The BERMUDA 3s presented by Goslings, a new team par 3 golf championship matching Pro-Am teams from four international territories will be held October 21-26, 2018 in Bermuda. PGA Professionals will captain Continental Europe teams and compete individually for a $100,000 purse.

The event is the creation of two golf industry veterans, former PGA of America chief executive Joe Steranka and Honda Classic Executive Director Ken Kennerly, and is sponsored by the Bermuda Tourism Authority and Goslings. Certified PGA Professionals from the U.S., Canada, Great Britain & Ireland and Continental Europe will lead four-person teams.

“There is nothing more exciting than representing your country in any endeavor but especially golf,” said Steranka who was instrumental in the growth of the modern-day Ryder Cup. “BERMUDA 3s is a celebration of the game and a recognition of the influential role PGA Professionals have around the world.”

Entry fees of $12,500 per team will earn a PGA Professional and their three amateur partners one of just 20 places per region and a place in one of golf’s most extraordinary experiences including competition on the fabled Mid Ocean Club, Port Royal Golf Course and Turtle Hill Golf Club; five nights of single accommodations at the Fairmont Southampton on Bermuda’s stunning south shore; and memorable evening functions including opening and closing ceremonies, award winning food and acclaimed Bermuda hospitality.

“We’re pleased to have been selected as one of four territories competing for this world title,” said Confederation of Professional Golf Chief Executive Ian Randell. “Par 3 golf is a great way to learn, hone your skills, and provide a fun, shorter form of the game. Combined with the opportunity for continental European PGA Professionals to travel and compete in a place such as Bermuda, this will be a superb opportunity to showcase Par 3 golf, and the Championship will no doubt attract great interest.”

For 320 golfers this will be the experience of a lifetime,” said Kennerly whose company K2 Sports Ventures oversees the Honda Classic and owns The FITTEAM Palm Beaches Marathon. “We’re also excited to have this global coalition of PGA Professionals embrace the Par 3 format which they believe can be a great entry point for golfers new to the game and one which helps established golfers work on their short game.”

“We’re delighted to partner with some of the leaders in golf to bring this new event to life out here in Bermuda,” said Bermuda Tourism Authority Chief Executive Kevin Dallas. “Ken and Joe were keen to engage with certified PGA professionals from Bermuda’s key feeder markets. We know that Bermuda’s legendary hospitality and amazing courses will deliver an unrivaled experience for participants and look forward to building this into one of the most sought-after invitations in golf.”

Bermuda has been a popular golf destination since hosting the PGA Grand Slam of Golf from 2007-2014 at Mid Ocean and Port Royal. The Fairmont Southampton served as the host hotel for dozens of major champions and their families. “We are thrilled to be hosting this prestigious group of international golf professionals and their members at Fairmont Southampton. October’s weather is perfect for golf in Bermuda with moderate temperatures and low humidity. We look forward to hosting this new annual event here at the Fairmont Southampton for many years to come,” said Kiaran MacDonald, Regional Vice President, Caribbean and General Manager, Fairmont Southampton.

Registration will open at 12:00 noon EST on Tuesday, May 22. PGA Professionals or amateurs may reserve their team via email to info@bermuda3s.com, calling 561-379-2134 or registering online at http://eur.pe/2018Bermuda3s.

For More Information & to Enter Visit http://eur.pe/2018Bermuda3s

For more information visit the Tournament Hub Page (http://eur.pe/2018Bermuda3s) and Bermuda3s.com, follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter and search the hashtag ‘#Bermuda3s’, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

Quintet has 26 Ryder Cup match appearances between them, including eight European victories

From 1997 to 2016, they amassed a cumulative total of 56 points towards Europe’s cause

European Captain Thomas Bjørn has announced that Luke Donald, Padraig Harrington, Graeme McDowell and Lee Westwood will join Robert Karlsson to complete the European Vice Captain line-up for The 2018 Ryder Cup against the United States at Le Golf National, in France, from September 28-30.

