When Nick Kenney’s second shot on the par-5 12^th hole at Lookout Point Country Club hit the cart path and sailed 50 yards over the green, just minutes after Dean North hit it to tap-in length on the hole prior to get within two, it looked like the momentum may have been shifting at the PGA Head Professional Championship of Canada presented by Callaway Golf with support from G&G Brands. 

READ ALSO: PGA of Canada Releases Task Force Report

Momentum shifted alright – fully in Kenney’s favour.

From behind the green, he blindly hit his next shot, with the green running away from him, to five feet – where he would make his birdie putt and take a four-stroke lead of the championship.

The National Golf Club of Canada Head Teaching Professional never looked back, making three more birdies on his way into the clubhouse to win by four strokes over Danny King and defending champion Gord Burns.

“I don’t think it’s settled in yet,” said Kenney with the trophy in hand. “I think by far this is the biggest win of my career so far. This is the first time I’ve played the Head Pro Championship, so to be the champion with some of the others on that trophy, it hasn’t settled in yet, but it’s quite an honour and I feel so lucky to have won.”

Kenney noted that this was the first time he has been in a situation with a chance to win since the 2019 PGA of Ontario Zone Championship, which he thought back to and had a similar mindset, trying to get as low as possible.

“I figured I had to keep going under par,” said Kenney, who takes home $9,000 with the victory. “I had a great feeling this week and my putter felt good in my hands. You have to think about every shot at this golf course, which really kept me in the moment, and I was able to execute.”

Kenney also noted that he received lots of support between the first and final round – which continued into the post-round celebration.

“Every pro I’ve worked with and all my friends and family, I’ve heard from all of them, and with social media these days, it has really brought my friends and family into the mix a little bit,” said Kenney. “I briefly looked at my phone, I have lots of messages to get back to, and it’s amazing they get to see what is going on.”

Moreover, a relatively recent father, Kenney notes how their support and having them in his life has changed his mindset playing tournament golf.

“Being a parent puts everything in perspective. Having kids now, you appreciate everything, and it calms you down on the golf course,” said Kenney. “The pressure isn’t quite there. if I don’t perform, I’m not too upset and I’m a role model for them as well.”

Lookout Point Country Club, which is set to celebrate its centennial season in 2022, was a true test of golf this week, with only four players finishing the week under par. In addition, 30 volunteers, most of whom are members at the club, stepped up to help put on the terrific event which was hosted for the first time in Canada since 2003.

“The golf course, volunteers and sponsors stepped up big time,” noted Kenney. “For the volunteers to come and sit out for hours and show us where our golf balls are and give up their golf course for four days, it was incredible. I had heard nothing but good things about Lookout Point and now it holds a very special place in my heart. I can’t wait to come back here.”

The low Club Professional this week earned an extra $500 on top of their purse money. The low club pro was Marc-Ettiene Bussieres, who shot 73-70 to win by one stroke over Dean North.

The Ontario InterZone Team, which included Ed Maunder, Gord Burns, Danny King and James Skrypec, captured the InterZone championship after finishing the two days at 5-under par.

BetRegal, who will announce the final tally tomorrow of the “Support Your Pro” contest, announced on Thursday that they would like to support the event even further, and offered a $300 prize to the low female player this week, which ended up being Shannon Briggs after firing 79-75.

Focus Golf Targets conducted an activation on the driving range where each pro had three shots to hit one of their driving range targets placed 40 yards away. Todd Halpen ended up dunking two of his shots, giving him the $250 prize.

National Partner NoSweat also handed out a $125 prize to the player who conquered the “NoSweat Hardest Hole of the Day”, which was the par-4 10^th hole on Thursday.

There were just three players who made birdie on No.10, and after running the names through a random generator, Phillip Jonas wins the final NoSweat prize of the season.

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Golf’s new Rules of Amateur Status have been published by The R&A and the USGA ahead of coming into effect on 1 January 2022.

The work is the latest step by the governing bodies to make the Rules easier to understand and apply and follows the modernisation process of the Rules of Golf in 2019. The new Rules were informed by golfer and golf industry feedback as part of a comprehensive review, to ensure they continue to reflect how the modern game is played by millions of golfers around the world.

This review, along with global feedback received when the proposals were publicly shared earlier this year, reaffirmed amateur golf’s important position in the game and the value in maintaining amateur status Rules.

The result is a set of Rules that removes many of the restrictions that previously applied to amateur golfers, while ensuring that the integrity of the game is protected by limiting the form and value of the prizes an amateur golfer can accept.

As part of the modernisation effort, the new Rules identify only the following acts that will result in a golfer losing their amateur status:

• Accepting a prize with a value exceeding the prize limit (£700/$1000) or accepting prize money in a handicap competition.
• Playing as a professional.
  Accepting payment for giving instruction (although all current exceptions still apply, such as coaching at educational institutions and assisting with approved programmes).
• Accepting employment as a golf club professional or membership of an association of professional golfers.

To achieve this simplified approach, the following key changes have been introduced:

• Distinguishing between scratch and handicap competitions in terms of the prizes that may be accepted.
• The prize rule applies only to tee-to-hole competitions played on a golf course or a simulator but no longer apply to long-drive, putting and skills competitions that are not played as part of a tee-to-hole competition.
• Eliminating all advertising, expense-related and sponsorship restrictions.

