars and cents.  For most, going into work every day is also about making the world a slightly better place and helping your team get better at what they do.

In other words, most business owners aspire to be not just managers but coaches.

How do you learn to be a great coach?

Thinking back to your Little League days or star turn on the girls’ volleyball team in high school may give you some inspiration.  Didn’t the coach point out your weaknesses and provide guidance on how to get better?  Your memory doesn’t fail you–traditionally, coaching has largely been about identifying areas in need of improvement and supporting folks as they work towards better performance.  But according to the latest science, there’s actually a better approach.

Positive vs. Negative

A new study, published in Social Neuroscience, used brain sans to test two different approaches to coaching on a group of undergraduates.  The first approach mirrored traditional coaching, asking students to identify areas in which they might be struggling at school and think about ways to improve.  Coaches asked questions such as: “What challenges have you encountered or do you expect to encounter in your experience here?” and “How are you doing with your courses?”

In contrast to this negative approach, the second group of coaches focused on possibilities and positives, asking the students about their aspirations and urging them to visualize their future goals.  They asked questions such as, “If everything worked out ideally in your life, what would you be doing in 10 years?”  The student volunteers were then run through a functional MRI to examine how their brains responded to the two techniques.

The different types of coaching lit up different areas of the brain, the scientists found, with the positive approach stimulating areas involved in:

• Visual processing, which come online when we imagine future events
• Global processing, or the ability to see the big picture
• Feelings of empathy and emotional safety
• The motivation to proactively pursue big goals rather than simply react to loss or fear

The Takeaway

If you want people to dream big and actually have a shot at reaching their lofty ambitions, the list above would be a pretty good place to start, right?  The researchers thought so too.

“These differences in brain activity led the researchers to conclude that positive coaching effectively activates important neural circuits and stress-reduction systems in the body by encouraging mentees to envision a desired future for themselves,” UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center reports in their write up of the research.

More research needs to be done, and the encouraging effects of a positive coaching style doesn’t necessarily mean there’s no place for the more traditional find-the-problem-and-fix-it approach, but the results should give business owners a nudge towards a positive coaching style.  Why not try spurring your team to dream big, set ambitious goals, and nurture their strengths?

How do you approach coaching your team?

Image designed by Freepik

@WillYakowicz

Studies show that strategic thinking is the most important element of leadership. But how do you instill the trait in others at your company?

What leadership skill do your employees, colleagues, and peers view as the most important for you to have? According Robert Kabacoff, the vice president of research at Management Research Group, a company that creates business assessment tools, it’s the ability to plan strategically.

He has research to back it up: In the Harvard Business Review, he cites a 2013 study by his company in which 97 percent of a group of 10,000 senior executives said strategic thinking is the most critical leadership skill for an organization’s success. In another study, he writes, 60,000 managers and executives in more than 140 countries rated a strategic approach to leadership as more effective than other attributes including innovation, persuasion, communication, and results orientation.

But what’s so great about strategic thinking? Kabacoff says that as a skill, it’s all about being able to see, predict, and plan ahead: “Strategic leaders take a broad, long-range approach to problem-solving and decision-making that involves objective analysis, thinking ahead, and planning.

That means being able to think in multiple time frames, identifying what they are trying to accomplish over time and what has to happen now, in six months, in a year, in three years, to get there,” he writes. “It also means thinking systemically. That is, identifying the impact of their decisions on various segments of the organization–including internal departments, personnel, suppliers, and customers.”

As a leader, you also need to pass strategic thinking to your employees, Kabacoff says. He suggests instilling the skill in your best managers first, and they will help pass it along to other natural leaders within your company’s ranks. Below, read his five tips for how to carry out this process.

Dish Out Information

Kabacoff says that you need to encourage managers to set aside time to thinking strategically until it becomes part of their job. He suggests you provide them with information on your company’s market, industry, customers, competitors, and emerging technologies. “One of the key prerequisites of strategic leadership is having relevant and broad business information that helps leaders elevate their thinking beyond the day-to-day,” he writes.

Create a Mentor Program

Every manager in your company should have a mentor. “One of the most effective ways to develop your strategic skills is to be mentored by someone who is highly strategic,” Kabacoff says. “The ideal mentor is someone who is widely known for his/her ability to keep people focused on strategic objectives and the impact of their actions.”

Create a Philosophy

As the leader, you need to communicate a well-articulated philosophy, a mission statement, and achievable goals throughout your company. “Individuals and groups need to understand the broader organisational strategy in order to stay focused and incorporate it into their own plans and strategies,” Kabacoff writes.

Reward Thinking, Not Reaction

Whenever possible, try to promote foresight and long-term thinking. Kabacoff says you should reward your managers for the “evidence of thinking, not just reacting,” and for “being able to quickly generate several solutions to a given problem and identifying the solution with the greatest long-term benefit for the organisation.”

Ask “Why” and “When”

Kabacoff says you need to promote a “future perspective” in your company. If a manager suggests a course of action, you need to him or her ask two questions: First, what underlying strategic goal does this action serve, and why? And second, what kind of impact will this have on internal and external stakeholders? “Consistently asking these two questions whenever action is considered will go a long way towards developing strategic leaders,” he writes.

Dr. Brian Hemmings with England National Coaches:

Graham Walker, David Ridley AFPGA, Paul Ashwell FPGA, Luke Whiting

Wednesday 16th November 2016

Northampton Golf Club

The speakers see this masterclass as an opportunity to share their unique experiences in working with professional, international amateur, county players and golfers of all abilities over many years.

You should attend if you….

• Want to take part in a unique one-day training opportunity with leading coaches who have worked with leading professionals, England squads, and golfers of all levels for over three decades
• Are a PGA Professional and want to increase your mental coaching skills and impact with players
• Are a practitioner/coach working with golfers to develop their mental skills
• Are a sport psychologist and want to learn about coaches application of psychology in learning and performance

What you will gain from the Masterclass….

