1. Why? Why are we doing this?
2. What? What is golf’s promise?
3. Who? Who are we?

Now available to purchase from authorised retailers worldwide, the MCC Teams collection boasts 15 unique colour combinations to choose from, allowing golfers to represent their favourite sports team every time they take to the course.

The MCC is the #1 Grip Series Worldwide™ and has been used by both amateurs and professionals to win over 250 times on Tour. The patented multi-compound design fuses the positive performance of rubber and cord for the ultimate in feel and responsiveness while providing an opportunity for golfers to demonstrate their passion for their sports team through unique styling.

“The MCC Teams grips are an extremely exciting collection that will enable sports fans across the globe to show their support and passion for their team every time they grip the golf club”, said Bruce Miller, Product Manager, Golf Pride.

“Available now, this latest addition to the MCC family maintains the same high-level performance and quality that the multi-compound design has consistently delivered to win over 20 major championships.”

The MCC Teams grips are available in both standard size and midsize and feature a price of £12 and £13 or €14.50 and €16.00 respectively. MCC Teams are now available at retail in standard size and midsize in July 2020.

With many golf shops back open following the outbreak of Covid-19, golfers can now speak to their local professional or authorised Golf Pride retailer about their favourite colour combination today. Golf Pride are also giving golfers the opportunity to help select the next MCC Teams colours by heading to www.GolfPride.com/mcc-teams.

VISIT GOLFPRIDE

Teams of one Professional and three amateurs will compete over 72 holes for a €28,000* prize fund, at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club in the UAE, in one of the CPG’s most established events in the Middle East region.

Adding another small but exciting twist to next year’s event, teams will also have the opportunity to compete in an inaugural Par 3 competition and shooting tournament, adding further to the range of experiences offered to both Professionals and Amateurs during the week.

Golf Manager for Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club, Gavin Chappell, commented: “We are looking forward to welcoming teams from around the world to compete in what will be our 8^th edition of our International Pro-Am.

“The event showcases the fantastic facilities we have here at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club, and we look forward to being a part of the CPG Sanctioned Event calendar once again.”

CPG Chief Executive, Ian Randell, said: “It is fantastic news that the AESGC International Pro-Am will once again return next year for its 8^th edition.

“We see so many PGA Members from across the CPG network choose to compete in the event year on year, which is testament to the quality of experience that it provides from both a competitive and enjoyment perspective.”

There is no Pro-Am package fee for each participating professional bringing a team of three amateurs, and amateur packages start at AED 5,100 (approx €1,100) and include:

• 6 night’s accommodation in the Al Ain Rotana, including breakfast and taxes
• Transport to and from the hotel for practice round and 4 tournament days
• Complimentary use of all academy facilities including the Par 3 course throughout the event
• Official practice round 24^th January and entry to the Pro-Am team event, 25 – 28th January
• Shared golf carts for practice round and 4 tournament days
• Buffet lunch on Sunday 24^th, Monday 25^th, Tuesday 26^th, Wednesday 27^th and Thursday 28^th
• Gala dinner and awards ceremony with drinks on Thursday 28^th
• €28,000 Professional Prize fund, prize fund will decrease pro-rata by €1,000 for each team less than 28 competing
• Entry to the optional Par 3 tournament
• Entry to the optional shooting tournament
• Player giveaways

For more information visit the Tournament Hub Page https://cp.golf/8thAESGC. For more information on the CPG visit cpg.golf, or find the CPG on Twitter (@cpg_golf), Facebook (@cpg.golf), LinkedIn, Instagram (@cpg_golf) and Anchor.fm.

Visit Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club [aesgc.com].

*Professional prize fund will decrease pro-rata by €1,000 for each team less than 28 competing

VISIT TOURNAMENT HUB PAGE

REGISTER INTEREST & ENTER HERE

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Teams of one Professional and three amateurs will compete over 54 holes at Education City Golf Club’s José María Olazábal-designed course for a prize fund of €10,000*, providing extended opportunities for professionals to compete in another CPG sanctioned event during the off-peak golf season.

In an added boost to the event’s offering, the chosen dates that have been announced means that the Pro-Am will follow shortly after the European Tour’s 2021 Qatar Masters tournament. Teams will therefore receive the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of golf’s elite, and experience a course in prime, tournament-standard condition.

General Manager of Education City Golf Club, Michael Braidwood commented: “We are excited to be hosting the Marriott Marquis Qatar Pro-Am, and look forward to welcoming PGA members from across the CPG network.

With Qatar’s centrally located and accessible position on the map, coupled with a course set to be in top condition for the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, plus the build up towards the FIFA World Cup here in 2022, there will be many excellent reasons to play in next year’s event.”

Chief Executive of the CPG, Ian Randell, welcomed the news: “We are excited to be announcing the 2021 Marriott Marquis Qatar Pro-Am for next year, as we continue to add to what is proving to be a glittering start to our 2021 events schedule.”

“This event extends our growing reach as an association within the Middle-East region, and we are relishing the chance to help develop Professional Golf in Qatar – hosting an event of this nature is a great starting point in doing so.”