The new opportunities provided by lifting sponsorship restrictions and the ability to accept prize money up to the increased limit of £700 or $1000 in scratch-only competitions will be of significant benefit to elite amateur golfers looking for ways to fund golf-related expenses.

Grant Moir, Director of Rules at The R&A, said, “We are delighted to be rolling out the modernised Rules of Amateur Status today. These Rules play an important role in protecting the integrity of our self-regulating sport but the code must evolve to meet the needs of the modern game. This is particularly important for modern elite amateur golf, where many of the players need financial support to compete and develop to their full potential. The new Rules give them this opportunity and will help to make the game even more inclusive.”

“Golf is unique in its broad appeal to both recreational and competitive golfers,” said Craig Winter, USGA Senior Director, Rules of Golf and Amateur Status. “This was emphasised in the feedback we received earlier this year and we believe these updates will help simplify these Rules and ensure the long-term health of the amateur game not only to those who compete at the highest level of amateur golf but for the millions of golfers at every age and skill level who enjoy competitive events at their home courses.”

The new Rules are accompanied by guidance notes, an overview document and explanations that detail the rationale for why changes have been made and, in some instances, why they have stayed the same. These materials can be found below.

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In June of 2020, the PGA of Canada released a statement, and promise, to look inwards, recognize our shortcomings and put words into action to drive meaningful change for a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable Canadian golf industry.

LISTEN ALSO: The Diversity & Inclusion Panel

As leaders in Canadian golf, we have a responsibility to our members and the golfing public to act as a positive catalyst and role model for change within our industry. We hope that not only will the enclosed report set the tone for the industry in Canada, but for golf associations across the globe.

Late last summer we organized a group of 17 dedicated volunteers to comprise our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Task Force. These 17 individuals broke into working groups to focus and report on six areas: New Canadians; Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC); LGBTQI2S+; People of Different Abilities; Women; and Socio-Economic Status.

The taskforce was assembled to provide a forum focused on ensuring the PGA of Canada’s values of inclusiveness, equal opportunities and trust are inherent in all the work we do and all policies and procedures result in safe sport and fair employment, industry wide.

After a 12-month journey, during which the Task Force spent hundreds of hours reviewing the PGA of Canada’s governance, operations, and industry workforce & participation, the group has completed its report and has provided 88 recommendations back to the association.

First and foremost, we must give our utmost thanks to the members of the Task Force, which includes: Graham Coulter; Aristotle Domingo; Emma de Groot; Liz Hoffman; Saj Jamal; Jason Logan; Nicola McGovern; Samba Niang; Gord Percy; Wenqin Shao; David Sheman; Stephanie Shostak; Cindy Soukoroff; Jaime Steedman; Dr. Laura Upenieks; and Chris Ward.

With support from the PGA of Canada National staff, PGA of Canada Chief Innovation Officer Matt Allen served as chair of the Task Force and can be contacted for any questions at Matt@PGAofCanada.com.

Inside this report are the recommendations from the Task Force, which the PGA of Canada has committed to adopting within a four-year time frame.

Implementing the recommendations, we hope to:

• Create an environment in which individual differences and the contributions of all team members are recognized and valued and will create an environment that promotes dignity and respect for every employee and member.
• Expand the diverse perspectives within the leadership of the PGA of Canada.
• Ensure that equity, diversity, and inclusion principles are incorporated into all strategies, plans and actions of the PGA of Canada.
• Promote an inclusive community within the membership of the PGA of Canada in which diversity is valued, and all members feel included and respected.
  • Diversity includes but is not limited to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, language, age, geography, religion, and socio-economic status.
• Promote diversity by working to improve opportunities for participation and leadership for all, but especially for designated groups who have traditionally experienced societal and workplace discrimination, women, visible minorities, and people with visible and non-visible disabilities.
• Continue to create and promote programs and policies to develop and support underrepresented groups within the golf industry.
• Encourage equitable recruitment and retention practices to ensure diversity among the workforces in golf.
• Develop and communicate policies, as well as promote values that discourage intolerance and discrimination.
• Encourage a commitment from all PGA of Canada professionals to develop, foster, promote, and maintain a work environment and golfing experience that values and respects diversity.

The PGA of Canada has committed to providing bi-annual follow ups on the status of the report and the headway we make in implementing the important changes for our association. We hope you will take the time to review the report and consider how you can help make the Canadian golf industry more inclusive, equitable, and diverse.

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The British Professional got off to a flying start in the three-day tournament with a phenomenal first round score of 64 (-8) to make him the man to beat. However, his one-over-par second round on a very narrow setup at National Golf Club brought the rest of the field back into the mix heading into the third and final round.

After a strong third-round of 69 (-3), European Tour player Steven Tiley finished on 205 (-10) for the tournament to join Gane in tied first position, meaning both players headed back down the 18^th hole for a sudden-death playoff to decide who would be the champion. With Tiley hitting his tee shot into the water on the first extra hole, a two-putt par was enough for Gane to claim his maiden Beko Classic Pro-Am victory in Turkey.

