Ander Martínez has been elected as the new president of the PGA of Spain for the next four years. He replaces David Pastor who has been in charge of the association for the last eight years.

The new Board of Directors of the PGA is composed of Ander Martínez, as president of the PGA of Spain; José Vicente Pérez Cuartero, vice president; José Marcellán, Alfredo Borrás, Antonio Planells, Marta Prieto, Carlos Vivas, Vicente Blázquez and Victoria Martín.

In recent years, Ander Martínez has coordinated the National Circuit of Professionals (Seve Ballesteros PGA Spain Tour) as Head of the Male Professionals section.

Ander has been a PGA Professional and a PGA of Spain Member since 1996, running his own golf school for 25 years. Across his career, Ander has claimed three professional victories: the Challenge Ciudad de San Sebastián in 1999, the Open Zarauz 2005 and the Laukariz Peugeot Loewe Tour in 2008. From 2012 to 2019 he worked as a golf course manager and has also worked as a caddy for different professionals on international circuits.

“Being a member of the PGA of Spain all these years has been a great experience and I am proud to be part of this spectacular family ”, Ander commented when he was inaugurated.

In the vice-presidency role he will be accompanied by José Vicente Pérez Cuartero, who will continue with his work acrosss the Association’s Education department. José Vicente is a Level II Sports Technician, a Confederation of Professional Golf (CPG) Golf Development Team Member and Director of Training of the PGA since 2013. He also teaches classes, in addition to being a Tutor at the National School of Sports Technicians of Golf and Tutor by the CPG.

“During this electoral process, the union of three different candidates has been the key to form a single collective leadership, which will lead the PGA of Spain more effectively and grow its influence” said Ander Martínez.

“I also want to take this opportunity to publicly thank the work of our previous president, David Pastor, and the previous Board of Directors for their efforts, work, dedication and loyalty to the PGA of Spain.”

A luxurious hardback title, Seve – His Life Through the Lens, charting the life and career of Spanish golfing legend Severiano Ballesteros has been released today. The new 176-page book has been produced by award-winning photographer David Cannon, who has lovingly put together the most iconic pictures from Seve’s life and career, many of them seen for the first time by the general public.

The CPG is delighted to offer its members and supporters a 10% discount to celebrate the book’s release. Please click the link below and enter code at checkout and the discount will be applied.

CODE: CPG Discount

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOUR COPY

To find out more about the book, please contact Tim Munton [tm@cpg.golf] or Tom Bentley [tb@cpg.golf].

The Confederation of Professional Golf [CPG] have activated the first step in its vision to modernise and further advance education of PGA Professionals and the workforce for golf with the imminent launch and subsequent rollout of its new online education platform.

The Learning Management System [LMS] will increase collaboration between the CPG and its Member Countries around educational activity and provide each PGA Member with a centralised digital tool that raises their learning experiences.

Chief Executive of the CPG, Ian Randell, commented: “This new platform will elevate each of our member’s education offerings irrespective of size and it reiterates our commitment to invest in technology and invest in our members to create collective benefit for them, for the CPG, and for the workforce of the game.

“The LMS launch also provides a strong proof-of-concept around our 5-year strategic plan, CPG Thrive, and the collective #oneCPG approach we have taken with our membership, as it encourages each Member Country involved with the platform to share relevant information and educational content with others.”

Following a number of pilots throughout May, official launch of the new LMS across the entire CPG Membership is imminent and will be available for Member Country PGAs to license, customise and use for their basic and on-going education programmes.

Canadian-based software company, D2L – creators of the Brightspace Learning Management Tool who already work with the PGA of Canada – are tasked with delivering the educational platform. Alan Hiddleston, Director Corporate Learning EMEA at D2L, said: “The CPG’s dedication to the continuous professional development of its membership is inspiring and we’re very pleased it has chosen Brightspace to help modernise golf education.

“Once launched, PGA Members will benefit from increased and more flexible learning opportunities that are more impactful for them as learners and more easily measurable for CPG Member Countries”.