There is no Pro-Am package fee for each participating professional bringing a team of three amateurs, and amateur packages start at QR7,199 (approx €1,800) and include:

• Hotel stay at the 5* Marriott Marquis City Centre Hotel on a B&B basis
• 4 rounds of championship golf
• Full use of practice facilities throughout the practice and tournament days
• 1 free hour for your team at the world-renowned Centre of Excellence
• Welcome reception and lunch each day at the golf club
• Gala dinner and prize presentation
• Tournament gifts
• Golf transfers
• Optional tourist excursion

For more information visit the Tournament Hub Page https://cp.golf/2021Qatar. For more information on the CPG visit cpg.golf, or find the CPG on Twitter (@cpg_golf), Facebook (@cpg.golf), LinkedIn, Instagram (@cpg_golf) and Anchor.fm.

Visit Education City Golf Club (www.ecgolf.com)

VISIT TOURNAMENT HUB PAGE

REGISTER INTEREST & ENTER HERE

Teams of one Professional and three amateurs will compete over 54 holes for a €30,000* prize fund, at three of the UAE’s best golf courses – Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, Yas Links Abu Dhabi, and host venue to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

By establishing itself as a one of the world-leading Pro-Am events of the year, the Troon Abu Dhabi Pro-Am delivers exceptional golf, world-class hospitality and intense competition for PGA Members and their teams during the usual off-season, and next year’s event promises to be no different.

Cluster General Manager for the three host golf clubs, Francisco De Lancastre David, commented: “We are delighted to be announcing the dates for the 2021 Troon Abu Dhabi Pro Am.

“This event has gone from strength to strength over the years and we are looking forward to once again welcome Professionals and Amateurs from all corners of the World to enjoy Troon’s world-class hospitality and what Abu Dhabi has to offer as a destination.”

CPG Chief Executive, Ian Randell, said: “We are delighted to be announcing next year’s Troon Abu Dhabi Pro-Am so soon, a signal which further strengthens the growing optimism across the golf industry of growing participation, both recreationally and competitively.

“Our Pro-Am Series continues to flourish and remains strong and we are excited to be returning to Abu Dhabi and the Middle East early in 2021.”

There is no Pro-Am package fee for each participating professional bringing a team of three amateurs, and amateur packages start at AED 8,595 (approx €2,000) and include:

• Hotel stay in Deluxe Golf View Room on B&B basis
• 4 rounds of championship golf
• Full use of practice facilities throughout tournament days
• Welcome reception, two lunches, Gala Dinner and Prize Presentation
• Yas Marina Go Karting Experience
• Tournament welcome pack
• Golf transfers

VISIT TOURNAMENT HUB PAGE

REGISTER INTEREST & ENTER HERE

TL: “Three years ago, the Finnish Golf Union started conversations with various golf associations in the country, with the goal of creating a ‘House of Golf’ between them – this included the PGA of Finland, the FGMA (Finnish Golf Course Managers) and the SGK (Golf Course Owners association).

“With various issues that were important to themselves and one another, a three year deal was negotiated with the Union. For the PGA of Finland, having a greater involvement from the Union in education programmes and delivery was important. Previously, it had been expensive to bring appropriate tutors and qualified speakers to the country, which in turn raised the fees for members to participate.

“In sharing the same idea that better coaches equals better players, the Union agreed quickly to support the PGA’s education programme, as it meant regular players would receive better coaching from our PGA of Finland members as well – This benefitted the sport more broadly.

“It is now the third year into the deal with the Union and so far, so good for the PGA. The association shares a joint office at the Finnish Sport House with the above-mentioned associations, along with all other Finnish Sport Unions and associations as well. This has dramatically improved communication and collaboration between us and them, which is only a good thing.

“This improvement bore fruits during the COVID-19 pandemic, where despite everybody working from home, natural communication channels were maintained between one another throughout. For example, at the start of the pandemic, we communicated regularly and included all the chairmen in weekly situation briefings. Before, this might not have been the case.

“In Finland, the impact of the COVID-19 crisis has been felt less so by golf than perhaps most countries, mostly because golf was allowed to continue in most forms. As a result, the number of players and number of rounds played has risen almost instantly, creating more work for PGA of Finland members.

“For the PGA itself, we have also seen an uptick in activity, especially with our tournaments, as we looked to cater for our tournament professionals who were unable to travel to play on international tours. Whilst we had to postpone one of our National Tour events, we have mostly been able to run national tournaments as usual throughout as well.

“From these past three years of increased collaboration between ourselves and the Union, we have seen some incredibly positive results overall. Information sharing and increased communication during the pandemic has been crucial, and we have been able to develop our education programme greatly, with the likes of Phil Kenyon, James Ridyard, Chuck Cook and Michael Jacobs delivering sessions in Finland (without the need for increased fees to our members). Crucially, it has also meant having greater involvement in the decision making for Finnish Golf.

“The common target is to increase this co-operation even further moving forwards, towards a system where all the expertise in our associations is used unilaterally to develop Finnish Golf.”

VISIT THE PGA OF FINLAND

As an innovative form of recreational and competitive golf, Doubles Golf^® provides golf opportunities to thousands of people across the spectrums of ability and experience, through an international series of two-person team, ‘scramble format’ events at local golf clubs and facilities.

Doubles Golf^® provides a ranking system for team’s based on their 9-hole scores, in which once they have been posted onto the proprietary scoring app, continually assesses and re-ranks them amongst other teams within their club, region and country.