“I am delighted to be sat here as champion” Gane commented. “I struggled a little on the greens, but my ball striking has been superb all week. Having played in this event multiple times it was always one that I wanted to win, so to get over the line (and win) is an incredible feeling.”

With Steven Tiley finishing in solo-second after the playoff, third position was shared by Australian Brett Rankinand British Professional Pavan Sagoo on 206 (-9).

The Beko Classic Pro-Am is a longstanding tournament on the CPG events schedule. Having started in 1997 and now in its 24^th year, the event has been staged at numerous world-class facilities and venues across Turkey, with more recent editions being held in the Antalya region of the country.

For more information visit the Tournament Hub Page https://cp.golf/2021Beko. 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.

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FULL SCORES

For PGA Professionals and other individuals working in the industry, #CompCamp provides useful tips and advice on delivering successful golf tournaments and events.

Click the image below to watch the fifth episode.

Following the introduction of live scoring via mobile apps, episode 5 explains the challenges this can bring and how, using Golf Genius, scoring can be made even more credible and reliable than traditional paper scoring methods at golf tournaments.

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As the CPG’s ‘Official Club and Ball Tracking Technology’ Partner, TrackMan will offer best in class education and increased playing opportunities through CPG to the organisation’s 43 member countries and their collective 12,600 PGA Professionals, who influence and enhance the experience of millions of golfers around the world.

Over the past two decades, TrackMan has changed the way that technology is used in golf through its provision of launch monitors, virtual golf simulators and golf range solutions and in partnering with the CPG, it is looking to build the range of tools and services it offers to help all golfers unleash their potential and enjoyment of the sport and enhance its position as the preferred technology partner in the sector.

The multi-year lead partnership involves delivery of a number of significant initiatives including the incorporation of TrackMan University education into the newly developed CPG Learning Institute, as well launching new virtual golf tournaments across the CPG’s membership.

“We think there will be great synergy between TrackMan University and the CPG Learning Institute that will only benefit the game as a whole,” commented Sebastian Eldrup-Jørgensen, Vice President business development & sales Asia at TrackMan. “The outcome should be an increase in the number of PGA Professionals and golf coaches that are experts on the ‘physics of golf’ and it is great that we will be able to raise the level of training and education throughout the CPG network.

“Overall, we look forward to strengthening our ties with the CPG over the coming years and watching how the relationship evolves.”

CPG Chief Executive, Ian Randell, echoed these sentiments: “Our strategic plan – CPG Thrive – set out our commitment to provide opportunities to our membership and to develop the game, primarily achieved by ensuring a skilled international workforce and by driving a culture of innovation through embracing the best available technology. We are thrilled to be working with TrackMan as partners to enable all of the above, as they will provide us and our Member PGAs with the perfect platform to enhance both the educational and playing opportunities for PGA Professionals right across our membership.

“Trackman University is a fantastic addition within the soon-to-be launched CPG Learning Institute and the new series of virtual golf tournaments will enable PGA Professionals and their clients to play sociable and competitive golf on the world’s most iconic courses together, at a time of year when playing opportunities are often extremely limited.”

More details of this very exciting partnership for CPG will be released over the coming weeks. To find out more about Trackman and their partnership with the CPG you can contact Tim Munton [tm@cpg.golf] or Tom Bentley [tb@cpg.golf].

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The Beko Classic, a mainstay on the Confederation of Professional Golf’s [CPG] sanctioned-event tournament schedule, returns to Antalya, Turkey, next week.

From 22-24 October, the event will host an invite-only field made up of experienced CPG tournament and Pro-Am veterans, Ladies European Tour Stars and European Tour Professionals, who will each descend on Carya Golf Club and National Golf Club to battle it out for the title.

Carya Golf Club, in Antalya’s Belek Region, is the first classic, heathland style golf course to be built on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast. Set on undulating sand hills, Carya is a championship golf course at the heart of Turkey’s golf coast.

Opening in 1994, National Golf Club has become a popular tourist destination and won international recognition. Carved through eucalyptus and pine forest with the backdrop of the Taurus mountains, the National tests all abilities of players.

Andrew McNabola, Beko Classic Tournament Manager, commented: “Thanks to Beko’s commitment to golf, I am thrilled to have the Beko Classic back this autumn and once again see professionals compete for the Mustafa V. Koç trophy. The five-star Regnum Carya Golf & Spa Resort is a great venue and I am looking forward to welcoming all the competitors back to Belek, Antalya.”

The 54-Hole individual Professional strokeplay event, accompanied by the team Pro-Am format event, commences with Round 01 on Friday 22nd October, with the winner being declared on Sunday 24th October.

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When you think about golf and professional golf in Germany, names such as Bernhard Langer, Sophia Popov, Sandra Gal, Martin Kaymer and Marcel Siem usually spring to mind…

Having produced a long list of players to have reached the upper echelons of the game, Germany can certainly boast a history of consistently shaping the very nature of European golf at the elite level. But as we see in each and every successful golfing nation, producing great players requires solid structures and foundations to have been constructed and managed by the organisations responsible for the game’s governance. Germany is no different. What interconnects the above-mentioned players is that a PGA of Germany Professional has in some way, shape and form, influenced every stage of their games.