• Innovative techniques that have been used for player and coach development
• Skills and strategies to build players’ confidence
• A chance to see mindfulness techniques applied to golf
• Structuring practice for maximum engagement
• Creating a coaching environment that challenges and excites players
• A certificate of attendance.
• PGA Professionals will be credited with 25 CPD points by The PGA of GB&I for successful completion/participation of this course.

Fee: £95.00. Fee includes lunch and refreshments. *A reduced fee is available for PGA Assistants. *Please email for group booking rates (3 or more)

**Early Booking Fee**: £85.00. The full amount must be paid by 31st August. Fee includes lunch and refreshments.

Booking Forms & Payment Methods: A booking form with a range of payment options, and extensive venue details can be found at www.golfmind.co.uk/masterclasses-in-sport-and-golf-psychology

Call now to discuss your Masterclass place on 07908 677660 or e-mail brian@golfmind.co.uk.

Download Masterclass PDF (0.3MB)

The new event aims to become an established tournament on the international Pro-Am schedule helping to contribute to the development and promotion of golf and golf tourism in Greece. The Pro-Am falls under the auspices of the Confederation of Professional Golf, PGA of Greece, and the Hellenic Golf Federation and is supported by Aegean Airlines.

The Messinia Pro-Am will see teams of three amateurs and a PGA Professional battle it out over The Dunes Course and The Bay Course at Costa Navarino, with Professionals competing for a prize fund of €30,000*.

“Golf has again become an Olympic sport for the first time since 1904,” said Mr. George Hadjiosif, Director of Local Operations, Navarino Dunes, Costa Navarino.

“In Costa Navarino, we are proud to launch the Messinia Pro-Am, an international golf tournament aiming to become an established institution hosting the golfing elite from around the globe and promoting golf and golf tourism in Greece. Being under the auspices of the Confederation of Professional Golf is an honour for us and we look forward to a successful event.”

There is no Pro-Am package fee for each participating professional with a team of three amateurs. Amateur packages start at €1,389.30 and include:

• Accommodation in the The Westin Resort Costa Navarino
• Welcome reception
• Gala dinner & Prize giving
• Exclusive welcome gift package
• Buggies for all rounds
• 3 tournament rounds & 2 practice rounds
• On-course refreshments and snacks for 3 tournament rounds
• Free use of Fitness Center, Infrared and Finnish Sauna, Jacuzzi, Table Tennis, Pools, Steam Bath and Relax zone, Wi-Fi Internet
• Free access to thalassotherapy pools and 25% discount on spa treatments

For more information and to enter visit http://eur.pe/2017Messinia

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For more information visit the Tournament Hub Page (http://eur.pe/2017Messinia) and messiniaproam.costanavarino.com, follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter and search the hashtag ‘#MessiniaProAm’, and like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

Find out more about Costa Navarino at www.costanavarino.com.

*Based on 30 teams competing.

(ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla., USA) – World Golf Foundation (WGF) – the non-profit organization developing and supporting initiatives that positively impact lives through the game of golf and its traditional values – announces the launch of the Golf & Health Project, academically researching and highlighting how the game can benefit peoples’ lives.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, led by Dr. Andrew Murray and under the supervision of leading international academics, Professor Nanette Mutrie and Professor Liz Grant, have conducted the largest, most comprehensive study of golf and health, with the results shown in a Scoping Review published in the world’s leading sports medicine and science journal, The British Journal of Sports Medicine. In total, 5,000 papers were reviewed to provide a comprehensive view on the impact of the game on health, illness prevention (and management) and associated injuries (infographic).

Key benefits include improvements in life expectancy and quality of life, as well as physical and mental health benefits. Golf is expected to decrease the risk of more than 40 major chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart attacks, colon and breast cancer. Current research shows that golf has positive impacts on cholesterol, body composition, metabolism, and longevity.

The Project launches with support from all of golf’s major organisations, along with an initial eight ambassadors from around the world with more than 30 majors and 350 wins between them – Aaron Baddeley (Australia), Annika Sorenstam (Sweden), Brooke Henderson (Canada), Gary Player (South Africa), Padraig Harrington (Ireland), Ryann O’Toole (USA), So Yeon Ryu (South Korea), and Zach Johnson (USA).

“I am delighted to be an Ambassador for the Golf & Health Project and wholeheartedly support the work they are doing to prove the health and wellbeing benefits of golf,” explained Gary Player, nine-time Major champion and World Golf Hall of Fame member. “The systematic and academic confirmation of the physical and mental benefits golf gives people will be of great use to us all to spread the word to institutions, governments and the entire world!”

Current information from the Scoping Review and future research findings will continue to be available through the Golf & Health website – www.golfandhealth.org. This information is designed to be practical and usable by golf’s stakeholders to help develop the sport around the world.

The project also aims to show existing and future benefits that are identified are applicable to individuals of all ages throughout society, not just a specific sub-section of the population.

The WGF and the major golf organizations represented on its Board of Directors, along with partners such as the Confederation of Professional Golf and the University of Edinburgh, academic collaborators and supporters from the University of California at San Francisco, and various other organizations, are working together on the Project with a view to sharing its work around the globe.

“The importance of the Golf & Health Project in the development of the sport is vital, not just for the WGF’s partners, but everyone involved with golf around the world,” said Steve Mona, CEO of the World Golf Foundation. “This Project is something we can all get behind, as it is universally agreed that golf is good for you. It is going to provide real, tangible resources that can be used by governments and politicians, professional tours, governing bodies, golf businesses, PGA Professionals and more – all to the sport’s benefit.”

The Project is planning various research-led activities to further prove areas of interest and also expand into currently under-researched areas such as the mental health benefits of golf, physical benefits in older players and the positive effects of spectating.