Co-founded by Jack Nicklaus and the originators of Junior Golf League, Doubles Golf^® was launched earlier this year and involves the leadership of further renowned figures within golf including LPGA and LET legend, Annika Sorenstam, PGA of America CEO, Seth Waugh, and PGA Tour Commissioner, Jay Monahan, forming the United States Doubles Golf Committee.

The committee announced that it will be extending exemptions into the U.S. Doubles Golf Amateur Championships – hosted by Nicklaus at his Bear’s Club in Jupiter, Florida, in November – to European Championship teams from Men’s, Women’s, Senior and Mixed Doubles categories.

Mr. Nicklaus will also become an honorary member of the European Doubles Golf Committee, which is under formation at this time, and will serve to nurture the development of the Doubles Golf format in the European territories.

On the announcement of the new partnership, managing partner of 2PG, Bob Longmire, expressed that he and his founding partner, Jack Nicklaus, were “extremely pleased to have the CPG and its members as part of the Doubles Golf family. Our longtime friendship with Ian Randell and the team at CPG, has led to this introduction of golf’s newest format into the European, North African and Middle Eastern territories, and Doubles Golf could not be in better hands.”

Longmire added: “Jack has envisioned a more inclusive, faster, and more relaxed version of our great game for many years now, and we are excited to see his vision coming to fruition in the United States and now in Europe and beyond.”

Ian Randell, Chief Executive of the CPG, said: “We are excited to be working closely with 2PG in delivering the Doubles Golf^® programme and widening its reach into new territories.

“As an organisation we have been championing short-form team golf for some time. The Doubles Golf^®programme embodies this principle whereby it encourages quicker play in an inclusive, innovative and fun format.”

For further information and expressions of interest in becoming involved with Doubles Golf^®, please contact Tom Bentley at tb@cpg.golf.

For more on Doubles Golf^® click here

Prairie girl Amanda Minchin has always been a master of all tasks. As a youngster she excelled in a variety of sports — hockey, softball, soccer, basketball — and when she started working at Estevan Woodlawn GC in her teens after getting hooked on golf at 12, she didn’t limit herself to one gig. She toiled in the back shop, on the turf crew and in food and beverage. Need a grip changed? Check. A green cut? Check. A burger for lunch? How would you like it cooked?

Now, some three decades after starting in the junior program at the 400-member Saskatchewan club — known as TS&M Woodlawn Club since 2012 when a naming rights agreement was struck with TS&M Supply to fund a renovation after flood damages — Minchin is its general manager. Serendipitously, but also maybe predictably, she’s the boss.

“I guess I had the best education in terms of experience,” laughed Minchin, who was born and raised in Estevan.

But just like her days punching a clock, general manager isn’t Minchin’s sole title. Along with being vice-president of the PGA of Saskatchewan, she is also Woodlawn’s head professional. She’s one of 29 female head professionals in the country and one of a very few to hold both head pro and GM titles. Minchin says she enjoys a bond with other female head professionals in Saskatchewan, and across the country, citing Bobbi Brandon, the head pro at Saskatoon’s Moon Lake G&CC, as a friend and mentor specifically. However, she also says she doesn’t ever think about working in a male-dominated industry.

“It’s never been an issue, if you’re a woman or man,” she said. “To me, I wasn’t raised like that. I was just raised that you do whatever you want. The stuff that you want to do, that’s what you do. Sort of a genderless thing. And that’s how we try to approach things at our golf club.”

A club that recognized and conceded her desire to keep the head pro job when she was named GM. Minchin was adamant about that.

“I got in the golf business because I love being a golf pro, I wanted to be a golf pro,” she stated. “I didn’t want to give up that side of it.”

Not necessarily a club pro, however. After getting into the game just for fun, Minchin improved dramatically around the time she turned 16. It seemed to happen overnight, she explained. It was then that she started to play competitively and discover the places the game could take her. She won multiple Saskatchewan Junior Girls titles and twice finished second in the Saskatchewan Women’s Amateur. She wound up on provincial teams and competed nationally for the first time at the 1998 Canadian Junior Girls at Toronto’s York Downs G&CC. She loved it all — the trips, the courses, the people she met. A U.S. college scholarship emerged as a possibility and she wound up a two-time tournament winner and three-time first team all-conference player at Eastern Illinois University.

Upon graduating Minchin gave tour life a shot, plying her trade on the old Canadian Women’s Tour and teeing it up in mini-tour events whenever and wherever she could. Success — and cash — didn’t come, however, so at 27, having already lent a helping hand in the TS&M Woodlawn junior program from which she graduated, she became a PGA of Canada member and joined the club as assistant professional. She became head professional in 2016 and head professional/GM in 2018. Through the years the accolades have piled up: PGA of Saskatchewan Assistant of the Year in 2012; PGA of Saskatchewan Teacher of the Year in 2015; PGA of Saskatchewan Junior Promoter of the Year in 2013 and ’16; and the PGA of Canada’s Jack McLaughlin Junior Leader of the Year in ’16 as well. She was also an assistant coach for Golf Saskatchewan’s 2017 Canada Summer Games team. It’s those junior leader awards of which she is most proud.

“I love teaching kids,” Minchin said. “As a GM/head pro I still get to do our Tiny Linkster junior lessons. I still get to be out there with the five-, six-year-olds on the weekend and teach those lessons. Might be funny to some people but I think it’s cool.”