So, if German golf is thriving, the PGA of Germany must remain as strong and as influential as possible. To find out more about the ways in which it is doing this and about the wider German market, we spoke to PGA of Germany Professional, Stefan Quirmbach, who has played a central role within the PGA of Germany as its President for over 20 years. Throughout his sit-down conversation with CPG Chief Executive, Ian Randell, he shared his insight into the German golf industry and some of the most significant contributions he and the PGA of Germany have made to its growth.

Here are just three.

The organisation was not always the ‘PGA of Germany’

“When I started my apprenticeship in 1984, the organisation was actually called the ‘German Golf Teachers Federation’. This placed the members at a disadvantage because to a certain extent it limited them to experts in coaching and nothing else. At the end of the day, PGA of Germany Professionals are just that, Professionals” Stefan recalled.

“At the time, it was an association of good, collegial friends, and you had the feeling: ‘yes, they all understand each other very well’. But what I felt was that colleagues did not really talk honestly and openly about their profession. When they talked, everyone said at first that their shop was running well and that the hour book was full – but when you talked to the individual a bit more intensively, that was not always the case. The Professionals in the clubs at that time perceived themselves as golf instructors, and the situation was simple: the PGA Professional was there on the driving range giving lessons and usually he ran the shop. At that time, I had the feeling that the actual situation of golf Professionals in the clubs did not match the role we were supposed to have been playing. I did not feel comfortable with that.”

So In 1997, the organisation reorganised and became the PGA of Germany, enabling a new internal structure to be brought in, driven by Stefan himself, whilst also enabling them to utilise the PGA brand – something that Stefan places an incredible amount of value on: “We reformed the organisation into the PGA of Germany. Everybody in golf knows the three biggest letters are PGA. It is a highly marketable asset and attachment to have. It was clear back then that we needed to have this label.” This has meant the standards of the PGA of Germany Professional have increased and the German golf industry is becoming more and more reliant on their skills and expertise: “I feel now we have one of the best PGAs in the world. We have a reliable structure and the organisation has the respect it deserves in Germany. It is highly reputable and influential across the industry. It is enabling us to represent our members wholeheartedly. There is now a sense of pride amongst our PGA of Germany Professionals to wear the badge on their shirt.”

PGA of Germany members are more crucial than ever to the game’s commercial growth, and perceptions have changed

Throughout Stefan’s early career, industry attitudes to PGA Professionals were very different to present day. There were only 17,000 golfers playing the game in 1966 and the sport was, like most countries in the mid-twentieth century, considered very elitist. For Professionals, their reputations were not fully recognised by clubs: “When I started my training with Henning Strüver at the Frankfurt Golf Club in 1984, he told me that two years before he was only allowed on the terrace of the clubhouse – but not in the clubhouse. And when I chose this profession, my mother said to me: ‘You are going down to the lowest social level I know!’.

Not one to sit on his laurels, Stefan was spearheading change within the industry, through careful planning and a radical change in structure and educational delivery. PGA of Germany Professionals began to receive internationally recognised standards of education and training, meaning they could better meet the demands of the industry. “We really believe in education here in Germany. If you work on the education of your members, you improve their skills and in turn, professionalise the profession. This increases respect, trust and reliance on each of our members. We do continuously review and adapt our education to ensure we stay relevant and the workforce maintains its suitably for the demands of the market.

“The role of the golf Professional has changed radically in the last 40 years, thank God: we are all commercially minded and educated now. The profession of golf Professionals is now recognised as a business, and therefore the Professional himself is valued much more. That is also one reason why I do not want to be called a golf teacher. We are the basis of the game, but beyond that, we are also the ones who are highly competent in many other areas of the golf market. That is why I was also very happy when we changed our name from the German Golf Teachers Association to the Professional Golfers Association of Germany in 1995, because this reflects what we do much better.”

This rise in standards has also meant that the quantity of highly-trained professionals is increasing too: “When I first started, we had roughly 30 apprentices each year on the apprenticeship. Now, this number is more like 65-80 apprentices. This means we are able to satisfy the market with more highly skilled and knowledgeable PGA Professionals.”

So how does this reflect for the commercials in German golf? Well, the maths is quite simple: a highly-skilled workforce that is, as Stefan puts it: “incredibly engaged and wants to drive the game forward” means that golf clubs are far more commercially driven as they are now managed by PGA members and the connectivity between organisation and professional is as strong as it has ever been. “I wanted the association to be recognised in the golf world as a highly attractive business partner and that a partnership with us professionals is desirable for companies. Ultimately, this helps the association to be in a better financial position. There is definitely still room for improvement. I envisaged an association whose members proudly show their students and customers that they are PGA golf professionals. Because such a self-image then also radiates to the association’s partners. This is significantly better but we must continue to engage across our membership.”

The PGA owns and manages the Pro Golf Tour

The PGA of Germany owns and manages a number of different assets, which has enabled the organisation to grow and deliver a successful commercial programme consisting of revered brands such as Allianz, BMW, T-Mobile and Titleist all choosing to collaborate and partner with the association: “We first published our own golf magazine – pro!golf – which highlighted the association and our activities and was very important for our perception in the market.”

