Focussing on the Polo Golf and RLX Golf brands, the partnership will see Ralph Lauren work closely with the Association in exposing the brands to the 35 Member PGAs and their 21,000 PGA Professionals, in fledgling markets and world-class destinations and resorts alike.

“Adding Ralph Lauren, one of the world’s leading on- and off-course lifestyle brands, to our Corporate Partner family is further indication of the growing stature of the Confederation of Professional Golf,” said Confederation of Professional Golf Chief Executive, Ian Randell.

“Our staff, Board, Education Committee, and Golf Development Team will all be able to proudly wear the Polo Golf and RLX apparel, and we will look to promote their brand and products across our network, and I am sure that PGA Professionals around the world will be delighted to explore possibilities to work with Ralph Lauren.”

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The partnership will support Ralph Lauren’s continued development within golf, providing exposure to, access points into, and contacts with, leading golf facilities and resorts.

The Association will also work closely with Ralph Lauren to create bespoke offerings for PGAs’ staff, representatives and their Member Professionals, along with representatives within the Association including the Confederation of Professional Golf Golf Development Team that have operated in over 50 countries around the world.

For more information visit www.RalphLauren.com

After extensive periods of analysis and assessment, five further Confederation of Professional Golf Member Country PGAs have had their Professional Education Programmes leveled within the system.

The PGA of Austria, PGA of Canada and PGA of Switzerland achieved the ‘PGA Professional Level’, the PGA of Hungary achieved the ‘PGA Coach Level’, and the PGA of Czech Republic achieved the ‘Initial Professional Education (IPE) Level’.

The system has been in place since 2013 and seeks to recognise Member Countries’ education programmes for their curriculums (breadth and depth), delivery (quality of education materials / workshops by Tutors or Trainers), the learning environment and methods of assessment (type and robustness).

Focusing on the three domains of teaching and coaching, the game and the industry, the system allows programmes to be mapped against 72 agreed Learning Outcomes (LOs). The number and areas in which these LOs are currently met determines what level of recognition their programme achieves, with the ‘PGA Professional Level’ meeting all 72 LOs, the ‘PGA Coach Level’ meeting 38 specific LOs, and the ‘IPE Level’ meeting all 13 IPE-specific LOs.

The system ensures that PGAs are recognised for what they can do, unlike the pre-existing binary system of recognition in which many PGAs were unable to achieve recognition regardless of the quality and relevancy to market of the education in their programme.

“These five countries have worked diligently on the detailed mapping and analysis of their programmes,” said Director of Education & Membership for the Confederation of Professional Golf, Tony Bennett.

“As we discovered a number of years ago, a single European education programme was not feasible as the markets and requirements vary so widely across our Member PGAs. EELS now allows their programmes to be bespoke and unique to their requirements, whilst meeting the standards that we uphold for programmes across our membership.

“They also now have clear pathways to progress their programmes over time by increasing the number of LOs that the programmes meet. Through the Association’s guidance, Tutor Training and Mentoring programmes, and direct delivery of the IPE programme, we are able to foster this development across our entire membership.”

Representatives from the five PGAs were presented with certificates during the 2017 Annual Congress at Costa Navarino in Greece, after which they took part in a revealing panel discussion about the process involved, the concept of EELS in general, and what it meant to their respective PGAs to be recognised within the system.

“It could not have come at a better time really as we were undergoing a transition within our PGA so it was an opportunity to reflect on what we were doing, and whether our training model reflects what our members actually need and what the industry needs,” said PGA of Canada Managing Director of Education, Matt Allen, during the panel.

“We identified important areas of our programme that were missing and now I am happy to say that in the past 12-months we have become one of the leading organisations in Canada in certain aspects of this training with new procedures and support mechanisms in place.”

For more information visit http://eur.pe/EuropeanEducationLevelSystem

Since 2002, Golf Escapes have sent over 70,000 golfers around the world on tailor-made trips and continue to add new destinations and venues to their portfolio all the time.

Golf Escapes will become ‘Official Travel Supplier to the Confederation of Professional Golf’ providing expert guidance, information and travel services for PGAs and their Member Professionals operating golf travel holidays and coaching groups.

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The relationship will see both organisations work closely on the ‘Confederation of Professional Golf Travel Club’ – an exciting new initiative that will also engage other golf travel operators across the 35 Member Country PGAs and enable golf clubs, resorts, facilities and destinations to promote themselves through this network to their 21,000+ PGA Professionals and the golfers that they interact with on a daily basis.

“It’s fantastic for us to partner with the Confederation of Professional Golf,” said Golf Escapes’ Managing Director, Jon Ruben [picture above, 2nd left]. “Accessing this network of PGAs and Professionals is a great platform for us to build on and to increase our year-on-year growth.

“We very much see Professionals as ambassadors for golf travel – once they’ve seen resorts and areas, then they are able to impart their knowledge on to their members and guests, and we can add value to that as we have been around for 15 years and we know people in all of these resorts.”

