The 12th staging of the BlackSeaRama Vivacom Pro-Am was another successfully staged event – despite the COVID-19 Pandemic – that continued to show the event’s popularity amongst players, due partly to the fact that teams are able to enjoy three of Europe’s best golf course in BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas, Thracian Cliffs Golf & Beach Resort and Lighthouse Golf & Spa Resort.

Professionals will compete for a prize fund of €30,000* in what has become one of the most significant and emblematic events in the BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas calendar, and the Confederation of Professional Golf [CPG] sanctioned event calendar.

Deputy Managing Director of BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas, Marko Stoychev, commented: “We have chosen to name the 13th edition of the Pro-Am ‘Special’ because it describes the way we feel about the event, about the times we live in and about the relationship we have with both the CPG and our loyal players, who continue to support us.”

CPG Chief executive, Ian Randell, commented: “We are thrilled to be working with the team at BlackSeaRama to bring the 13th edition of the BlackSeaRama Vivacom Pro-Am – an event that is hugely popular on the CPG calendar and one that provides a fantastic experience for competitors, at some incredible locations.”

There is no Pro-Am package fee for each participating professional bringing a team of three amateurs, and amateur packages start at €990 (special rates available for BSR Members and Homeowners), and include:

• 5-nights accommodation
• Airport transfers Varna-BlackSeaRama, BlackSeaRama-Varna
• Lavish buffet breakfast every day
• Coffee, tea and limited Mini-bar in the villa
• 1 practice round @ BlackSeaRama
• 3 tournament rounds @ BlackSeaRama, Lighthouse and Thracian Cliffs (transfers included)
• 3 Halfway snacks
• Opening Cocktail Reception, 2 Thematic Dinners, and Gala Dinner evening
• Free use of Fitness Center, Infrared and Finnish Sauna, Jacuzzi, Billiard, Table Tennis, Pools, Steam Bath and Relax zone, Wi-Fi Internet
• Access to all functions and activities during the Pro-Am week

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Chief Development Officer for The R&A, Phil Anderton, has joined the Ryder Cup European Development Trust (RCEDT) Board of Trustees.

Anderton, along with existing Trustees appointed by the Confederation of Professional Golf (CPG), and representatives from the European Tour, will help to shape the future direction of the Trust, the activities and projects that its support will provide, and ultimately the future legacy that it will leave on the development of grass roots golf programmes and initiatives across Europe.

Anderton succeeds Duncan Weir in this role with the Trust, following his appointment as Chief Development Officer last year. He has already overseen the rollout of various projects and activities with the organisation aimed at increasing involvement and participation globally, including the recent #FOREeveryone campaign, which in connection with The R&A Women in Golf Charter, focuses on the long term development and growth of female golf participation.

On his appointment to the Board of Trustees, Anderton commented: “It is a great honour to be invited as a Trustee for the Ryder Cup European Development Trust. I am really looking forward to working with everybody involved in growing this great sport and having a positive impact on the game across all levels.”

As the charitable arm of Ryder Cup Europe, the RCEDT supports the development of golf across all levels through ten pillars of activity, some of which include educational delivery, coaching delivery, junior and youth initiatives, elite and high-performance programmes, and promotion of golf and its health and wellbeing benefits.

To date, the Trust has provided support, guidance and assistance to more than 35 projects in over 30 countries across Europe, managed by its sole partner, the Confederation of Professional Golf [CPG] who, alongside The European Tour and the PGA of Great Britain & Ireland, form a three-way partnership in Ryder Cup Europe.

Chairman of the RCEDT, Jonathan Mannie, commented: “Following the retirement of Duncan Weir last year, we are delighted to have Phil Anderton join the leadership of the Trust and help us to play our part in shaping the future of European golf development.

“It is hugely beneficial for the Trust to collaborate with The R&A, and the expertise and insight that he brings will help the RCEDT to positively impact golf and golfers of all abilities, from all walks of life and across all four corners of the continent.”

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The successful CPG Podcast, which has provided listeners with regular insight and conversations around golf, professional golf and the golf industry, has been relaunched into a new and exciting Podcast Show.

The Confederation of Professional Golf’s [CPG] commitment to work with and support the development of professional organisations and their memberships who provide a skilled workforce for the game – no matter of their size, geographical location, or stage of maturity – sees the Association welcoming 8 new countries to take its collective membership to 40 Member organisations across 5 continents.

A key priority within the CPG’s 5-Year strategic plan – CPG Thrive, is the provision of services to the membership through a ‘oneCPG’ model. This model encourages the continued development of the Association’s Membership as a group of connected and collaborative organisations who provide a skilled and diverse workforce with access to the best possible knowledge and resources to enable the sport to thrive, and is a crucial part of the CPG’s focus.

“It is our great pleasure to welcome Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile, Georgia, Jordan, Latvia, Liechtenstein and Moldova to the CPG family, as well as congratulating Nigeria and Ukraine on becoming Full Members,” said CPG Chief Executive, Ian Randell.