Another of these key assets if the German Pro Golf Tour: “At the time, the Pro Golf Tour was actually called the EPD Tour. Taking ownership of the tour was important for the organisation. With the purchase of the then EPD Tour, now the Pro Golf Tour, in 2005, we clearly committed ourselves to the promotion of professional tournaments.” But the work did not stop at the acquisition phase. Stefan and his board changed the way the tour was managed, primarily to ensure it enhanced the reputation of its players: “Whilst we wanted to increase playing opportunities for our members, reducing the bureaucracy that surrounded it and placing ownership into the hands of the Professionals was important too. For example, we stopped having referees on the tournaments. It meant that the players had to self-police their rounds, become more open and honest and really, this helped to increased and drive the reputation and credibility of all our members playing on the Pro Golf Tour.

“Every time we have stood for election in the past 21 years, we have brought new projects forward, sometimes internally and sometimes externally oriented, which were close to our hearts and which we ultimately successfully implemented together with the managing directors.”

Final Thoughts…

Through Stefan Quirmbach’s leadership and contributions, the PGA of Germany has shaped and developed its business significantly to ensure its PGA Members receive the highest possible standards of education and support services, whilst also enabling the organisation to further its role as a leading and influential voice for German golf. This has meant both organisation and member has increased its influence and reach to the amateur golfer and ensured that the game grows in both relative and absolute ways. German golf is thriving and with the structures and foundations that have been set by the PGA of Germany, the future looks bright for golf in the country.

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This article is available in The Insider by CPG magazine, click here to download your digital copy.

Brands are acutely aware of the need to give back to society in a variety of different ways and as a socially responsible business, there has never been a better opportunity to support a cause in golf than the Ryder Cup European Development Trust.

What is the RCEDT?

The 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.

It was formed as part of a three-way partnership within Ryder Cup Europe, comprising the European Tour as its managing partner, the PGA of Great Britain & Ireland as its founding partner, and the CPG through the vehicle of the Trust. It continues to ensure that the Ryder Cup invests back into the game and plays a significant role in the ongoing development of golf across the continent.

As sole partner of the Trust, the CPG, which has over 30 years’ expertise in the provision of golf development expertise and delivery on a global basis, is responsible for the control and management of the RCEDT.

Why was the RCEDT set up?

The RCEDT was created in order to allow the Ryder Cup to put even more back into grass roots golf across Europe. The idea of the Trust is to get more people starting to play golf, continuing to play and ultimately succeeding in the game.

Samuel Ryder started the Ryder Cup in 1927, and after some 65 years of the competition being under the ownership of the PGA of GB&I, the event was then run as a joint venture with The European Tour. In 2004, a new Ryder Cup agreement was drawn up to involve the CPG as sole member of the Ryder Cup European Development Trust, with the European Tour becoming the managing partner.

How does the RCEDT support golf development?

The RCEDT maintains a core focus on 10 pillars of activity, through which its support sees benefit: Participation, Education, Coaching, Junior and Youth, Elite and High Performance, Inclusivity, Improving and Enhancing Lives, Promotion of Golf, Insights, and Sustainability.

The Trust has supported a wide range of projects across Europe, including free lessons at European Tour events, junior golf programmes, disabled golf, educational programmes and more. In all cases, whether large or small, money from the Ryder Cup European Development Trust is being used for the development and growth of the game from grassroots right through to elite levels.

As a result, the Trust’s impact has been considerable and far reaching for golf in Europe. Just recently, Team Europe’s victory in the Solheim Cup – delivered by a team with international representation from no less than eight European nations – was testament to the support provided by the Trust over the years, as well as to the work of many European Federations and PGAs who have contributed to the development and success of each player.

The RCEDT: support your CSR goals.

As a registered charity that supports grassroots golf programmes and golf development projects, your businesses’ support of the Trust will create significant social development opportunities through golf and provide thousands of people from across a diverse range of backgrounds with the chance to participate throughout Europe. The legacy of the RCEDT is unwavering; the impact its support has is far-reaching; the mutual benefit of your involvement will be profound.

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Inside the Ryder Cup with CPG Chief Executive, Ian Randell, and Jeremy Snape.

The CPG Business Club hosted a live forum with Founder and CEO of Sporting Edge, Jeremy Snape, interviewing Ian Randell live from Whistling Straits, host venue of the 2020 Ryder Cup. Visit the CPG Business Club and find out how you can join future events: https://cp.golf/CPG-Business-Club​

THE WINNING MINDSET

This article is available in The Insider by CPG magazine, click here to download your digital copy.

The similarities between sport and business are often discussed, but there are few people better placed to shed light on the subject than former England cricketer Jeremy Snape. Here, he tells us what the two worlds have in common and what they can learn from each other.

CPG: You were a successful sportsman and changed tack totally on retirement. Why was that? 

Jeremy Snape: I had always considered myself a journeyman pro. I had 19 years as a professional cricketer, starting at Northants with an incredibly talented team with the likes of Allan Lamb and Curtly Ambrose and a squad full of legends that did not win a huge amount but had a great time. And then I moved to Gloucestershire, who were always underdogs. Everyone fitted together into this tight unit, and we surprised so many people, and ultimately redefined one-day cricket during that period, winning five or six trophies around the turn of the century. And that gave me the springboard to go and play for England. I was man of the match on my debut, but I guess I did not always find I was naturally confident. I was hard on myself and quite analytical – I remember playing a game in front of 120,000 screaming people in India but the loudest voice was in my head, and it was the one that was saying, “Are you sure you are good enough to be here?” I let the emotions divert me from my gameplan and no one had ever coached that, and I suppose it sparked a fascination for me in psychology and mindset and how leaders create a high-performance environment. So that is what I turned to.