Of course, a world with COVID-19 has changed some of that. After a long shutdown, Minchin was just getting junior camps at Woodlawn up and running again in early June, having to create regimes for physical distancing, especially at the youngest levels. But she also noted enrollment for camps is up over last year as are junior and adult memberships. The school of thought that golf might benefit from the pandemic with people unable to participate in teams sports has come to fruition at TS&M Woodlawn with members of the public struggling to get tee times as season pass holders gobble them up with the ability to book seven days in advance. That is something Minchin said she has never seen at the club. As for golf being a safe haven in these uncertain times, her sell of the game remains the same.

“I’m going to push junior golf no matter what, COVID or not,” she avowed, noting the club has produced nine juniors who played competitively last summer and had graduates playing collegiately in the U.S. before the shutdown. “I feel bad for kids. I can’t imagine not being able to play sports and do all of their activities. I mean, I grew up loving all sports. So I feel for kids. And adults. I mean, I miss sports. I miss watching hockey and whatnot. If I could say anything, it’s that we of course feel very safe here, it’s a great place for kids to meet other kids. We see it now. Kids are coming here, they are learning how to make tee times on their own, they’re booking online because kids are so good on computers obviously. But it’s not just about hitting golf balls. It’s learning how to talk to adults, play with adults because we have to fill those tee times. The life skills alone, I’ll always preach that, in a COVID world or not a COVID world.

“We want your kids — boys and girls,” she continued. “We just think kids should be introduced to golf. Whether they decide to go play competitively or whatnot, obviously as golf lovers we see the benefits of it as a lifelong game, so we’re going to be really pushing that in the next year.”

And why not? Look what joining the junior program way back when has done for Minchin.

“I’m from the junior program and here I am 30-odd years later as the GM. To me, that’s a cool story.”

The organisation that is a part of the Ukraine Golf Federation [UGF], enters Membership as an Associate Member, joining 31 other countries within the CPG.

Having undertaken a radical transformation from both a strategic and personnel perspective within the last year, including the announcement of a new President, Vitaliy Khomutynnik, the UGF is vastly-expanding its capabilities to reflect its ambitions for golf in the country.

This current expansion of the UGF – an organisation supported by various bodies including The R&A, the European Golf Association [EGA], the International Golf Federation [IGF] and with this announcement, the CPG – means it can focus further resource on improving access and opportunity for all in Ukrainian golf – whether they are Professional or Amateur.

On news of the announcement Deputy General Secretary of the UGF, Veronika Rastvortseva, commented: “This marks a great step forward for us. It is wonderful to be a part of a community that has the growth of the game and development of educational programmes at the heart of its function.

“We are ambitious in Ukraine and keen to learn and grow. We are confident our energy and motivation, combined with acquisition of new skills and knowledge, thanks to our association with CPG, will be a winning formula that allows us to provide the relevant services to the country’s professional workforce.”

Ian Randell, Chief Executive of the CPG, gave his thoughts on the news: “We first engaged with the UGF in 2019, and were staggered by both their drive and enthusiasm for golf in Ukraine.

“The strength of our Membership is rooted in the collective belief of Collaboration and Togetherness, achieved through the sharing of knowledge and resources from country to country. We are excited to welcome Ukraine into the membership, and fully support their future development.”

This support manifests itself with the CPG’s delivery of both its new ‘Parents in Golf’ activity and the rollout of various educational programmes this September, enabling Ukraine to build their own education framework, utilising both practical and theoretical resources to then allow their PGA Members to gain international accreditation.

Find the CPG on Twitter (@cpg_golf), Facebook (@cpg.golf), LinkedIn, Instagram (@cpg_golf) and Anchor.fm. Visit the UGF [www.ukrgolf.org]

VISIT THE PGA OF UKRAINE

There was nothing to separate Hesbois and PGA of Spain Professional, Jordan Gibb, during the three days of regulation play, as both players similarly signed for scores of 68, 74 and 71 (213 total, two-under-par), and so it would require something extra-special to decide the winner.

Hesbois provided just that, striping his 3-iron on the first extra hole to five-feet on what is an incredibly demanding par-three final hole at the Gary Player-designed course. With Gibb’s putt just missing, Hesbois sank his birdie to win, and with it, claimed the winner’s cheque of €2,800.

Reflecting on this win, Hesbois commented: “The wind direction was challenging today, so relying on my driving throughout was key to shooting a solid score – hitting fairways and greens was the mantra for my game plan.

“I expected to finish second at the end of the day, and so to be called to a playoff was a bonus. That 18^th is a super tough hole but I had 200 yards which is a perfect number for my 3-iron and I managed to hit a great shot.

“The organisation has been incredible all week, with reassuring safety measures due to COVID-19, coupled with fantastic courses and service. My team had a great time and we will be back next year for sure.”

In the team event, Team Kraljevic, led by PGA of Serbia Professional, Danilo Kraljevic, and his teammates Boris Damjanovic, Jasna Damjanovic and Slobodan Cvetkovic, claimed a wire-to-wire, two-point victory after their final round 81 points.

Added to previous scores of 85 and 84, gave a 250-point total [-34], which was enough to pip Team Elli and Team Campbell who finished in tied-second position.