“For a number of years we’ve felt we’ve underplayed the likely benefits of golf on peoples’ health,” added Golf & Health Project Executive Director and European Tour Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Roger Hawkes. “Over the last two or three years, there seems to be an interest from various bodies and we’ve been able to bring together that interest to actually study this area.”

Further information, news and features on the Golf & Health Project: www.golfandhealth.org, @GolfAndHealth on Twitter and ‘Golf and Health’ on Facebook.

For queries relating to the Project, contact info@golfandhealth.org and for media queries contact media@golfandhealth.org.

The Scoping Review was carried out together with the University of Edinburgh and published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Right-click the infographic to save your copy to use at your club, facility, or business.

Further information, news and features on the Golf & Health Project: www.golfandhealth.org, @GolfAndHealth on Twitter and ‘Golf and Health’ on Facebook.

For queries relating to the Project, contact info@golfandhealth.org and for media queries contact media@golfandhealth.org.

Myth #1 – Fitness pros are out to steal your client.

A client doesn’t have to choose golf instruction or fitness. In fact Lance uses the term “pit crew” quite a few times to suggest the idea of a team effort.

Myth #2 – It takes 6 weeks to make a change.

“I’ve never built the same program twice”

Myth #3 – We’re going to ruin your golfer.

It’s all about making a plan getting closer to goals. Not just bulking up. Golf fitness and beach fitness are TOTALLY different.

There is no ONE result from starting a fitness program.

One thing Lance asks of instructors is to become educated in his world. Meaning that by understanding the body you’ll be able to better understand the role and needs of fitness in a training program. Fitness professionals are learning about the golf swing shouldn’t instructors be doing the same?

The biggest issues with certifications and continuing education is how are you going to make your money back. Lance covers a FANTASTIC concept you can easily implement. Who you should market it to. How you should run it. And what you can expect. (this is about 15 minutes in).

If you’re a golf instructors Lance believe you should go get help for you and your game from a TPI professional.

We also got some great questions from the Young Teaching Professionals group on Facebook. (great group by the way hosted by past guest Andrew Rice)

Some of the questions we cover

• Do students get longer when working out?
• How effective is transfer training when hitting a golf ball well?
• How often is injury and pain due to physical issues rather than technical?

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Lance Gil is the Co-Director of the Titleist Performance Institute Fitness Advisory Board and the Lead Instructor for TPI Level 1 and Level 2 Fitness Seminars globally. He has personally taught over 10,000 experts in the fields of; Golf Fitness, Golf Instruction, Medicine, Junior and Biomechanical proficiencies.

He is the President of LG Performance, a private Golf Performance based company specializing in the betterment of golfers (from tour professionals to junior development) in the areas of; Fitness, Screening, Biomechanics, Instruction, Mental, Nutritional, Programming, and Life Coaching. Find out more at www.lgperformance.com.

Think about it for a moment and it starts to make sense! We are so worried about the take away, the top of the backswing, not to mention downswing…

…So the follow through is often the last thing to worry about and often “just happens”!

But it all makes perfect sense: if you have any balance, flexibility, posture, core stability or strength issues while swinging a golf club  – you will end up compensating and often these patterns show loud and clear at your follow through.

Losing balance, funky-looking and often massive efforts from wrist, elbows or legs to force the club back into plane are the most common telltale signs.

Your facial expressions after the shot will also be worth a thousand words on how repetitive your swing is and how comfortable your body feels doing it. Have you ever smiled while hitting a shot or even at your follow through? It’s well worth trying, if it doesn’t work for you try something else – a “cool” or “neutral face”, as long as you don’t repetitively grind your teeth and look miserable!

Also next time you watch golf (ether live or on TV), pay attention how professional golfers look after they have hit the ball or a putt and it will tell you a lot about what is going on in his/her mind.

Your feet are amazing feel transmitters to your brain – they provide your body the essential information concerning where your body is in space.

Swinging with bare feet often gives you whole new sensation of balance and in fact you are able to feel more what’s going on within your body! When I played on Ladies European Tour I had a habit to do a monthly check up with my swing basics (aiming, ball positioning, etc.) and I often started the day swinging without golf shoes, as this gave me so much information on my weight distribution before the swing as well as the weight transfer during the golf swing. It only takes few minutes so it’s well worth a try!

You can improve the body’s ability to send sensory feedback by very simple trick of massaging the feet with tennis ball. Start standing and placing a tennis ball under your foot. Apply firm pressure (but not agony!) to the ball and try covering all areas of your foot for at least 2 minutes.

Massaging your foot also relaxes your Myofaschial Superficial Back line and therefore helps your overall flexibility.

Have fun swinging barefoot!

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

The sport has physical and mental health benefits for people of all ages, genders and backgrounds, a study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine shows.

Researchers reviewed 5000 studies into golf and wellbeing to build a comprehensive picture of the sport’s health benefits, as well as its potential drawbacks.

Findings show that golf is likely to improve cardiovascular, respiratory and metabolic health.

Playing golf could also help those who suffer chronic diseases including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, colon and breast cancer and stroke, the study found.

The physical benefits of golf increase with age, researchers from the University of Edinburgh said.

Balance and muscle endurance in older people are improved by playing the sport, the review also found.

A regular game of golf can help players meet and exceed minimum government recommendations for moderate to vigorous physical activity.

The study found that golfers typically burn a minimum of 500 calories over 18 holes.

Golfers walking 18 holes can cover four to eight miles, while those using an electric golf cart typically chalk up four miles.

Increased exposure to sunshine and fresh air were found to be additional benefits.

The physical aspects of golf could also help reduce the risk of anxiety, depression and dementia, the researchers say.

The study is part of the Golf & Health Project, which is led by the World Golf Foundation. The initiative aims to increase the understanding of golf in health and wellbeing.

Future research will include the effects of golf on mental health, muscle strengthening and balance.

Lead researcher Dr Andrew Murray, from the Physical Activity for Health Research Centre at the University of Edinburgh, said: “We know that the moderate physical activity that golf provides increases life expectancy, has mental health benefits, and can help prevent and treat more than 40 major chronic diseases such as heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, breast and colon cancer.”