Executive Director – Knowledge Development for the CPG, Wojciech Waśniewski, said: “The new LMS system will have significant benefits to all of our member countries and in my dual role heading up the education of both CPG and the PGA of Poland, it is evident that smaller associations such as the PGA of Poland will be able to streamline their educational delivery and tracking, as well as create access to new educational opportunities for members through use of this LMS. Investing in such a platform would be unfeasible for the vast majority of our members on their own.”

For further details about the Learning Management System and its launch, please contact Wojciech Waśniewski [ww@cpg.golf].

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Golf Genius is a member of the Business Club by CPG – Find out more here

Following on from the successful contactless player management solution debuted on the European Tour during the resumption of golf in the 2020 Race to Dubai season, Golf Genius Software will provide professional scoring in addition to its proven contactless player management solution at the international schedule of events for the over-50s professional golf tour in 2021.

Craig Higgs, Managing Director of Golf Genius International commented: “We are extremely proud to be working with the Legends Tour ahead of its exciting 2021 season.

“Our conversations developed around our aptitude for managing unique formats, given the inclusive amateur concept running alongside the professional events. This partnership speaks to our ability to score these complex types of events in a modern, digital manner taking the hassle out of processing results for multiple competitions within a single event.”

Golf Genius’ fully-functioning Tournament Management Software (TMS) will enable the Legends Tour to work through one simple input allowing players and spectators to have full visibility of the up-to-date scores for the professionals, elite amateurs and celebrities.

Tracking each player’s scores, Golf Genius will automatically create and update individual order of merits for each category providing the Tour with instant clarity on results and standings.

Mark Aspland, Head of the Legends Tour, said: “Golf Genius have proven they are market-leading in tournament management software and we are very excited to begin this new partnership.

“Having a simple, clean and user-friendly device is vital for our players to ensure their main focus can be on playing golf and Golf Genius are providing the perfect solution for us and our players.”

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Pitchfix is a member of the Business Club by CPG – Find out more here

The Confederation of Professional Golf [CPG] has announced a new three-year partnership with Pitchfix, a global leader in the design and supply of golf accessories, with a campaign that promotes good golf etiquette and course-care.

PGA Professionals, as key influencers in the sport, have a responsibility to ensure golfers uphold the standards and etiquette of the game – the #CaringForCourses campaign provides them with resources and information to drive awareness to all levels of golfer ensuring they have a positive impact on the conditioning of courses and facilities.

Chief Executive of the CPG, Ian Randell, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Pitchfix into our family of Business Partners and embarking on this new campaign together. Our aim with this campaign is to work with our Member Country PGAs and their PGA Professionals to promote the responsibility that we all have to both the course and our fellow golfers as we play.”

To celebrate the announcement, the CPG and Pitchfix are delighted to provide PGA Professionals, PGAs and golfers with a range of free-to-use #CaringForCourses resources to use at golf clubs:

DOWNLOAD #CARINGFORCOURSES INFO BOOKLET

DOWNLOAD #CARINGFORCOURSES POSTER

DOWNLOAD PITCHFIX COURSE GUIDANCE

Pitchfix specialises in a range of bespoke golf products, including customisable accessories for golfers, alongside a number of creative solutions for golf course maintenance staff.

Pitchfix CEO, Bart Fokke, commented: “We’re tremendously excited to partner with the CPG and continue to build awareness of our products and the vital role that they play – as golfers we all value amazing course conditions but at the same time we all have a responsibility to help preserve them too.”

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PGA Professionals and their teams of three amateurs will compete over 54 holes across the three courses, with a €50,000* total prize fund available for Professionals.

There is no Pro-Am package fee for each participating professional bringing a team of three amateurs, and amateur packages sharing a twin room start at €3,314 and include:

• 5 nights’ accommodation at The Westin Resort with buffet breakfast at the Main restaurant
• 3 dinners with beverage package – Welcome reception & dinner – Charity Social Event & dinner – Dinner & Prize giving Ceremony
• Exclusive welcome gift package
• 3 tournament & 2 practice rounds
• Golf transfers to/from all golf courses
• Shared buggies for all rounds
• On-course refreshments and light lunch for 3 tournament rounds
• Players liability and bodily injury insurance in the course
• Free use of Fitness Center, Infrared and Finnish Sauna, Jacuzzi, Table Tennis, Pools, Steam Bath and Relax zone*
• Free access to thalassotherapy pools*
• 20% discount on spa treatments*

*Above services and facilities are subject to governmental laws & restrictions due to Covid-19 measures.