The 12th BlackSeaRama Vivacom Pro-Am is played in accordance with Bulgarian national COVID-19 measures, the CPG Championship & Sanctioned Events COVID-19 Policy, and specific tournament regulations and procedures developed in conjunction with BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas.

Full Scores Available at cp.golf/2020BlackSeaRama

For more information visit the Tournament Hub Page https://cp.golf/2020BlackSeaRama. For more information on the CPG visit cpg.golf, or find the CPG on Twitter (@cpg_golf), Facebook (@cpg.golf), LinkedIn, Instagram (@cpg_golf) and Anchor.fm.

Visit BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas (blacksearama.com).

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In typical Thracian Cliffs fashion, the course posed a significant test for the competitors, with Murray being the only player to break par across the day in what was a round for patience and a strong mental focus.

Murray showed both traits throughout his second round, alongside some very consistent driving to shoot his three-under-par round, which by the close of play left him on four-under-par [139 total] for the tournament – he now holds a three-shot lead over fellow PGA of Spain member [and CPG Fourball Championship playing partner], Jamie Gibb, heading into tomorrow’s final round.

“After a shaky start, I managed to get it going. The helping wind on the back nine meant I could also take advantage of my long drives and make some birdies, said Murray.

“Tomorrow is going to be tricky – the rough is thick at BlackSeaRama so playing a fairway finder off the tee is going to be key. Hopefully I can hold Jordan [Gibb] off long enough.”

In the team event, Team Kraljevic [with amateurs Boris Damjanovic, Jasna Damjanovic and Slobodan Cvetkovic] hold the outright lead after a second-round score of 84 points (12-under-par) left them on 169 points [25-under-par] after two rounds, 3 points ahead of second-placed Team S. Marinov.

The 12th BlackSeaRama Vivacom Pro-Am is played in accordance with Bulgarian national COVID-19 measures, the CPG Championship & Sanctioned Events COVID-19 Policy, and specific tournament regulations and procedures developed in conjunction with BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas.

Full Scores Available at cp.golf/2020BlackSeaRama

For more information visit the Tournament Hub Page https://cp.golf/2020BlackSeaRama. For more information on the CPG visit cpg.golf, or find the CPG on Twitter (@cpg_golf), Facebook (@cpg.golf), LinkedIn, Instagram (@cpg_golf) and Anchor.fm.

Visit BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas (blacksearama.com).

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With rounds of 68 [three-under-par], the PGA of Italy’s Emanuele Canonica, PGA of Belgium’s Kevin Hesbois and PGA of Spain’s Jordan Gibb all share first spot of the BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas-hosted event, as they head into tomorrow’s second round at Thracian Cliffs Golf & Beach Resort.

With wind speeds of over 30 Kph, the course at Lighthouse Resort, situated on the Bulgarian Balchik coast, posed a real test for the field, depicted by the wide spread of scores that were signed for.

But a score was there to be had and the trio demonstrated it with solid, consistent ball striking and clutch putting, to leave the tournament wide open with two remaining rounds.

On his round, Canonica commented: “I played very good and started nicely, coming in at four-under-par after just four [holes].

“I didn’t know the course, couldn’t quite figure some of the lines but to shoot 68 in the end was great. Tomorrow will be a challenge at Thracian Cliffs – I will be looking to make sure that when I do make a mistake around there, that I only come off with bogey!”

In the team event, Team Kraljevic [with amateurs Boris Damjanovic, Jasna Damjanovic and Slobodan Cvetkovic] hold the outright lead after a score of 85 points (-13), followed closely behind in second by the main event sponsor, Team Vivacom, with 84 (-12).

The 12th BlackSeaRama Vivacom Pro-Am is played in accordance with Bulgarian national COVID-19 measures, the CPG Championship & Sanctioned Events COVID-19 Policy, and specific tournament regulations and procedures developed in conjunction with BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas.

Full Scores Available at cp.golf/2020BlackSeaRama

For more information visit the Tournament Hub Page https://cp.golf/2020BlackSeaRama. For more information on the CPG visit cpg.golf, or find the CPG on Twitter (@cpg_golf), Facebook (@cpg.golf), LinkedIn, Instagram (@cpg_golf) and Anchor.fm.

Visit BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas (blacksearama.com).

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PGA of America, Ryder Cup Europe and the PGA Tour jointly announced today that both The Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup have been rescheduled and will now be played one year later than originally planned.

The 43rd Ryder Cup, scheduled for the week of September 22-27 at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin, has been rescheduled for the week of September 21-26, 2021.

Likewise, the 2021 Presidents Cup, initially scheduled for September 30-October 3, 2021 at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, will now be played September 19-25, 2022.

Additionally, as a result of the Presidents Cup date change, the Wells Fargo Championship will be played at its traditional venue at Quail Hollow in 2021 and at TPC Potomac in 2022, during Presidents Cup year.

The decision to reschedule The Ryder Cup was made based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and in conjunction with the state of Wisconsin and Sheboygan County, with the health and well-being of all involved as the top priority.

“Unlike other major sporting events that are played in existing stadiums, we had to make a decision now about building facilities to host The 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits,” said PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh.

“It became clear that as of today, our medical experts and the public authorities in Wisconsin could not give us certainty that conducting an event responsibly with thousands of spectators in September would be possible. Given that uncertainty, we knew rescheduling was the right call.