“Our goal is to continue to foster a strong sense of belonging and togetherness for all Member Countries who, through valuable and shared services, are run efficiently and effectively with engaged PGA Members who are equipped to service golfers and grow the game, whilst also benefitting from the economies of scale and new opportunities that increased collaboration can bring.

“Our Members are our greatest strength and our new membership structure, that includes Candidate, Associate and Full Member Countries, enables us to maintain the requirements and standards of Full Membership whilst also welcoming smaller, less developed golfing countries, who may or may not currently have a fully functioning or recognised PGA, to benefit from the sharing of knowledge and services that we provide for, and through, our collective membership.”

Armenia, Chile, Georgia, Jordan, Liechtenstein and Moldova each join as ‘Candidate Members’ of the CPG, a newly-introduced category in its Membership structure that enables organisations at the early stages of developing an entity for golf professionals, to be able to access benefits of CPG membership and join the collective strength of the organisation.

Bosnia and Herzegovina and Latvia then join as ‘Associate Members’, based upon their further progression and having an already-established PGA and membership, and will work with the CPG to examine the next phase of their development required to become a Full Member of the Association.

The 8 new Members now have access to the CPG’s development framework of services and products and, alongside existing Member Countries, will each undergo a series of workshop discussions to ascertain goals and create a bespoke roadmap for development of their Associations and membership, supported by the CPG.

The Association is also delighted to welcome both the PGA of Nigeria and PGA of Ukraine into Full Membership, having developed their organisations and worked with the CPG over the last couple of years as Associate Members to introduce recognised education programmes for their trainees and membership.

In commencing the activation of the Confederation of Professional Golf’s [CPG] 5-year strategy – CPG Thrive – the organisation has announced a mix of internal promotions and new staffing appointments signifying an investment in having the right people to rollout new activity and foster positive progress of the organisation and its members.

On the new appointments, Chief Executive of the CPG, Ian Randell, said: “To activate our strategic plan we are committed to investing in our three ‘enablers’ – people, membership and innovation.

“We have set out an ambitious plan of new activity and growth and this can only be achieved by having the right people in place to lead, deliver and engage with our membership to ensure the successful collaborations that are required for sustainable benefit both to our members and across the wider-golf landscape.

“We now have the core management team in place, and we plan further announcements regarding a number of new strategic delivery partners and advisors as well as our extended Knowledge and Development teams very soon.  It is now time for us to deliver on the commitments that we made in our plan and I am excited to be working with the team as we grow into the future.”

The core management team is outlined below and constitutes a combination of full and part-time appointments that will not only benefit CPG and its membership but also further advance the CPG’s management of the Ryder Cup European Development Trust [RCEDT] which is committed to investing back into the development of golf across Europe.

The R&A has launched a new video series which has been created for junior golfers to learn about the Rules of Golf and improve their enjoyment of the sport by understanding how to apply them on the course.

The Rules Skool Open features ten episodes and each instalment follows the progress of featured player George Harper Jnr as he gets to grips with the Rules of Golf when faced with a number of different situations during the championship.

Claire Hargan of The R&A’s Rules team joins the commentary to explain how the Rules are applied in each situation while her colleague Conor Finlay becomes ‘Conor on Course’ to provide practical demonstrations for young golfers to build their knowledge and understanding of the Rules.

It premiered on The R&A YouTube channel on Wednesday and then available to watch via RandA.org and the Rules of Golf App from 5pm.

Rules fun

Grant Moir, Director – Rules at The R&A, said, “We have created an entertaining and light-hearted video series that introduces the Rules of Golf to a younger audience in a new and fun way which will help junior golfers learn the key Rules and how they are applied on the golf course.

“We know from research that most young people prefer to learn from watching videos and this series will support junior golfers in developing their understanding of the Rules, making them more confident out on the golf course and adding to their enjoyment of the sport.”

Viewers can test their knowledge of the Rules by answering quiz questions that accompany the videos via RandA.org and the Rules of Golf app.

Collaboration

The organisation is also collaborating with its affiliated national federations and other golf bodies to encourage junior golfers to watch the series and learn about the Rules of Golf. A digital pack which includes practical advice and resources for junior golf organisers is also provided via RandA.org.

The series was developed using research with junior golfers in which they provided feedback about their experience of learning about their hobbies, including golf, and their preferred methods to do so, with video being the most popular response. Over 75% of those who participated in the research also said it was very or extremely important to know the basics of the Rules.

Rules Week

The launch of the Rules Skool Open is a highlight of The R&A’s Rules Week which is running across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube this week at a time in the year when the governing body would normally be staging the globally attended Tournament Administrators and Referees School in St Andrews.

The Rules Week includes video interviews with leading Rules officials including David Rickman, Andy McFee and John Paramor. It also features a player’s perspective on the Rules from two-time Open champion Padraig Harrington and the story of the now-famous Rules situation encountered by 2017 Champion Golfer Jordan Spieth at the 13^th hole during the final round of The 146^th Open at Royal Birkdale.

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