CPG: I guess whatever we do we can all empathise with those doubts creeping in…  

JS: Yes, absolutely, and I have spent more time trying to understand this now over the last decade or so but often the highest performers are the ones that have the most doubt and insecurity because they have built up so much and they have got so much to lose. And part of that mindset is actually continually testing the boundaries, which means you are living on the edge and you are out of your comfort zone. Elite performers can actually find comfort in that uncomfortable space and they keep going there because they know that if they can overcome those fears, then that is where their proudest moments come from, and their best achievements.

CPG: And you studied this formally?

JS: Yes. I did my Master’s degree at Loughborough University while I was still playing actually, and there was a moment of epiphany, in the final of the Twenty20 Cup in a tight game at Edgbaston, when I needed to hit a boundary to win, and I used some of these skills that I had learnt from my Master’s degree. In India I had been so focused on what the newspapers and the media might say the next day that I forgot to watch the ball in front of me. Here, I was so focused on my breathing and my routine that I played an instinctive shot, and won the game for us.

So I saw the power of these techniques personally in my own career. I wish I had learnt them earlier but that is the way it is, and that gave me the passion to become a performance coach and help people to understand how they can use their mindset to give them a competitive edge rather than be a hindrance. And that led on to coaching in the IPL with Shane Warne’s team, the Rajasthan Royals, coaching South Africa as they went from number four to number one in the world, and then joining the League Managers’ Association (LMA), supporting the leadership development for the Premier League managers and below.

CPG: And you set up Sporting Edge. What was the aim there?

JS: Sporting Edge is ultimately about going inside the mind of champions, elite performers from sport, the military, academia, best-selling authors, futurists, and trying and find out what is it about this high-performance mindset and this high-performance leadership style that can be broken down into tangible tools that business leaders around the world can use. For me the mindset of high-performance in elite sport and in business are exactly the same. We are trying to get the best out of ourselves and to overcome those doubts, we are trying to get the best out of our individuals that are around us, and we are trying to bring an organisation together and help them to navigate change. The lessons absolutely translate across perfectly and we have proven that with thousands of executives around the world, using our digital library of video insights to fast-track their success.

CPG: Do business leaders need to be selfish to succeed?

JS: As a professional athlete you need to be self-focused. Not necessarily selfish but definitely self-focused, and that can lead into selfishness. The team dynamic is all about selfless performance – what can I give to my team? What does my team need of me now? And we tend to think more selflessly and longer-term in a team situation, whereas when we are under pressure we tend to think about survival in the short-term in our own career. I guess in golf that is where that incredible resilience of living in the moment and being able to build a strategy for your tournament or for the day or the round that you are playing and then be able to break it down into these tight routines. So, for example, if you are playing golf for four hours you are actually only playing golf for 23 minutes and it is the transition between the downtime when you are walking up and down the fairway, what you are thinking there, and that ability to really dial up your focus onto the next shot. You have got to be able to forget the last shot, whether it was a brilliant shot and you feel euphoric or whether it was a terrible shot and you have ended up in the woods. You have got to be able to stop that last shot from contaminating the next one, and that is one of the key mental skills that golf demands.

And it relates into business in that you might be a salesperson who has had three bad sales calls but the fourth call, you cannot afford to go into with low energy, low mood and a negative mindset, because that fourth call might be the one that actually transforms your business. It is that ability to reframe and reset yourself every so often rather than just seeing it as a whole day at work or a whole round of golf. Elite performers have that ability to break the game and the day down into focused units of performance.

CPG: The idea of an individual focus is really interesting but what about when golf becomes a team game?

JS: It is very interesting, I did an interview with Paul McGinley about his leadership at the Ryder Cup, and I think there were a few key elements there. One of the things he tried to do was build this emotional connection with the team. So, clearly all the stars are incredibly successful, they are financially secure, there is nothing that they really need but this team culture has the opportunity to be the thing that they are most proud of in their career and Paul McGinley leveraged this in a couple of ways. First of all he connected them back into the emotional history of the Ryder Cup, so all the players that had gone before them in that lineage. They used really powerful, emotive imagery of people like Seve Ballesteros and tried to bring some of that mindset, almost like the ancient wisdom of these forefathers was speaking to them, that they wanted to be part of this community. And then he, sort of, fast-forwarded it again and asked the players, you know, “Wouldn’t it be amazing if we were sitting in a pub in 15 years’ time when we were old and grey and we could look each other in the eye and say we did it, during those few days, we were the ones that absolutely sacrificed and delivered and we stayed true to the team spirit.”