The quartet will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Dane’s backroom team courtesy of a combined 24 Ryder Cup appearances, joining Swede Karlsson, who featured in the 2006 and 2008 contests, to bring that total figure to 26. Between them, Donald, Harrington, Karlsson, McDowell and Westwood have also amassed a grand total of 56 points for Europe over the 19-year spell from 1997 to 2016.

Outside The Ryder Cup arena, the newly revealed quartet are also hugely respected for their individual golfing achievements on the global stage, with Harrington and McDowell both Major Champions, while Donald and Westwood have each held the World Number One spot on the Official World Golf Ranking. Added to that, of course, Karlsson is a former European Number One.

Speaking at the 2018 BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, Bjørn said: “I am delighted not only to make this announcement today but also in the knowledge that I will have people of the calibre of Luke, Padraig, Robert, Graeme, Lee alongside me at Le Golf National.

“All five are widely respected throughout the game, are all current players who are well known to the players who will be in our team come September, and they also all possess a knowledge and understanding of what to expect from the golf course at Le Golf National too.

“You only need to look at the record books to see that their Ryder Cup pedigree speaks for itself. Each of them has played both home and away so they are well versed in the contest and know how to handle the special and unique atmosphere.

“They all possess strong personalities but each of them will also bring something different to the team, giving us great balance. They have forthright opinions which is vital under the spotlight of a Ryder Cup week and is something which can only help our cause as we try and regain the trophy.”

Donald has featured in four victorious European Ryder Cup Teams, winning 10½ points from his 15 matches, including a critical victory in the opening singles match against Bubba Watson during the Miracle of Medinah in 2012. The 40-year-old Englishman has won seven European Tour titles, and in 2011, the year he claimed the World Number One spot, he became the first player to win the money lists in Europe and America in the same year.

Donald said: “I’m delighted and honoured to have been selected by Thomas as one of his Vice Captains for this year’s Ryder Cup in Paris. The Ryder Cup has always held a very special place in my heart – a lot of my fondest memories on the golf course have come during The Ryder Cup.

“This will be very different for me, watching, rather than playing, but I’m hoping my past experience will help Team Europe regain the Ryder Cup. I can’t wait to get started and help in any way that I can, and I’m very much looking forward to the challenge.”

Harrington played in six Ryder Cups between 1999 and 2010, featuring as part of a winning European Team on four occasions, and was a vice captain at Gleneagles in 2014 and again two years ago at Hazeltine National. The 46-year-old Irishman was Europe’s Number One in 2007 after winning The Open Championship at Carnoustie, and he retained the Claret Jug the following year, before claiming his third Major Championship at the US PGA Championship a month later.

Harrington said: “I am delighted to have been asked to be part of Thomas’ team of Vice Captains. I always want to be a part of the European Ryder Cup Team in any capacity and hope I can provide a positive contribution.

“It will be my third time serving Europe as a Vice Captain, with the last time being alongside Thomas at Hazeltine. We know each other really well, especially in the context of being part of the intense pressures of the backroom team in Ryder Cup week.

“We are all united in the mission of reclaiming The Ryder Cup in Paris and I know Thomas has a very strong strategy in place that will give us absolutely the best possible chance to do this.”

McDowell has appeared in the biennial contest on four occasions, famously claiming the winning point at The Celtic Manor Resort in 2010, three months after becoming the first European in 40 years to win the US Open. The 38-year-old Northern Irishman claimed three points from his three matches at Gleneagles four years ago, setting the tone for a European triumph with a 2&1 victory in the lead singles match against Jordan Spieth, and has won a total of nine points from his 15 Ryder Cup matches.

McDowell said: “My four Ryder Cup appearances have been the greatest experiences so far of my career. The idea of playing for a team in a sport which is inherently individual is something special and it is the reason players love The Ryder Cup so much. Memories and relationships that are forged on and off the course those weeks last a lifetime.

“Having been fortunate enough to win twice around Le Golf National, it is obvious to me what a stunning venue it will serve to be for The 2018 Ryder Cup. I know that I can contribute a huge amount to the team this year given my experience at the venue and appearances in past Ryder Cups.