“We are really going to be hitting the ground running with the Golf Escapes team in developing the Confederation of Professional Golf Travel Club, and the partnership in general,” added Ian Randell, Confederation of Professional Golf Chief Executive.

“The expertise of Golf Escapes, combined with our network, will enable us to promote the benefits of golf travel for Professionals and their clients, whilst also allowing the promotion of the world’s best venues and destinations to the most discerning audience and leading influencers in the sport.”

Golf Escapes will also be working with the Association to produce educational content that provides useful, relevant and interesting information that informs PGA Professionals about the benefits of golf travel, group tuition breaks and how to create exceptional experiences for their clients.

For more information visit www.Golf-Escapes.com

The first staging of the events at Costa Navarino in the heart of Greece’s Messinia region proved to be hailed as the best yet by Annual Congress delegates and ITC competitors, with a varied and engaging programme of events, outstanding levels of hospitality, service and cuisine, and world class golf courses enjoyed in excellent weather.

Congress sessions included a wide range of speakers and subject matter, ensuring a strong mix of presentations, discussions and forums, breakout sessions and workshops within each day to keep delegates’ creative juices flowing.

Along with various updates around the Confederation of Professional Golf’s own activities and progress, sessions looked to grow and develop delegate’s own personal and professional activities.

With sessions on golf, personal and member development, speakers focused on areas such as the relationships between national PGAs and Federations, initiatives to grow the game and provision of mentoring and consulting services through the Confederation of Professional Golf Golf Development Team to assist national collaboration with international guidance.

The European Education Level System (EELS), volunteer coaching, women’s golf development with Alastair Spink (PGA of GB&I) of Love.Golf, and academic qualifications available to PGA Professionals added further breadth of subject matter for delegates.

A highlight from the sessions was Thomas International’s Mark Brooks delivering an extensive workshop that shone a light on to attendee’s own working and personal styles, characteristics and behaviours and how this can affect their work with the respective PGAs and organisations.

Mid-way through the week Costa Navarino’s own wellness team delivered a golf stretching session aimed at reinvigorating the delegates and teaching them simple, yet effective exercises that they can use not only for golf but in everyday work and life.

They each then had the opportunity to trial Interleague.golf on The Dunes Course short game area enabling them to trial a new initiative from the Confederation of Professional Golf and GSA Golfsports in the beautiful surrounding environment, followed up by an overview of the successful Golf Foundation and European Tour-led Golf Sixes Academy.

Delegates were also able to sample The Bay Course at Costa Navarino designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. in the President’s Challenge Golf where each were assigned to either the President’s or Chairman’s team and played competitive, but friendly matchplay matches to provide networking opportunities and ensure a balanced time both in and out of the conference room.

The week also included a joint education event with ITC Competitors for the first time with Jamie Gough, PGA of South Africa Professional and coach to players such as Hao Tong Li and Andy Sullivan. The renowned tour coach took part in a Q&A session with Confederation of Professional Golf Education Committee Chairman and friend to Gough, Jonathan Mannie, giving attendees the chance to engage in a thought-provoking and enlightening evening session.

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Running simultaneously to the Annual Congress, the 2017 ITC was played out over The Dunes Course at Costa Navarino and saw eventual winners, the PGA in Ireland, race to victory by an incredible 16 shots over the PGA in Scotland and PGA in Holland Teams.

Teams representing PGAs with 100 members or fewer also competed within the ITC event for the International Team Shield, with home country, the PGA of Greece, coming out on top for their first Team Shield win and a notable sixth place finish overall.

The week culminated with the presenting of six Annual Awards at the Gala Dinner Supported by Rolex, which celebrated individuals and organisations deserving of recognition for their work in the sport.

The Congress & ITC events received fantastic support from across the Association’s Corporate Partner family and from further afield. Along with Costa Navarino’s incredible hosting of the week, BMW provided transfer services and test-drives of the latest electric models as Official Vehicle, whilst Aegean Airlines, in their capacity as Official Airline Partner to the events, provided preferential rates to all delegates and competitors, along with invaluable support before and during the week.

The Ryder Cup European Development Trust continued to support the Annual Congress, aiding the facilitation of the week and ensuring the Association’s Member Countries can share knowledge, resources, and experience within the network.

Supporting Partners, The Botanist, The Blue Beetle, Bulldog, and G’Vine gins, together with Fever-Tree Premium Natural Mixers, supported the Welcome Reception with a fantastic gin tasting evening, whilst Marendry apperitivo, provided the pre-Gala Dinner cocktail reception.

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The Annual Congress & ITC are partnered by Costa Navarino, the Ryder Cup European Development Trust, BMW and Aegean Airlines, and are supported by The Botanist, The Blue Beetle, Bulldog, G’Vine gins, Marendry apperitivo, and Fever-Tree Premium Natural Mixers.

For updates, information and news visit the Annual Congress Hub Page (http://eur.pe/2017AnnualCongress), follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter and search the hashtag ‘#AnnualCongress’ or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

For more information on the 2017 International Team Championship, visit the ITC Tournament Hub Page (http://eur.pe/2017ITC).