For more information visit the Tournament Hub Page https://cp.golf/2021Messinia. 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 Costa Navarino (costanavarino.com).

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 Medinah Country Club, Illinois
The 39th Ryder Cup, Day Three
September 30, 2012

Something was in the air. All through the afternoon the impossible had felt weirdly within reach, as if events were being controlled by forces beyond the merely rational. At around 7pm that evening, as Germany’s Martin Kaymer settled over a routine six-footer, the world held its breath. Seconds later, Kaymer was buried in oceans of blue.

In those mad wild moments after one of the greatest comebacks in sport, a camera was bustled through the melee to land on José María Olazábal, Team Europe’s captain. Olazábal was there, but not there. Drenched in sweat, soaked in tears, he turned to the skies and cried out to his friend.

Sixteen months earlier, Severiano Ballesteros had succumbed to a malignant brain tumour. This Ryder Cup was the first since his death. His presence at Medinah was not mere fantasy: he was there, his image embroidered on the bags of Europe’s finest golfers, and in the myths and stories freshly dusted off for the new ceremony. When José María flung his head back, he was not alone. A whole golfing continent exhaled with him.

Seve. Just the name is enough. He flipped the whole show. Five Majors, including two green jackets. Five Ryder Cup wins (both as player and captain). A total of 89 tournament wins around the world. And a game forged on instinctiveness and creativity that would change how golf was seen and played forever.

The youngest of five brothers, he was raised in the small fishing village of Pedreña on the northern coast of Spain, where his humble background, such as it was, permitted him only to walk the fairways of his local club as a caddie. He had no choice but to learn the game by alternative means. “I taught myself a different game,” he once explained. “Because I was born next to a golf course, there were times when I would go onto it at night and play in the dark. I learned my feel for the game and how to play unusual shots.”

When not sneaking on to the course under cover of nightfall, he played on the beaches near his home, often skipping school to do so. Primarily using a 3-iron given to him by his older brother Manuel, it was during this time that he developed the flair for shotmaking that would shape his genius. By the age of 16, he had begun to develop as one of Spain’s most promising young players. Months later he turned professional; three years on, at the 1976 Open, he finished second. No one in golf would be asking who that Spanish kid was again.

His American alter ego Jack Nicklaus once said of him: “He was a great entertainer. No matter the golf that particular day, you always knew you were going to be entertained. Seve’s enthusiasm was just unmatched by anybody I think that ever played the game. Seve was, without argument, a terrific player – his record speaks for itself – but more important was his influence on the game, especially throughout Europe. Through the years, his involvement with the Ryder Cup, as both a player and captain, served to further elevate the stature of the matches. He was probably the most passionate Ryder Cup player that we’ve ever had.

”Popularising the sport in Spain was his proudest achievement. After scrabbling in the backwoods for much of his early life, he was driven to democratise the game, founding an annual tournament for young kids in Pedreña to seek out and support talented young golfers, helping them overcome the difficulties he himself had experienced.

The PGA of Spain, of which Seve was a passionate advocate, carries its own crucial role in developing golf across Spain. “As a supporter of our work, Seve was and continues to be a very important figure to the PGA of Spain and his drive to give back to the game that had given him so much was clear to see. He continues to be an inspiration to all golfers here in Spain”.

Such sentiments from the Head of Education for the PGA of Spain, José Vicente Perez, are continuously echoed by those who knew him well.

His company Amen Corner (an ode to his Masters triumphs), has been responsible for organising over 50 international European Tour events in his home country, including the Spanish Open and The Vivendi Trophy (formerly The Seve Trophy). Later he became a renowned course architect, helping design over 30 courses, the majority of which can be found in Spain.