“We are grateful to Commissioner Jay Monahan and our partners at the PGA TOUR for their flexibility and generosity in the complex task of shifting the global golf calendar.

“As disappointing as this is, our mandate to do all we can to safeguard public health is what matters most. The spectators who support both the U.S. and European sides are what make The Ryder Cup such a unique and compelling event and playing without them was not a realistic option.

“We stand united with our partners from Ryder Cup Europe, the NBC Sports Group, Sky and our other broadcast partners around the world. We look forward to delivering The Ryder Cup’s renowned pageantry, emotion and competitive drama to a global audience in 2021.”

Guy Kinnings, Europe’s Ryder Cup Director, said: “The Ryder Cup is rightly celebrated as one of the world’s greatest sporting occasions, made special and totally unique in our sport by the fervent atmosphere created by the passionate spectators of both sides.

“While that point is significant, it is not as important as the health of the spectators which, in these difficult times, is always the main consideration. We considered all options including playing with a limited attendance but all our stakeholders agreed this would dilute the magic of this great occasion.

“We therefore stand beside our partners at the PGA of America in the decision to postpone The Ryder Cup for a year and join with them in extending our thanks to the PGA Tour for their willingness to help by moving the date of the Presidents Cup.

“We also thank NBC, Sky and our many broadcast partners around the globe, in addition to the worldwide partners of this great event, whose support and commitment are second to none.”

With the decision to play The 2020 Ryder Cup in September 2021, all subsequent Ryder Cups after Whistling Straits will also shift to odd years: 2023/Marco Simone Golf and Country Club (Rome, Italy); 2025/Bethpage Black (Farmingdale, New York); 2027/Adare Manor (County Limerick, Ireland); 2029/Hazeltine National Golf Club (Chaska, Minnesota); 2031/Europe (to be determined); 2033/The Olympic Club (San Francisco); 2035/Europe (to be determined); 2037/Congressional Country Club (Bethesda, Maryland).

Off the momentum of the 2019 Presidents Cup played in Melbourne, Australia, the 14th playing of the Presidents Cup, will now be hosted for the first time in the Southeast United States at Quail Hollow Club in 2022.

“These two premier international team events are lifted by the spirit of the fans,” said PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan. “With the uncertainty of the current climate, we fully support The Ryder Cup’s decision to delay a year in order to ensure fans could be a part of the incredible atmosphere in Wisconsin, and the delay of this year’s Presidents Cup was the right decision in order to allow for that option.

“We are thankful that our global partners, our friends at Quail Hollow Club and all associated with the Presidents Cup and the Junior Presidents Cup have approached this change with a unified, positive spirit. We are confident the move will give us even more runway as we bring the Presidents Cup to Charlotte in 2022.”

For More Information on the Ryder Cup visit RyderCup.com

Regardless of our sector, discipline or team size we all have attended or have held a meeting at some point in our working lives. They are a core part of our working and organisational culture that open the doors to create new ideas, collaborate with each other and solve issues to real-world and working problems.

Unfortunately, this has been impacted heavily by the current global issues we are facing, which have forcibly created remote working environments for us all and detached ourselves from one another considerably [and it is also worth assuming that this is a situation we will find ourselves in for the foreseeable future].

So, taking all this in, how can we adapt ourselves and our way of working [in this case, the way we meet] to overcome current difficulties? What is the most productive form of meeting virtually? Is there even a ‘most productive’ form of meeting virtually that currently exists? A few thoughts to consider…but here are some ideas, collated from the CPG’s recent experiences and a wider look at the area.

1. Setup is Important

Unfortunately when we say ‘setup’, we are not talking about stance, ball position, grip or posture here…

To give a very brief explanation [because we highlighted this in our other recent blog for hosting webinars], we need to decide on the platform that we meet on – Zoom and Skype were good places to start.

Then, devising goals for the meeting are still an important part of meetings, albeit pretty different to a webinar. Once these are established, you can devise a reasonable structure to the meeting that considers:

• What are the key topics / proposals / ideas up for discussion?
• Who is best placed to lead each of the above?
• Who is best placed to coordinate the entire meeting, and the above two points?
• How long do you have?
• Do you provide much scope for open-ended discussion?

Just as an example for our own way of working – we have a weekly ‘Catch-Up meeting’, held on a Thursday for approximately an hour. This follows an approximate 50/50 structure where for the first half a set agenda is followed based on various things and points to tackle that we work through. This is then followed by the final half where each team member provides an update on their own work in a more open-ended discussion.

It has worked really well for the past six months, and has provided that much needed, regular information and connection with colleagues to function as a team, combined with the day-to-day frequent individual contact that takes place.

2. Create a Network of Meeting Bubbles

There needs to be an acceptance that it is going to be pretty difficult to get through as much as you would normally do in person and as a group. Practically, it is impossible – connectivity issues often persist and there are those amusingly-awkward time delays where we realise we have both spoken at the same time and then decide to wait for one another to speak. These are simply unavoidable elements of online meetings.

Therefore it is important to use a ‘whole-team’ meeting as one to catch up and provide overview to the current ongoings and developments, not necessarily as a time to solve every issue that the organisation is facing. By having smaller ‘bubbles’ [excuse the COVID-19 buzzword], we can collaborate more effectively with one, two or three members of our team outside the normal meeting space.