McGinley was one of the first people to use data in an analytical review. For two years before the Ryder Cup he was looking at the course profile and the pairings and match-ups. He had got really strict rules around meetings only being 30 minutes, so he had to make sure that in those 30 minutes he had got their attention and their focus. And then he made sure he understood different people’s requirements so, for example, some leaders would have mandated a team meal every day at a particular time whereas McGinley had a rolling buffet because he knew that some of the Scandinavian golfers might have wanted to eat early and go to bed early whereas some of the Southern European might have stayed up later and gone to bed later. Having that ability to flex the environment for individuals to be at their very best meant that they did not feel as if they were fighting against the team, they were bringing their best as an individual into a team environment. And then because they had been supported as an individual, they could give as much as they could.

I have also interviewed a lot of Olympians who have spoken about individual performance being great but actually what really make them proud are when they have played their part in something bigger than themselves. Because that is not just a test of skill, but being part of a high-performing team is a test of character as well.

CPG: Are there attributes that these elite athletes, and by extension business leaders, share?

JS: Elite performers need certain core attributes, without a doubt. What I have learned from interviewing some of the world’s elite performers is that they have got this ability to visualise the endgame in high definition. They can imagine what it is going to feel like. And they can see themselves on the podium, they can build this incredible vision of what it is like and that is what motivates them. But they are also able to break that down into the behaviours and processes that are going to help them to do that. And then, more importantly than anything, they can set out a strategy. The discipline to be able to stick to these basics day after day after day is what sets them apart. So, we all see the Olympians on the podium, we all see the Tour de France cyclists in the yellow jersey, but what we do not see is them hacking up the mountains in the rain for four hours a day, for five years in a row.

The other thing I think is really important for entrepreneurs and elite sports stars is the ability to create a high-performance team around them. They rotate their hitting partners, physios, biomechanists, psychologists, nutritionists around them depending on what their game needs at the time. One of the challenges when you become successful is you get an echo chamber around you of people that just want to say that you are doing really well and they do not want to challenge you. What you actually want is a group of advisors who are going to support you and challenge you to be the very best you can be, to give you honest critique to keep you on track, and that could save you years of making the same mistakes.

CPG: Moving away from the absolute elite level, what would you say to the 12,500 professionals who are part of the CPG?

JS: The analogy I often use which is relevant here is that we are all the CEO of our own performance company. It is very easy when you are part of a big organisation to feel like you are another cog in the machine but actually when you run your own business it is critical, every decision that you make about how you communicate, your marketing outreach, the customer service that you offer, the risks that you take with the events that you are putting on. I think having real resilience is absolutely critical, having that optimism is absolutely critical, and we have needed both of those things over the last couple of years with COVID. But I think it is also important to have some kind of strategic roadmap of where you want to be.

One of the experts in digital strategy that we interviewed spoke about three time horizons being critical for leaders. The first time horizon is what’s your email inbox and your to-do list for the next few weeks or the next quarter. And then he spoke about horizon three being this disrupted future which is maybe five to ten years out where technology might have a different role to play. And the most important place to focus on is horizon two, which is this middle ground between our to-do list and this crazy world that may be very different in the future. Having that ability to plan some of these skill developments or entrepreneurial activities where a golf pro may be learning new skills or setting up a website or building some digital courses, they might seem like they are nice-to-haves in the future but if we are constantly just focused on navigating the short-term and surviving, we never build that business model in horizon two, which could be the thing that completely transforms our business.

CPG: Do you believe that golf is the sport of business?

JS: I do. First of all you get to meet lots of new contacts. If we get to play golf with a friend or a business partner and their colleague or client, then that sort of proximity is already a trusted relationship. And as the game unfolds you get to see what people are like under pressure, when they are losing, when they are winning. You do not often see that on a zoom meeting or sitting in a business meeting. Seeing somebody’s emotional profile as they go through pressure I think is a fascinating tell of what that person’s character is like. And again, you are spending a long period of time, maybe three or four hours, out in the fresh air, you are getting plenty of exercise. You are able to be creative because you have got the blood flow and your brain’s switching off from a lot of the analytical processes and often that is when our best ideas come.

In so many of our social interactions there is a power hierarchy, isn’t there? This person is a more senior leader than me, this person is a multi-millionaire, therefore we defer to their power. But in golf, you could have a multi-millionaire who is rubbish at golf and a young buck who is playing off scratch and those power hierarchies are inverted, and you get a pretty good sense from the way people interact with each other what they are like in business. So yes, I would say golf provides a great shared experience and is very much the sport of business.

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ESET is a CPG Business Partner and member of the Business Club by CPG – Find out more here

Is your business a serial shredder, tending not to think about what personal data is thrown in the waste? Have you ever thought what a cybercriminal could do after simply going through your rubbish? Now that online ordering of golf clubs, apparel and other goods and services in golf is becoming a regular way of life, the scope to be throwing away sensitive information is massive, and criminals are well aware of this treasure trove of information right on your kerbside.

Like most people around the world, since COVID-19 I started to become very good friends with my local delivery drivers as the number of items I received in the post and by a delivery service dramatically increased. From groceries to everyday supplies, my wife and I really started to buy virtually everything online.

Online shopping has come a long way in the past few years and there isn’t much that can go wrong when using reputable websites and shops with great reviews, right? Well, I’m afraid I’m about to draw your attention to yet another potential problem you need to be aware of and remain cautious.