Since the Ballesteros era, there has been a near conveyor belt of stars emerge from the Iberian Peninsula. José María was the first; next was the cigar-toting and seemingly ageless phenomenon that is Miguel Ángel Jiménez, followed by the generational talent of Sergio Garcia – perhaps the closest in spirit to the original.

Most recently, there is Jon Rahm, the swashbuckling youngster with the golfing world at his feet.

Rahm may be today’s icon. But he too knows where it starts. “Seve means everything to me. He was my hero and he is a truly indisputable benchmark in Spanish golf. I took up golf thanks to Seve. He inspired me to be where I am today.”

In keeping with Seve’s long history of supporting the PGA of Spain, the kind words that are so often uttered from his playing compatriots are put into action too. Only recently, a number of those that Seve helped to inspire followed in his footsteps by sharing their experiences with PGA of Spain Professionals at a time of great challenge for all.

The legacy of Seve flows deep into the soul of every Spanish player. From genial hacker to budding maestro, it’s there, forever alive, in any golfer who ever addressed a ball lying deep in the gorse or hanging on the edge of a car park and thought, “Now then, what would Seve do?”

A luxurious hardback title, Seve – His Life Through the Lens, charting the life and career of Spanish golfing legend Severiano Ballesteros has been released today. The new 176-page book has been produced by award-winning photographer David Cannon, who has lovingly put together the most iconic pictures from Seve’s life and career, many of them seen for the first time by the general public.

The CPG is delighted to offer its members and supporters a 10% discount to celebrate the book’s release. Please click the link below and enter code at checkout and the discount will be applied.

CODE: CPG Discount

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOUR COPY

To find out more about the book, please contact Tim Munton [tm@cpg.golf] or Tom Bentley [tb@cpg.golf].

Shot #1 – “The greatest shot I ever saw”

The Venue: PGA National, Ryder Cup, 1983 

The Hole: 18^th, 578 yards, Par 5

The Club: 3-wood

The Context: Matched up against two-time major champion Fuzzy Zoeller in the singles, Seve has his work cut out to gain a crucial point for the Europeans. Having charged into a three-hole lead by the turn, the Spaniard looks to be cruising to victory, but this is the Ryder Cup. Zoeller claws the match back to all square, heading down the last. When the shot happens.

The Moment: Finding deep rough with a duck hook off the tee, Seve manages to navigate his way out of the long stuff, only to find himself in a fairway bunker and seemingly further trouble. He approaches the sand to find a dire sight. Facing a six-feet-high lip, with the ball sitting halfway up the face of the bunker, hopes are fading of rescuing a half, let alone a win, and salvaging something, anything, from the match. Not to mention the sizeable lake that lay between the bunker and the green. While most golfers would have adjudged a lofted wedge sideways as the only sane course of action, Seve was not most golfers. After sizing up the shot and circumstances, he utters to his caddie “tres de madera” (three wood). While privately thinking this to be an absurd idea, Nick DePaul acknowledges his employer’s higher authority and reaches for the persimmon-headed club. Seve composes himself and swings – those snake hips swivelling almost 180 degrees, the downswing connecting with the cleanest of contacts. This was it. Make or break. The ball miraculously manages to ascend above the bunker lip into the sky, carrying Seve’s slim hopes of salvation along with it.

The Outcome: The ball flies 245 yards through the air, over the lake, landing safely by the fringe of the green, arriving to stunned silence. In true Seve fashion, the Europeans’ talisman proceeds to get up and down for a stunning par, halving the hole and with it, the match. The Americans would go on to edge the contest 14½ to 13½ but it was a watershed moment. It was the Europeans’ strongest performance on American soil to date – a precursor to their dominance in the event over the next decade, with Seve leading the charge. 

What was said: “It was the greatest shot I ever saw” – high praise from arguably the game’s greatest player, Jack Nicklaus.

Can we see it? Famously, no footage of the shot exists to this day, mysteriously lost in the mists of time. With many eye-witnesses accounting for the shot however, the legend will go on.