“It is a huge honour to be announced as one of Captain Bjørn’s backroom staff and comforting to me that I will be in Paris in some shape or form this year. It goes without saying that playing for Team Europe this year is still a huge goal and one I will be giving 100%, but in the meantime I am very excited to be an integral part of the journey to France and victory for Team Europe at The Ryder Cup.”

Westwood made his debut at Valderrama in 1997, the only previous occasion that Continental Europe has hosted The Ryder Cup, and has played in each of the last ten Ryder Cups – eight of them as part of a winning European Team – with Sir Nick Faldo the only player to have made more appearances against the United States. The 45 year old Englishman has contributed an impressive 23 points in the blue of Europe to rank as the continent’s fourth highest points scorer in the biennial contest. He has also enjoyed considerable individual success in the global game, winning 23 European Tour titles, topping the European money list in 2000 and 2009, and holding the World Number One spot in 2010, when he ended Tiger Woods’ five-year reign.

Westwood said: “I am honoured to have been selected by Thomas to be one of what I think is a pretty impressive quintet of vice captains. Having been fortunate to play in the last ten matches, I am actually looking forward to contributing to Europe’s cause in a slightly different way at this year’s contest.

“I am sure it is going to be a very different experience for me, but I am relishing having a role in helping Europe win in Paris and, in particular, in assisting Thomas in his role as Captain.

“Of course, my ideal scenario is that I hit a hot streak of form over the summer and force my way in to the team but, quite honestly, as long as I am able to contribute to the 2018 European team in some way, I am going to be happy.”

The qualification campaign for the 2018 European Team concludes at the Made in Denmark tournament at Captain Bjørn’s home Silkeborg club on Sunday September 2. This week’s BMW PGA Championship marks the next phase in the qualification process with points earned at European Tour events from Wentworth until Made in Denmark multiplied by 1.5 on both the World Points List and the European Point List.

The 2018 Ryder Cup itself, the 42nd staging of the contest, will be played at Le Golf National, France, from September 28-30, where Europe will try to regain the trophy following defeat at Hazeltine National last year, with the aiming of extending an impressive winning record on home soil which stretches back to Valderrama in 1997.

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

Image courtesy of Getty Images

On behalf of our Board of Directors and the employees of AEGEAN, we would like to express our deep sorrow for the loss of our Chairman and Founder, Theodoros Vassilakis. He was a source of inspiration for all of us, from our very first flight, our very first passenger to this very day. His vision, and his values, will continue to guide us.

Theodoros Vassilakis passed away on Thursday, May 17, 2018, at the age of 78.

The Travel Club uniquely allows PGA Professionals organising coaching trips and golf travel to access exclusive offers that add value to their trips such as free or discounted use of specific facilities and coaching equipment, room upgrades, welcome tours, and group dinners with venue representatives, all whilst being able to book with an IAGTO-approved Tour Operator (TO) in the Professional’s own native country and language.

“The creation of the Travel Club has really extended from thinking we have had for a long time about the ways in which PGA Professionals create coaching and travel packages,” said Confederation of Professional Golf Chief Executive, Ian Randell.

“Now with Golf Escapes as our Official Travel Supplier, we have been able to create a system that ensures Professionals are able to have everything they need to create incredible coaching and travel experiences for their clients in a way that is most useful and relevant to them.

“Enabling them to deal with IAGTO-approved operators in their own language ensures they have the best possible experience, guidance and protection when organising their golf trips.”

As well as engaging golf tour operators across the 35 Member Country PGAs, the Travel Club enables golf clubs, resorts, facilities and destinations to promote themselves through the network of their 21,000+ PGA Professionals and the golfers that they interact with on a daily basis.

Initial Travel Club venues include some of the Association’s current partners – Costa Navarino in Greece, Lumine Mediterránea Beach & Golf Community and it’s home region of the Costa Daurada in Spain – along with venues such as Cornelia Diamond and De Luxe Resorts in Turkey, The Ritz-Carlton, Abama in Tenerife, Penina Hotel & Golf Resort and Royal Óbidos Spa & Golf Resort in Portugal, and Minthis Resort in Cyprus.