For example, there are regular Communication and Events catch-ups during the week with specific team members to solve issues and work through various documents and content together. We can then go away on our own and action these points, and then report this work to everybody at the team meeting later.

The key premise from this is that it is more important than ever to trust one another, and understand that colleagues will be working with one another without direct knowledge or awareness they have been used to in an office. This can pose challenges with tracking work, but there is a growing body of research that supports remote-working environments to be more productive than the office scenario.

3. Maintain Colleague Engagement

The premise of chatting to colleagues through a laptop screen can quite easily encourage technological fatigue, loss of concentration and enthusiasm across the board. Online meetings certainly fill a sociological void, but they do not offer a complete solution to satisfying our innate need to interact face-to-face with others.

Therefore, encouraging greater interaction with one another is an important part of online meetings. This can be achieved through simple tasks such as group breathing exercises [check out Dr. Brian Hemming’s Webinar – 14min 30 secs for a good example on this], allocating time for a quick fire quiz, or allowing everybody to introduce themselves and discuss various non-work related topics that would normally form a natural part of general work chit-chat.

The most important part of this is for the meeting leader and moderator to be aware of the situation – that it is a team meeting and not just a presentation. By ensuring every person has their time to speak and become involved in discussions, they will not only be more engaged but will contribute positively to a more productive online team meeting.

4. Share notes

Once you have conducted your online meeting, the key final stage is to ensure everyone has the information they need from it. Sharing notes is often a lot easier in person because you can physically hand them agendas, outcomes and minutes as you see fit. Doing this over the internet is slightly trickier.

A platform to share notes is the best port of call. Outlook’s Planner function is a really easy way to do this. You can create various sub-topics for each meeting, based on the agenda set. In the CPG’s case, these sub-topics include tournaments, education, members, golf development etc. Then list all the key actions and tasks for each.

It is really easy to use, provides a ‘live’ access point for all colleagues to see and add notes to and ultimately keeps everybody you need to in the know about what is going on, or has gone on from various meetings.

If this is too much, creating a word document from the meeting that can be shared with everyone via email afterwards is a perhaps more laborious way of doing things, but nonetheless equally as effective…

The CPG chatted to PGA of Austria President, Matthias Mezei, about the association, its current goals and driving motivations for the future of the sport in the country…

TB: What does golf look like in Austria?

MM: Currently, there are 156 golf facilities in Austria, servicing the 100,000 active golfers in the country (which out of a population of juts 8,000,000, is really good!).

From research, there is an estimated 700,000 extra people in the country who are interested in trying and playing golf, for which we continue to target our activity towards.

Like most countries, we have strong amateur federation that have close links to various golf facilities across the country and the PGA itself. These inter-organisational ties only strengthen our collaborative efforts and work across the country, which ultimately benefits the golfers themselves.

Such work includes a youth golf league, golf in schools and adult golf leagues, all of which are proving successful but as with most grassroots programmes, more can always be done. The PGA of Austria constantly strives to better itself and its work for the benefit of golf in the country.

TB: Tell me more about the PGA of Austria? It clearly plays a huge role in the development of the game in Austria…

MM:We are actually celebrating the 40th anniversary of the PGA of Austria, which is a huge and significant milestone!

With over 350 members, the association continues to develop and grow its membership, through various activities. These include education and training programmes of prospective and current members, the organisation of a national tournament schedule and implementing a developed marketing and communications plan with both the federation and the general public – this is a key part of delivering messages about the PGA Member being an expert in the game, and that they are somebody’s first point of contact for dining out more about the sport.

By identifying a key target market mentioned previously, we believe we are maximising the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns across the country, and ultimately the overall growth of the Austrian game.

TB: So with a steadily growing membership, your members are working across the country. What sort of roles do they fulfil?

MM: Around 85% of PGA of Austria members are currently coaching, predominantly in a traditional club environment on a daily basis. From there, the rest are predominantly full time players, playing PGA of Austria events and other schedules for a living.

Whilst there are a limited amount of PGA Members working in managerial and business-focused roles currently, the PGA of Austria and Federation have identified this as a key area to focus on, and will continue to develop with future activity and education programmes.

TB: Why do you value being a Confederation of Professional Golf Member Country?

MM: Initially, being a part of the CPG was crucial to involve the organisation within the collective network of more established PGAs at the time. This provided us with insight and understanding to learn from and develop.

More recently, this view has evolved along with the size of the organisation, whereby we engage with various work alongside the CPG. For example, engaging in the EELS programme, the CPG Annual Congress and other development activities have all benefited the organisation and its members, and it is hugely valued to be able to be a part of.

TB: What direction do you see the association, and golf in Austria heading in over the next few years?

MM: We are currently working on developing a closer relationship with the Austrian golf federation, to help better channel financial resource and activity into growing the game.

We are also looking to form closer ties with other PGAs. For example, our relationship with the PGA of Germany could spell huge benefit for Austrian golf because it will enable better access to new partners, information sharing, identifying target audiences and a growth in our tournament schedule.

By doing both, we believe we can offer greater educational possibilities to our current members, encourage an increased number of golfers within Austria and develop stronger ties with neighbouring countries.

Visit the PGA of Austria

Whilst COVID-19 has forced an inevitable online environment for the way most of us work, function and hold such forms of educational sessions, it is tough to tell what the future holds for webinars and their uses.