The Ryder Cup European Development Trust (RCEDT) is a registered charity that supports the development and progression of golf throughout Europe by assisting and guiding various projects, initiatives and programmes in the sport.

As sole partner of the Trust, the Confederation of Professional Golf [CPG] – a leading body representing around 42 national PGAs, which holds over 30-years of expertise in the provision of golf development expertise and delivery on a global basis – is responsible for the control and management of the RCEDT.

VISIT THE RYDER CUP EUROPEAN DEVELOPMENT TRUST [RCEDT]

Shot #2 – The Spanish Wedge

The Venue: Wentworth, World Matchplay Championship, 1983

The Hole: 18^th, Par 5

The Club: 8-iron

The Context: It’s the first round of the World Matchplay Championship. Seve is up against it as he heads down 18, a hole down to America’s favourite son, Arnold Palmer. With Arnie safely on the green in three and putting for birdie, Seve’s second shot has nestled up to a greenside bunker, 50 yards from the hole. A half on this hole is no good. He needs to win the hole to extend the match and have any chance of progressing further in the Championship. He needs to do something special.

The Moment: With his ball resting in the semi-rough and looming sand narrowing the angle of his chip onto the sloping green, Seve opts to pull out his 8-iron to tackle this seemingly precarious situation. Many in the watching galleries would have deemed it an unconventional club selection, given the shot that was required. A lesson learnt – never underestimate the wizardry of Severiano Ballesteros. He grips down the shaft and bunts a low chip towards the green.

The Outcome: Landing on the front edge of the green, the ball hops, skips and jumps before beginning its menacing advance towards the pin. Navigating the right-to-left contours of the green, it dials in on its target at pace, cuffing the pin and dropping into the hole. An eagle three. A sudden death playoff it would be. Seve triumphs on the third extra hole to knock out The King.

What was said: “I should be mad,” said Palmer. “But I have done that to so many other people in the past I suppose I can’t complain.”

Watch it here: https://cp.golf/3uJZl8Z

Shot #3 – Seve, a swimming pool, and a sand wedge 

The Venue: Crans-sur-Sierre, European Masters, 1993

The Hole: The 18^th, par 4

The Club: Sand wedge

The Context: What is it with Seve and final hole drama? Heading to the 18^th tee, he is sat at 16 under par, just one shot off the lead. Having put a run of birdies together, the momentum is with the Spaniard, needing one more to have any hopes of catching Barry Lane atop the leaderboard.

The Moment: Things don’t quite go to plan. First, a wild swing with the driver sends the ball miles right into what looks like a forest, the ball settling just shy of an eight-foot-high wall guarding a neighbouring swimming pool. Finally locating it and surveying the scene, his caddie Billy Foster prepares for his boss to chip out sideways. Seve crouches down on the pine straw and points towards a small gap in the overhanging branches. He has other ideas. Against the advice of his caddie, he reaches for his sand wedge and aligns himself as though he is somehow going to attempt to go over the wall. With bowed knees and steely determination, an almost crouching Seve manages to take a swing.

The Outcome: Miraculously, the ball is lofted almost vertically above the tip of the wall, but still low enough to slot through the narrowest of gaps in the branches, careening over the far side of the swimming pool to rest up just short of the green. The galleries go wild and the roars ring out around the course. Foster stoops down on to his knees, mock-bowing in acknowledgment of the greatness he has just witnessed. Seve proceeds to chip his next shot in for a birdie three. Of course he does. On this occasion however, his heroics are not quite enough, with Lane making a brilliant finish of his own, but Seve’s fighting spirit and sheer ingenuity would last long in the memory of all those present that day.

What he said: Quizzed later why he took on such a risky shot, Seve replied: “I just like to keep going forward…”

See it here: The TV cameras never picked up the shot, however renowned photographer and close friend of Seve, David Cannon, captured two images of the moment. Check them out here: https://bit.ly/3ocOp1e

A luxurious hardback title, Seve – His Life Through the Lens, charting the life and career of Spanish golfing legend Severiano Ballesteros has been released today. The new 176-page book has been produced by award-winning photographer David Cannon, who has lovingly put together the most iconic pictures from Seve’s life and career, many of them seen for the first time by the general public.