“Evidence suggests golfers live longer than non-golfers, enjoying improvements in cholesterol levels, body composition, wellness, self-esteem and self-worth. Given that the sport can be played by the very young to the very old, this demonstrates a wide variety of health benefits for people of all ages.”

Padraig Harrington, a vice-captain at the 2016 Ryder Cup, three-time major champion and Golf & Health Ambassador, said: “The Golf & Health Project is clearly taking an important step forward to shine a light on the benefits of our sport. I have seen how impactful golf can be on peoples’ wellbeing – now it’s time to get this message out there.”

Fellow ambassador Annika Sorenstam, a 12-time major champion, said: “Healthy living is a subject that’s very close to my heart, especially when it comes to educating the next generation. I strongly believe playing golf helps people stay fit, active and healthy. The Golf & Health Project will help all of us better promote the sport’s physical and mental benefits.”

For further information, video footage and images please contact:

Andrew Moffat, Press and PR Office; Tel +44 131 650 9836; Email andrew.moffat@ed.ac.uk

Among the best golfers in the world playing on the European Tour, the standard and depth of quality is exceptionally high. For them, the difference between winning and coming second or making their tour card versus missing out can come down to the smallest of margins.

From week to week, a huge number of variables place demands on them, their bodies and their performance. These all need to be accounted for and fully understood. For most people (and particularly athletes) the body responds well to and likes routines, structure and balance. As a professional golfer travelling the world with the modern international schedule of golf, this can sometimes be very hard to achieve.

Over the next couple of articles we will be talking about the importance of sleep, diet, hydration and travel for the professional and recreational golfer alike. In this blog article we will be discussing sleep and air travel.

Sleep patterns among professional golfers can be hugely variable due to time zone changes, jet lag, very early or very late tee times, media requirements and travel delays to name a few. We know that sleep is a crucial factor in human physical and mental health and performance.

The recommended amount of sleep varies between people depending on age, sex and activity, but generally 8 hours a night is a guideline figure. It has been shown that sports people require more sleep than the general public and performance factors are increased with an extra hour of sleep a night on top of the average.

Sleep deprivation can have several effects on people and athletes/golfers performance including:

• Hormone changes – reduced duration of sleep has been linked with increased levels of cortisol. This is also known as a stress hormone and has been linked with reduced healing, increased risk of injuries and reduced memory. It is also linked with reduced levels of the body’s natural growth hormone, which helps the body repair.
• Reduced energy – sleep deprivation reduces your body’s ability to store glycogen. Although often seen as an energy source needed during endurance events, it is still a key component of the energy requirements in sports such as golf.
• Reduced decision making and reflexes – evidence shows that sports people who don’t get enough sleep are worse at making split second decisions and are less accurate in their performance (these are also similar effects of dehydration which we will discuss in another piece)

As I write this article I am 35,000 ft in the air on a plane travelling 3 hrs 45 minutes to Morocco for the Trophee Hassan II, with the entire journey today taking 9 hours from door to door. Many of the golfers playing in this tournament have travelled much further and crossed many more time zones.

This is a common necessity for players and staff on the European Tour every week, with the 2014 schedule featuring 48 tournaments in 26 countries worldwide. Air travel has many effects on the body of which ‘jet lag’ is one.

Jet lag is linked with a de-synchronisation of circadian rhythms and its impact depends on a number of factors e.g. the duration and direction of the flight, crossing multiple time zones, repeated and regular journeys with little time for acclimatisation and individual differences between people.

Some simple tips for trying to combat the effects of time zone changes and jet lag are:-

• If over 3 hrs time difference, try and arrive 24hrs prior to your first day practice/training.
• If you want to sleep later in the morning when you arrive, close the curtains and black out the room as much as possible.
• If you want to wake earlier, keep the curtains open when you go to bed, which will accustom you naturally to the morning light.
• Change your watch to the new time zone before you get on the flight, and then start eating/sleeping to the new time zone immediately (if a time change of longer than 4-6 hours try and do this the day before you leave to start your bodies acclimatisation to the new time zone.
• Avoid drinking alcohol/caffeine the day before, during the flight and the day after.- Maintain adequate levels of fluid intake (preferably 2-3L of water/day).
• Wear compression socks during flights

The effects of prolonged periods of inactivity and long haul travel are well documented. As well as professional golfers, it is as important for the general population to ensure that they follow guidance and have regular breaks from sitting on a plane. They should carry out simple, regular exercises to promote blood flow and prevent the effects of prolonged inactivity and static postures on a flight.

In the fiercely competitive world of modern professional golf, it is vital that every aspect of a golfer’s preparation is optimised and good health is maintained as much as possible. The above tips can help to reduce the affects of air travel and maximize the benefits of sleep.

Nigel Tilley is a Consultant Physiotherapist on the European Tour Physio Unit and ETPI.

REFERENCES

Lemmer, B., Kern, R.I., Nold, G., & Lohrer, H. (2002). Jet lag inathletes after eastward and westward time-zone transition.Chronobiology International , 19, 743_764.

Waterhouse, J., Reilly, T., & Edwards, B. (2004). The stress oftravel. Journal of Sports Sciences , 22, 946_966.

Beaumont, M., Bate´jat, D., Pie´rard, C., Van Beers, P., Denis,J. B., Coste, O., et al. (2004). Caffeine or melatonin effects onsleep and sleepiness after rapid eastward transmeridian travel.Journal of Applied Physiology, 96, 50_58.

Drust, B., Waterhouse, J., Atkinson, G., Edwards, B., & Reilly, T.(2005). Circadian rhythms in sports performance: An update.Chronobiology International , 22, 21_44.