Some argue that companies will choose to stick with this virtual way of working meaning webinars will hold a crucial role moving forwards. Others argue that the latter simply cannot replace the classic lecture theatre, classroom or boardroom, and all of the social benefits that these spaces bring.

What is for certain however, is that most of you will have created, taken part in, or listened to an online webinar over recent weeks, which raises numerous questions: Did you find them useful? How engaging were they? How easy was the registration and joining process? Is there another way to host one?

The Confederation of Professional Golf [CPG] have been functioning in a virtual, flexible environment for almost six months now, pre-empting what most people are doing. Here is the CPG’s take on answering these questions, using our own recent experiences.

1. Pick a Platform, Any Platform…

First you need an appropriate platform and there are lots to choose from. Skype has been around for years and something most people are familiar with in some form. Whether that has been speaking to family overseas or catching up with friends from afar, it is a good starting point.

SKYPE

Pros of Skype:

• Hold video chats and make local, domestic, and international calls.
• Conduct both screen and document sharing with large files.
• It has a variety of interactive functions such as white-board, post a poll, and Q&A sessions.
• Free version available, which works well for smaller teams.
• Integrates with Microsoft Teams, which is a useful platform used by a lot of companies already.

Cons of Skype:

• A number of technical issues during calls, such as freezing, connectivity issues etc.
• There is not a large amount of support or help options in such circumstances.
• What if you are using something other than Microsoft Teams?

Overall though Skype is a good option. But how about Zoom? This seems to be a buzzword at the moment, so does it live up to expectations? Or is it merely a shadow of Skype culture?

ZOOM

Pros of Zoom:

• Conduct live video chat.
• Access to various meeting analytics.
• Easily screen-share during a call.
• Use the recording feature to save and document your sessions.
• Hold brainstorming sessions with Zoom’s on-screen whiteboard feature.
• Access in-depth support such as live help, online chat, phone support, FAQs, help articles, and video tutorials.
• Free (up to 100 participants and 40 minute calls).
• A relatively easy registration-creation process.

Cons of Zoom:

• If you host more than 100 participants regularly, you will have to pay (Starts from $14.99 a month…)
• Picture quality is sometimes an issue.

Both are great platforms with some minor hiccups and glitches but overall they do what they say and will be great options for your next online webinar. Think about what you want, factor in your budget and how much support and guidance you want from each service and it should help you make your decision.

2. Identify Your Goals and Structure The Webinar…

This is a relatively straight-froward, self-policing matter. Ask yourself these questions: what is the main point of the webinar – Is it to inform? Create a discussion? Find answers? Provide answers? Will you require a presentation to achieve the answer to these questions? Who’s presenting? How long for?

Once you have done that, you can start to formulate a plan as to how you want the webinar to go. In the recent CPG Masterclass Series – a two-month programme of online webinars – we primarily focused on a presentation model. If we were to answer those questions it would have looked like this:

• Is it to inform? Yes
• Create a discussion? Not primarily, but we can if necessary.
• Find answers? No
• Provide answers? Yes
• Requires a presentation? Yes
• Who’s presenting? External speakers
• How long for? Short bursts of information

Now we have a basis to form our structure. Generally, we followed a presentation-style webinar, whereby the external speaker presented on a certain topic for 20-25 minutes, to provide expertise and knowledge about it and then the listeners could ask questions at the end, and spark a discussion if warranted.

By answering these goals, you can create an effective webinar template.

3. Communicate Clearly…

This is key to delivering an effective, highly-sought after webinar. If your participants do not even know about it, how can they join? Promoting your webinar is therefore important but must be done in the right way.

Think about the channels you use (social media, email, website, blog) and tailor the message to each. Coincidently, we held our own CPG Masterclass Series webinar on just that very premise here. Once you have drafted out some promotional posts (remembering to include the sign-up link in every single one!), get posting.

Then you need to think about the user-registration journey. How do you simplify the process of registering for a webinar? If it is complicated, people just will not join or be interested. Zoom’s registering system is very straightforward – it creates a registration link which takes you to a separate landing page, you fill in a few of your basic details and you receive an automated email to say you have registered along with the timings and access link (the host also receives an email to say they have received a registrant – important data!).

People’s time is precious. Pitch to them what your webinar is about, why it is of use to them and then once you have grabbed their attention ensure they don’t fall at the last registration hurdle.

4. Don’t be Camera Shy, do be Camera Conscious

Once you have completed all of the above and have created a webinar with registered participants, you need to think about how you deliver the actual webinar itself effectively. This is not as complicated as it needs to be, it just needs a little bit of confidence and preparation from you or the presenter beforehand.

Do you stay on camera? Do you turn it off? Personally, we like to stay on camera…the current circumstances have already limited our social contact considerably and whilst Zoom is a good substitute to meet, do you really want to alienate your registrants even further by not showing your face on camera? Its a tricky one but I think your attendees would appreciate seeing who they are listening to.

On a final note if you do choose to go onto camera, ensure you have considered yourself and your surroundings. As we have all seen, there have been some terrible (albeit amusing) examples in the past of meetings being interrupted by children, slightly inappropriate photos in the house or somebody not wearing appropriate office clothing! Whilst you might be at home, preparing the environment you are in appropriately has never been more important.

On a final note, make sure you have as much fun and confidence as possible whilst planning, organising and holding your webinar!