The CPG is delighted to offer its members and supporters a 10% discount to celebrate the book’s release. Please click the link below and enter code at checkout and the discount will be applied.

CODE: CPG Discount

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOUR COPY

To find out more about the book, please contact Tim Munton [tm@cpg.golf] or Tom Bentley [tb@cpg.golf].

A luxurious hardback title, Seve – His Life Through the Lens, charting the life and career of Spanish golfing legend Severiano Ballesteros has been released today. The new 176-page book has been produced by award-winning photographer David Cannon, who has lovingly put together the most iconic pictures from Seve’s life and career, many of them seen for the first time by the general public.

The CPG is delighted to offer its members and supporters a 10% discount to celebrate the book’s release. Please click the link below and enter code at checkout and the discount will be applied.

CODE: CPG Discount

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOUR COPY

The book’s release coincides with the tenth anniversary of Seve’s death and opens with a moving letter written by eldest son Javier. Each chapter begins with an essay by renowned golf writer Robert Green while David, who was a great friend of Seve’s, reveals the background to some of his favourite images of the most flamboyant golfer the world has ever seen.

Supported by the Seve Ballesteros Foundation, this book is a wonderful tribute to one of golf’s most captivating characters and will appeal to golf fans of all ages and nationalities.  Seve’s commitment to the PGA of Spain, and European golf more generally, is legendary and his fellow pros owe a huge debt to him and the pioneering and passionate work he carried out to build the game of golf in Europe. As Lee Westwood said: “Seve made European golf what it is today.”

To find out more about the book, please contact Tim Munton [tm@cpg.golf] or Tom Bentley [tb@cpg.golf].

The 27th of April 2021 saw the kick-off meeting for EDUGOLF; a new project funded through the Erasmus+ Sport programme of the European Union. The European Observatoire of Sport and Employment [EOSE] and the Confederation of Professional Golf [CPG] have joined forces to lead this innovative golf education and skills development project in partnership with eight leading organisations from the worlds of golf and education.

The EDUGOLF project is founded on the principle that adapting to change can revitalise the sport of golf and allow it to meet its potential to improve the lives of individuals and society as a whole.

The focus of the 3-year EDUGOLF project will be on skills development and education reform, firmly rooted in the belief that those working in golf, in both paid and voluntary positions (and those wishing to do so in the future), are the key to the future of the sport.

The main outputs of the EDUGOLF project include:

• A Research report on changing realities and tendencies of the golf labour market and education requirements
• European Occupational Standards for golf
• Innovative online learning to meet the changing skills needs of golf in Europe

At the kick-off meeting the partners focussed on the comprehensive research phase of the project which will take place over the next 12 months and will include desk research and a survey of national golf organisations. Partners contributed a range of views and signposted to existing sources to inform the research which will be overseen by a dedicated research sub-group.

The agenda of this first full partner meeting also covered expectations of the project, confirmation of the work plan, project administration and the importance of wide communication and dissemination activities.

Ian Randell, Chief Executive for the Confederation of Professional Golf [CPG] said, “We want golf to be inclusive, sustainable and life-enhancing, the people working in the game are crucial to achieving these aims and the EDUGOLF project will help to make sure they have the right skills”.

Ben Gittus, Director of Standards for EOSE, said, “Despite the meeting taking place online due to Covid-19 travel restrictions, the commitment and passion of all partners to achieve the project aims for the benefit of the golf industry and future generations of golfers is very clear”.

You can contact the EDUGOLF project and ask to be kept informed about developments by contacting info@edugolf.eu or subscribe on the website to be kept up to date.

Full list of partners – European Observatoire of Sport and Employment (EOSE); Confederation of Professional Golf (CPG); PGA of Sweden; Polish Golf Union (PGU); French Golf Federation (ffgolf); Real Federacion Espanola de golf (RFEG); PGA of Belgium; EDGA; University of Applied Sciences for Sport and Management Potsdam (ESAB); National University of Ukraine on Physical Education and Sport (NUPPES).