Reilly T., Atkinson G., Edwards B., Waterhouse J., Akerstedt T., Davenne D., Lemmer B. and Wirz-Justice A. (2007) Coping with Jet-lag: A position statement for the European College of Sports Science. European Journal of Sports Science, 7, 1, -7

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

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Coles’ past wins came in 2009 and 2013, with the latter also taking place at Gloria in Belek, Turkey, where he again finished on a -12 total (204).

“It’s been a great week – I got off to a reasonable start and had a great day yesterday and scrambled through today really…so delighted to win three times,” explained Coles.

“It’s quite bittersweet with the sad loss of Mustafa. I think golf in Turkey is better for Mustafa – it’s a great week with the tribute and trophy named after him and hopefully it’s not just this week but it’s years to come that his legacy lives on.”

Coles began the day with a four-shot lead but had lost three of those shots in his opening four holes on Gloria’s New Course. But a birdie on the 18 hole, his ninth, followed by a further three birdies in a row allowed him to recover that deficit, with a further birdie at hole nine to close out the event.

Four shots behind Coles, ending the round as he had begun it, was the Champions Tour’s own and two-time major winner, John Daly, alongside the PGA in Scotland’s number one on the 2016 moneylist, Graham Fox.

Daly, beginning on hole one, made his way out in one-under par, but mid-way through his back nine had a bogey at the par-four 13th hole. But bouncing-back on the next hole with a birdie recovered that drop-shot and then a further birdie on hole 18 brought him into the second position.

“As always with the last five or six years I’ve been coming here, it’s a class act,” said Daly. “The course was great and all the amateurs and pros loved it and that’s what it’s all about.

“Unfortunately Mustafa wasn’t here to see it this year and I know it was dear to his heart like it is to mine, and that’s why we keep coming back: for him.”

Fox, who also made a hole-in-one during Round 01 of the Pro-Am, began the round at five-under par, but advanced his way up the leaderboard with four birdies and a bogey for a three-under 69.

“But getting an invite and coming out here to this weather and mixing with all the Turkish guys is great and they’re great guys to play with,” added Fox. “You’ve got to be on top of your game here as it’s a great test of golf, both courses are and I love coming here.”

The Team Pro-Am was won by Opet 2, made up of amateurs Huseyin Demirag, Nida Cireli and Richard Ozatacan. They were joined in Round 03 by England’s Jamie Moul, having also been helped along by Liam Bond (PGA in Wales) and Jamie Little (England).

After rounds of 88 and 89 points, a further 89 points gave them an outstanding overall total of 266 points (-50).

Team Opet 1 maintained their hold on second position with 259 points (-43) whilst Team Sarum Diamond earned third place with 253 points (-37).

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

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For more information visit the Tournament Hub Page (http://eur.pe/2016Beko), follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter and search the hashtag ‘#BekoClassic’, and like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

To find out more about Beko visit www.Beko.com.

Image © vpcreative.co.uk

The Englishman began the day at two-under par, but swiftly moved to six-under after his second round front-nine.

Birdies at 10, 14 and to close at 17 and 18 enabled him to sign for his 64 and a 10-under par total (134) to sit four shots ahead of his colleagues.

Whilst four shots mat be comfortable to begin with, there is a pack of Professionals just behind at six-under par that could well make a move in the final round.

Two-time major winner, John Daly, shot the second-lowest round of the day with a six-under 66 to move into tied-second and, if successful, could add to his 2014 Beko Classic Pro-Am with another title if he goes low in Round 03.

Another past champion in the hunt is Scotland’s Raymond Russell who did not make as much ground as the others with a one-over par 71, but remains in the hunt to add to his 2010 title with his six-under (138) total.

The third Professional in the mix is England’s David Griffiths – six birdies and five bogeys gave him a one-under second round to also share the second place position

In the team event Opet 2, today led by Professional, Liam Bond (Wales), with amateurs Huseyin Demirag, Nida Cireli and Richard Ozatacan, maintained their position at the top of the leaderboard after an even better 89 points in the second round for a total of 177 points (-33).

Team Opet 1 follow in second place led by John Daly and amateurs, Fikret Ozturk, Mevlut Cavusoglu, and Sabri Yigit. 89 points in the second round give a total of 172 (-28), very much still in with a chance of taking the team honours.

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

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For more information visit the Tournament Hub Page (http://eur.pe/2016Beko), follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter and search the hashtag ‘#BekoClassic’, and like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

To find out more about Beko visit www.Beko.com.

27 invited Professionals, including past Champions, Major winners, Challenge and European Tour winners got their campaigns underway in perfect golfing conditions at Gloria Hotels & Resorts in Belek, Turkey.

Making early moves into the lead was Raymond Russell with a superb blemish free 65. His outward nine of 34 (three-under par) was bettered by his inward nine of 31 (four-under par) to set the early pace.

Golding, who finished second at the recent Paris Legends Championship at Le Golf National in France and is a past winner of the Beko Classic, carded eight birdies and one bogey in his round of 65 to share the lead.

PGA in Scotland Professional, Graham Fox, had a superb start to his round, getting a hole in one on the 17th on his 4th tournament hole – much to the delight of his Pro-Am team.

In the Team Pro-Am competition it was again a shared lead between team Beko 3, made up of Professional Bjorn Petterson alongside amateurs Martyn Acland, Andrew Thomas and Onder Cerezci, and Team Opet 2, led by Professional, Jamie Little, with amateurs Huseyin Demirag, Nida Cireli and Richard Ozatacan, who both opened up their accounts with excellent rounds of 88 points (-16).

Round 02 commences at 09:30 GMT + 3 Hours.

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

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For more information visit the Tournament Hub Page (http://eur.pe/2016Beko), follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter and search the hashtag ‘#BekoClassic’, and like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

To find out more about Beko visit www.Beko.com.

“I finally won it! After trying four times, coming in second twice, and finished third once,” said Miller. “Now finally winning is great. This is the cherry on the cake – it’s the biggest event I’ve won this year and it’s just great.