Along with almost 20 other destinations, the Travel Club membership continues to grow rapidly, increasing the range and choice on offer for Professionals to choose from.

Golf Escapes Director and PGA Professional Mike Bryant said, “Accessing this huge network of PGA Professionals is a great platform for us and our trusted suppliers to showcase our products and services.

“We very much see Professionals as ambassadors for golf travel – once they have seen resorts and areas, they are able to share their knowledge with their members and clients. Escorted tuition trips provide a welcome additional revenue stream for the Professional in the current challenging economic climate and an opportunity to enhance client relations. We are enjoying working alongside the Confederation of Professional Golf to build the Travel Club, and using our extensive experience, product knowledge, and negotiating powers to add value to resorts and Professionals.”

Together with the provision of listings and information on Travel Club venues, the Association will work with Golf Escapes on creating content that can educate and inspire PGA Professionals about the benefits, challenges and processes involved in golf group travel.

For More Information Visit http://eur.pe/TravelClub

At present, there is a significant focus on the financial penalties that a business could incur should they have a data protection breach.

GDPR, what is it?

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will come into force on 25th May 2018. The legislation will impact on any golf and leisure business that is either based in, or do business in, the EU. Citizens will have great individual rights and controls, including rights to access, correction and deletion of personal data.

Do You Know What Personal Data your Golf Business collects?

One very early myth to bust is the belief that the GDPR does not apply to your golf club. If you collect, store and move personal information on members (including children), employees, patrons or suppliers in membership database(s), booking management systems, HR database(s) and paper; finance and accounting systems; health records (on employees and members), marketing systems (Customer Relationship Management system) and CCTV or other digital imagery, the regulation applies to you.

Who Should be Involved?

As you will have gathered already, implementing GDPR compliance cannot simply be the responsibility of IT or HR, it needs to be an organisational approach, one that has the full support of the management team, golf club committee and all levels of Directorship.

Where should I start?

A good first step is to complete the Information Commissioner’s Office online GDPR self-assessment (https://eur.pe/2r5wNXU). This will provide you a clear overview of what tasks you need to complete before 25th May 2018.

What other steps should I consider?

• Conduct a Data Protection audit to determine what personal data is held by your organisation and identify where it is located, justify your reason for holding it, how long you hold it for and how you would permanently delete the record.
• Raising awareness across the business and training your staff should be high up on your list of priorities. Consider engaging expert help and then start to develop processes and procedures which will ensure that your business is managing and protecting personal data according to the requirements of the regulation.

But should I quickly get my current customers to “opt-in” again so I’m compliant?

Stop!

There certainly is a lot of ‘hype’ surrounding GDPR and lots of advice coming from many different sources. What this appears to have created is almost a panic amongst some golf club’s – mostly surrounding their current database of customers and prospects. Group emails are flying out in an attempt to gain “consent” to communicate using this medium by asking customers to “opt-in”.

One club recently went through this very process and reduced their database by 99% – yes, only 1% of customers re-confirmed their consent to be sent emails from the club. However, it’s highly unlikely that 99% of customers were simply not interested in the club any more. It’s more likely that a high percentage just didn’t respond and that could be for any number of reasons, nothing to do with their desire to cease communications with the club via email.

Hopefully, seeking “Consent” in this way doesn’t amount to commercial suicide for some clubs – because in many cases it may not be necessary. The new legislation offers potential alternatives, including a legal basis for continuing to email customers called “Legitimate Interests”. The legislation goes further to even highlight some examples of what this may be, and Direct Marketing is listed.

If you would like to learn more about GDPR or want to train your staff on their responsibilities to the new legislation, Promote Training, in partnership with data-specialists Databasix, has launched two new courses that will help achieve this.

• GDPR in Golf
• GDPR for Staff

Promote Training are also offering ‘Confederation of Professional Golf’ readers a limited-time-only offer of 20% off these two GDPR courses. Use the coupon code “CPG1” during the online checkout. (Offer expires 31st May 2018)

Find out more www.promotetraining.co.uk/fundamental-principles-data-protection.