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Since the outset of the global coronavirus pandemic, clubs, organisations and professional Tours have been forced to navigate the ways they can provide golf to their players in a safe and sustainable way. This has made many look away from traditional event scoring and management tools and more closely at how ‘going digital’ can take golf forward.

Golf Genius is no new entrant to the market. As the leading provider of cloud-based golf tournament management systems around the world, Golf Genius proudly serves 9,805 clubs and associations in 59 countries. The company has made its name and reputation by offering innovative solutions to help deliver exceptional experiences for players while saving time and costs for the organisations who employ the software.

Numerous organisations worldwide have seen the benefit of Golf Genius’ time-efficient system, including high-profile tours and events. In response to the impact of the virus on professional golf at the highest level, Golf Genius collaborated with the European Tour to create a contactless solution to help manage the remainder of events in the 2020 Race to Dubai season.

At short notice, Golf Genius co-ordinated an online event solution for both registration and player management at the events. The system allowed players to book pre-tournament practice rounds remotely – eliminating the need for face-to-face contact with event organisers. Players simply accessed the event portal via the bespoke app, which opened virtually on the Sunday before each tournament and provided real-time tournament information that would previously have been distributed as a PDF.

This allowed the Tour to move their player registration and management experience into the contactless era and featured many of the hallmark Golf Genius elements available to any organisation. The European Tour’s Chief Technology Officer, Michael Cole, spoke about the role Golf Genius had in the restart of the Tour’s schedule: “The Tour’s return to its schedule marked arguably one of sport’s best showcases of resilient operations during the pandemic – running 27 events including 15 created from scratch was a phenomenal achievement.

“With Golf Genius’ help we were able to achieve the concept of a contactless environment, particularly for players, moving fast and innovatively to set up the digital noticeboard, practice round scheduling and communication tools required to safeguard our players and events. We will continue to work with Golf Genius in 2021 as we move out of the pandemic to develop this digital integration further which proved very popular with Tour administrative staff and players alike.”

Golf Genius’ relationship as a key technology supplier has continued into the 2021 season and expanded with the European Tour also bringing in Golf Genius across all their tours, including the Challenge Tour and Legends Tour. For other PGA’s in US, Canada and Australia Golf Genius offers a complete and easy solution catering for any innovative events or series setup. Benefits of using the software include a portal for registration and taking payment that keeps organisers, players and fans informed of the latest results, schedule and standings.

Now, more than ever, Golf Genius’ digital offering has come to the fore and the innovation hasn’t stopped. Seeing the market call out for contactless golf, the developers at Golf Genius have taken its contactless golf solution to the next level with the release of a ‘digital scorecard’ which allows the company to run amateur and professional golf tournaments without the need for traditional paper scorecards.

The Golf Genius digital scorecard removes the requirement for players to exchange physical scorecards in competitive rounds, instead providing a modern, contactless, and safe solution for tournament play. At the end of the round, the players can view both the marker and the player’s scores to ensure that they align, and resolve any differences. Both players can then use their unique Golf Genius IDs to sign and approve the final submitted electronic scorecard. When using the digital scorecard feature – which can be turned on or off for specific tournaments – a tournament administrator can easily control who acts as the marker for each player.

Among those who have already become customers of Golf Genius are the PGAs of Belgium, Holland and Portugal, who have been using the renowned tournament scoring solution to run enhanced events. Frank Kirsten, CPG Chairman and Director of the PGA of Holland, added: “By embarking on our own relationship with Golf Genius, we will be able to provide a significantly enhanced tournament service to our PGA of Holland Members in 2021. This newly-announced partnership between the CPG and Golf Genius is fantastic news for other CPG Member Countries and their members as well, and will enable them the opportunity to further their own tournament golf offerings in their respective countries.”

To mark the start of the partnership, Golf Genius is extending a free demo offer to create a digital PGA Event Calendar for any CPG Member, ready to go live when golf fully returns in the next few months. To enquire about Golf Genius, send an email to intlsales@golfgenius.com

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