“People ask me ‘are you going to go play again?’ and I just turned 40 this year – 40 is the new 30 they say – but I love coaching, love teaching and working with young players that want to become professionals…so I’m going to just keep doing that and then play some events like I do now and that’s enough for me.”

Having come close in 2011 with a third place, and even closer in the 2014 and 2015 editions of the Championship, Miller’s winning performance was due and a popular outcome for the event.

After the third round’s play was abandoned at Pravets Golf & Spa Resort in Bulgaria due to the weather conditions, Miller’s lead after two rounds carried over, beginning the day with a one-shot lead at nine-under par.

Miller carded an eagle, four birdies and one bogey on his way to a cool and controlled 67 (-5) and a total of 14-under par, a comfortable five shots ahead of the field.

“I still had the same gameplan of trying to hit fairways and hit greens – give yourself chances – and that’s what I did,” Miller added. “I didn’t make any mistakes except up the 11th where I made a bogey as my ball was plugged in the bunker, but you know what I played very solid.”

The award for supporting performance of the day went to the PGA in England’s Craig Shave, another regular at the Confederation of Professional Golf’s flagship Championship.

Starting the final round seven shots behind the leaders in tie-16th place, Shave set a target of eight-under in his head and surpassed that to finish with a closing 65 for a nine-under par total and second place, his best finish in the event to date.

“I’ve hit it well all week, I just didn’t hole anything on the first two days…today the difference was mainly I just holed some putts,” said Shave. “It’s always nice to represent your country in something like this – it never gets old.”

Lone third place went to the PGA of Canada’s Marc-Etienne Bussieres, playing in his first UniCredit PGA Professional Championship and also his first golf in Europe.

Bussieres’ steady final round of 70 (two-under) helped him rise up the leaderboard by a place with an eight-under par total:

“Before coming here I definitely looked at the leaderboard from the previous years and saw my fellow Canadian, Danny King, who finished 8th last year,” said Bussieres. “So obviously I wanted to finish top-eight or better so I’d say it was a good week!”

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

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For more information on the 2016 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe visit the Tournament Hub Page, follow @PGAsofEurope and search #PassportToPravets on Twitter, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

The Beko Classic Pro-Am has been a stalwart tournament on the Confederation of Professional Golf’s event calendar and is a shining example of the work that Mustafa Koç did in establishing golf in Turkey.

The Pro-Am will see nine past Champions from across the last 20 years of the event join with some stalwart competitors that have featured heavily in the event that takes place this year again at Gloria Hotels & Resorts in Belek, Turkey.

The most recent returning champion, major-winner John Daly, will be looking to add to his 2014 title in the Pro-Am taking a short break from his recent run of Champions Tour appearances. His appearance also comes just ahead of the release of ESPN’s 30 for 30 “Hit it Hard” documentary on Daly that will be aired on November 1^st.

Past champions also include the likes of two-time winner, Robert Coles (England – 2009/13), Liam Bond (Wales – 2006), Raymond Russell (Scotland – 2010), and captain of the victorious 2015 GB&I PGA Cup team, Jon Bevan (England – 2007), to name but a few.

1999 Confederation of Professional Golf European Champion and Challenge Tour winner, Sion Bebb (Wales) returns looking for his maiden Beko win, alongside fellow Welsh visitors, Garry Houston and the aforementioned Bond.

2004 KLM Open and 2013 Portugal Masters winner, David Lynn, joins the field making a total of six European Tour wins amongst the field to go along with the combined 20 Challenge Tour, two majors, and five PGA Tour wins.

Belgium’s Christopher Mivis and Pierre Relecom and Sweden’s Bjorn Pettersson, Joakim Rask, Pontus Widegren and Oscar Floren complete the continental European contingent.

Round 01 begins on Thurs 13^th October at Gloria Hotels & Resorts New Course.

For More Information Visit: http://eur.pe/2016Beko

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For more information visit the Tournament Hub Page (http://eur.pe/2016Beko), follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter and search the hashtag ‘#BekoClassic’, and like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

To find out more about Beko visit www.Beko.com.

Due to the forecasted weather conditions and current condition of the golf course, today’s play has been abandoned. The Championship will be 54 holes.

The Final Round of the Championship will resume tomorrow (13th October) with the original Round 03 Tee-Times in place (first time 09:30am (GMT+3)).

For Full Championship Scores Visit http://eur.pe/2016PGAProChamps

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For more information on the 2016 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe visit the Tournament Hub Page, follow @PGAsofEurope and search #PassportToPravets on Twitter, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

Miller has been a regular at the Championship in recent years and is seeking a breakthrough win after placing third in 2011 and consecutive second places in the 2014 and 2015 editions.

“Obviously this is a great event to win,” said Miller. “I’d love to win it I really would, but if someone else is better then hats off to them.

“I was solid today, especially on the back nine when it started to rain for us so it was good to hit greens and make putts… If you can do that then you’re going to have opportunities to make birdies…so I’ll keep the same gameplan as my last rounds here.”

A bogey-free 67, combined with his first round 68, gives the Dutchman a one-shot lead at nine under (135) for the week so far.

Round 01 Leader, Florian Jahn (PGA of Germany), continued his good form with a three-under par 69 for an eight-under (136) total:

“I played well today and was very steady,” explained Jahn. “I think I will just play my game – it’s more passive…fairways and greens…always on the safe side of the flag.”

Sweden’s Christoffer Wahlgren sits in third position following a four-under 68 that included two blemish bogeys on his card, showing the birdies are out there for the taking.

Low round of the week so far went to the PGA in England’s Guy Woodman who made a seven-under par 65 to propel himself up the leaderboard to close just four shots behind on five-under (139).

“I struggled a bit yesterday, but managed to find something on the range this morning and went with it,” said Woodman. “When it’s calm you can give yourself a lot of wedge opportunities and managed to convert a few so I’m really happy.”

Round 02 begins at 09:30am (GMT+3).

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

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For more information on the 2016 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe visit the Tournament Hub Page, follow @PGAsofEurope and search #PassportToPravets on Twitter, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

The first round of the UniCredit PGA Professional Championship leant itself to good scoring as the expected rainy weather never appeared, with half the field at even par or better.

Jahn’s opening nine holes was a solid start to the 72-hole tournament with a single birdie at hole seven. But four birdies on the back nine propelled him to a five-under par total and a one-shot lead.

“Last week I played in the German PGA Championship and I finished third so hopefully I can play stable,” said the Hamburg professional.

“It’s my first time here but I played in the Pro-Am and had a look at the course – I don’t really have a gameplan so I just played my game.”

In tied-second place are Damjan Murgelj (PGA of Slovenia) and last year’s runner-up, Ralph Miller (PGA of Holland), both of whom carded four-under par 68s.

Miller is confident that his near misses in the Championship will hold him in good stead against the newcomers in the field:

“Maybe I know the greens a bit better than the new guys having played here for four years now so that’s a bit of an advantage. There’s a bunch of good players out here so I’ll just try and play well.”

Meanwhile Murgelj is hoping his ‘mind-plan’ approach will keep him focused throughout the week – “It’s not a gameplan, it’s my ‘mind-plan’. I was focusing on playing the course, a couple of shots were off today but I had good recoveries. There are three more rounds…[so] we’ll see what happens.”

Round 02 begins at 09:30am (GMT+3).

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

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For more information on the 2016 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe visit the Tournament Hub Page, follow @PGAsofEurope and search #PassportToPravets on Twitter, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

Furthering their support of the European game, Peter Millar will provide the winner with the option to take a yearlong apparel contract for their clothing line that is well established in the United States and rapidly expanding across the continent.

The Association’s flagship Championship has been running since 1990 and takes place for the sixth time from the 10th to 13th October at Pravets Golf & Spa Resort in Bulgaria, the popular Peter Harradine designed 18-hole, par 72, championship course that has become an international favourite on the Association’s schedule.

“We’re pleased to offer a clothing contract to the winner of the 2016 Championship,” said Managing Director Peter Millar International, Mark Hilton. “Peter Millar has a great relationship with the Confederation of Professional Golf and the lucky winner will have the opportunity to wear the latest Peter Millar designs from both Crown and Crown Sport collections.”

“The offering of a clothing contract to our Champion at Pravets will add something really special to this already coveted title,” said Confederation of Professional Golf Chief Executive, Ian Randell.  “Our partnership with Peter Millar continues to flourish and we are very happy that our PGA Professional Champion of Europe can also enjoy the benefits of the partnership and look forward to wearing their fabulous range in the year ahead.”

The agreement comes as part of the support that Peter Millar show to European golf with their Corporate Partnership with the Association and their position as an Official Licensee of Ryder Cup Europe.

For more information visit http://eur.pe/2016PGAProChamps

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For more information on the 2016 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe visit the Tournament Hub Page, follow @PGAsofEurope and search #PassportToPravets on Twitter, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

For more information on Peter Millar visit www.petermillar.co.uk.

52 PGA Professionals have descended on the Bulgarian resort for the Association’s flagship 72-hole Championship, representing 21 countries from across the Confederation of Professional Golf’s membership.

Three-time champion, Hugo Santos (PGA of Portugal), makes a return to Pravets seeking his fourth title in the Championship, along with fellow countryman, Tiago Rodrigues.

Local Professional, Stanko Marinov, from the PGA of Bulgaria will compete for the first time in the Championship, whilst Igor Milicic from neighbouring Serbia also makes his debut.

The Mediterranean contingent also includes Francisco Lagarto, Jose Mancebo, Luis Portela Rial from Spain, along with Enrico Vacirca and Zeke Martinez joining Andrea Signor and Federico Elli in representing the PGA of Italy.

The PGA in England’s Craig Shave also returns along with the PGA in Ireland’s Eamonn Brady after their top 10 finishes in the 2015 Championship.

Two of the Confederation of Professional Golf’s International Members are also represented in the field in the form of Johan Smit from PGA of South Africa and Marc-Etienne Bussieres from the PGA of Canada.

The PGA of Austria is well represented with Mike Burrows, Andreas Lauss, and their President, Manfred Krainz, alongside Georg Schultes, whilst the nearby German cohort consists of Florian Jahn, Steffen Kefer, and Dennis Lohrmann.

Switzerland is represented by Simone Castelanelli, Corsin Caviezel and James Johnson, along with Joost Steenkamer, Jan Willem Van Hoof, Inder Van Weerelt and Ralph Miller flying the Dutch flag.

Round 01 of the Championship begins at 09:30 (GMT+3).

For more information visit http://eur.pe/2016PGAProChamps

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For more information on the 2016 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe visit the Tournament Hub Page, follow @PGAsofEurope and search #PassportToPravets on Twitter, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

28 Teams from inside and outside of Bulgaria came together for the two-day Pro-Am, competing for the UniCredit Pro-Am title, each playing with two different PGA Professionals from the Championship.

A solid first day with PGA in Wales Professional, Stuart Runcie, amateurs Hranislav Kodzahristov, Nikolay Andreev, and Rado Rashev, gave the team a solid opening of 81 points (-9) and a top-10 position on the leaderboard.

Day two saw them team up with the PGA in Scotland’s Graeme Brown who helped them to 91 points (-19) for a total of 172 points (-28).

The amateur team of Yuli Velichkov, Stefani Skokanska and Rayan Staykov, finished with 169 points (-25) in second place, and Georgi Demirev, Kosta Sinapov and Galin Gantchev finshed in third on count-back with 168 points (-24).

For more information visit http://eur.pe/2016PGAProChamps

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For more information on the 2016 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe visit the Tournament Hub Page, follow @PGAsofEurope and search #PassportToPravets on Twitter, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

The Final round of the got underway in perfect golfing conditions – sunny weather and no wind looked promising for good scoring and it certainly did not disappoint.

With the top-four teams separated by just three points heading into the final round, it was anyone’s to take, with the penultimate grouping taking the bull by the horns and battling amongst themselves for the title.

The team led by Enrico Di Nitto (Alps Tour) and amateur, Roberto Mangifesta, certainly had the better front-nine, carding a super 24 points (-6), giving them a one-point lead over the PGA of Denmark’s Nicolas Riiber and amateur Andrea Steno.

However, Team Riiber really turned on the style with a sublime grandstand finish that was worthy of the victory.

A nett eagle and 2 birdies in the closing three holes saw them sign for a final round 44 points (-8) giving them a one-point victory over their playing partners, Team Di Nitto, who signed for 43 points (-7) to secure the runners-up position on count back.

Early Round 01 leaders, Team Rodiles, signed for a final 41 points (-3), putting them into third place after missing out on the count back result.

In the gross team tournament, Round 02 leaders, Team Bolognesi, signed for a final round gross 32 points which handed them the best Gross Score title for the week.

The inaugural Pro-Am at Argentario Golf & Spa Resort was hailed a spectacular setting for the event and many of the teams are already looking ahead to battling it out next year in the Tuscany Sun.

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

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

Find out more about Argentario Golf Resort & Spa visit www.ArgentarioResort.com.

Overnight leaders Rodiles and Adriana got off to a shaky start dropping three points in their opening three holes, however they steadied the ship and rallied to finish the outward nine with 18 points.

Their back nine was steady, with seven pars and two birdies which gave them a two-under par total for the round.

Making up the final fourball of the day was the PGA of Italy’s Andrea Bolognesi with amateur Gianluca Piredda.

The pair shot out of the starting blocks making their way through the first four holes in four-under. Two further birdies to close their front nine saw a six-point swing from tied second into the outright lead.

Bolognesi and Piredda negotiated the back nine with a solitary bogey, balanced out by a birdie and a nett eagle, which saw the pair sign for an eight-under 44 points and the outright lead.

With just three points separating the top four groups it looks set to be an exciting climax to the inaugural Pro-Am.

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

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

Find out more about Argentario Golf Resort & Spa visit www.ArgentarioResort.com.

With the Ryder Cup taking place in the United States it is apt that Argentario Golf Resort & Spa is not far from The Marco Simone Golf and Country Club that will host the Ryder Cup Matches in 2022.

Getting the one Professional, one amateur event underway, Rodiles, this week seeking his second Confederation of Professional Golf Sanctioned Event win, and Adriani made a fast start picking up 12 points in their opening four holes.

They continued to build their lead with a further two birdies on the outward nine, and in spite of a dropped shot on the ninth hole, the pair closed the nine in 23 points (-5).

A steady start on four pars on the back nine opened the door just slightly for their rivals but two birdies and a nett eagle saw them sign off for an inward 22 points and an unmatched 45 points (-9).

Three pairs of Professionals and amateurs are tied for second place on 40 points (-4): Andrea Bolognesi (PGA of Italy) and amateur Gianluca Piredda, Umberto Cuomo (PGA of Italy) with amateur Roberto Pretto, and Nicolas Riiber (PGA of Denamrk) and amateur Andrea Steno Larsson.

After just one round of the tournament it is all still to play for – Round 02 begins at 10:00am (GMT+2).

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

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

Find out more about Argentario Golf Resort & Spa visit www.ArgentarioResort.com.

Sadly for Team Europe our US cousins pulled away strongly in the latter stages to earn their first win since 2008. Our heartfelt congratulations go to Davis Love III and Team USA, and our commiserations go to Darren and all involved in Team Europe.

Result aside, the event was truly a spectacular one – the size and scale of the show that the PGA of America put on was fantastic and it was a pleasure and a privilege to be involved.

It was also an honour to represent Ryder Cup Europe and the Confederation of Professional Golf at the Junior Ryder Cup matches just down the road at Interlachen Country Club at the beginning of the week.

As you’ll see in the below video, the matches are now an integral part of the Ryder Cup and really do act as a feeder for future Ryder and Solheim Cup stars. Again, whilst the outcome wasn’t necessarily in Europe’s favour, the event provides a unique experience to leading young players on both sides of the Atlantic.

Elsewhere in this issue you’ll see various other touch points that the Confederation of Professional Golf has with the Ryder Cup, including the Ryder Cup European Development Trust (RCEDT) and then some excellent interviews with, and insights from, the PGA Professionals that have worked with some of the Europe’s finest players.

We are very proud to manage the RCEDT and during this year’s matches we celebrated ’10 Years of Trust’ – 10 years since the Trust began distributing funding across the continent to organisations and individuals to help them develop grass roots golf. A real and direct example of how the professional game gives back to the rest of the sport.

Over 35 projects in 29 countries have been supported ranging from PGAs, Federations, individual clubs and coaches, education systems and programmes, to golf development initiatives, helping golf to spread and prosper around Europe.

Soon we will accumulate all of this collective knowledge, along with further research of successful programmes, in order to share good practice and information through a golf development hub and toolkit.

Lastly, and whilst not strictly connected with the Ryder Cup, it’s important we mention the recently launched Golf & Health Project that we have been involved with.

Together with researchers from various universities and institutions around the world, the World Golf Foundation and its constituent organisations, and leading academics, there is now solid and researched evidence to support what many of us had already thought about golf.

Golf is good for you – it’s as simple as that. Golfers can live 5 years longer, have reduced chances of getting over 40 chronic diseases, and can have increased confidence, self worth and

self esteem. A message that we can all, no matter who or where you are, can get behind and share to the wider world.

As always, feel free to get in touch with Editor, Aston Ward (aw@CPG.com), if you have feedback, ideas or would like to contribute to IGPN and A.S.K.

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