READ ALSO: On course for a good hacking 

Your personal data is extremely sought after by malicious actors and it needs to remain private, or at least as private as you can make it. You need to be very careful of how you dispose of any sensitive data, since you never know who might just end up looking at it, including what you’ve bought online and other details that are on the paperwork that may be cast into the recycling.

I recently received a parcel and to my absolute astonishment my phone number was on the outside of the parcel, something I hadn’t seen before. Not only might this be a data protection faux pas; I wondered if cybercriminals could take advantage of this and what they could possibly achieve by joining the dots with the criminal underworld and previous data breaches and scrapes. After all, when Facebook admitted earlier this year that 533 million phone numbers were now searchable on the internet with corresponding email addresses, I thought this was potentially rather damaging.

But what about what is inside the envelopes and parcels and what if any of these contents head to the recycling bin? Assuming intercepting items in the postal and delivery services is difficult without an insider, I fear that many people may in fact just throw away parcel notes and addresses rather than destroy them with a shredder. It is my assumption that even if some people own a shredder, they may primarily use it for financial information and other extremely important documents that are no longer required, instead of using it on envelopes too.

I even hold up my hand as I was previously only shredding apparently sensitive and private information on paper, but then at the same time folding up and placing any cardboard parcels in the recycling pile – often with my address still clearly visible – but now this could contain my phone number, or maybe even an email address?

This parcel with my phone number clearly visible on it came from an eBay seller but it got me thinking about other documents that I receive now on a daily basis. Other receipts I looked at in my house from other eBay users have sometimes included my email address. Looking at some other receipts of mine – a few, including from a few independent online shops and a major shoe company – included my email address and phone number.

None of my Amazon parcels from the Amazon warehouse have ever included any more personal information in the paperwork other than name and address but one from an Amazon seller did send my email address written on the paperwork inside the envelope.

With the agreement of my friend James, who is both a good friend and also one of the school dads, I decided to test another recycling bin to see how much information I could piece together on him and his family. James happily allowed me to pilfer through his recycling bin the day before it was left at the kerb, with two weeks’ worth of paper and card in it. In 30 minutes of rummaging I found his or his wife’s name and address 24 times, email address three times and phone number twice. I was even able to profile them and piece together what they were into purchasing – something marketeers and advertisers are really struggling with at the moment due to GDPR – but it soon dawned on me that most people’s bins still remain hackers’ treasure troves!

Trash talk

Your paper and card waste can be worth rather a lot of money to cybercriminals due to the amount of sensitive information and what they can do with further tricks into manipulating people with this information. For example, with your phone number and the receipt of what you have just bought, they could potentially call or text you with an update on the product purchased and request you to visit a website that could then entice you to hand over more information such as a password or payment card details. There is the potential of them being able to then access your shopping accounts and purchase items from any stored cards or, worse still, attempt identity theft.

How else can you stay safe when shopping online?

• Shred and destroy any personal data before you place it in the trash and don’t forget to check the envelopes/parcels.
• Use unique, complex passwords and change them if they become compromised.
• Use multi-factor authentication on all accounts.

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2018 was a monumental moment for golf in France. By bringing the biennial Ryder Cup matches to Paris meant that the French economy benefitted with sums in the region of €235 million, achieved through ticket sales, international consumer spending, business investment and other commercial activity. Through that Ryder Cup, the contributions have unquestionably raised the profile of golf in France enormously and brought about significant economic value to wider French society.

But the impact it has had goes further than just the economics. The French bid for the matches contained legacy-focused activities such as building 100 ‘petites structures’ (or urban courses) closer to the population and the ‘Mon Carnet de Golf’ schools programme that introduced golf and the Ryder Cup to French schoolchildren. After 10 years of work, that short course project has had a significant impact on French golf by developing 17,000 new players, creating over 250 jobs and generating economic benefits such as increased investment into golf and contribution to the national GDP through an average of €220,000 of revenue and 3000 green fees per course.

So, there is no wonder that excitement about the opportunities and the possibilities that the Ryder Cup can have is growing each day within Italy – the host country of the 2023 matches. For the first time, the event will be staged by the country best known for the Molinari brothers, exquisite food and gastronomy, and the roar of a Ferrari supercar.

That excitement is shared by Head of Education for the Italian Golf Federation and President of the PGA of Italy, Filippo Barbé: “The Ryder Cup is a great opportunity. We will need to think outside the box and do something different for 2023 but I am excited.”

Joining the conversation from his home in the North-Italian hub of Milan, Filippo is gently spoken throughout. He is one of the most influential figures in Italian golf and will no doubt be playing his own part in making the matches a huge success for golfers across the country. Whilst he is not directly involved in the matches themselves, he is aware of the opportunities it will bring to the two governing organisations and the domestic game: “With a Ryder Cup coming up in 2023, the Federation and the PGA of Italy will be stepping up our cooperation. It makes total sense to do so. It is not often a Ryder Cup comes about. By doing so, we can have a significant influence on the game on so many levels going into that event. Historically, our cooperation has ensured that participation levels have remained high and in fact, higher than many other countries, so I do not think there is a reason to change course because of the Ryder Cup.”

Whilst participation may be high, golf in Italy can only thrive with solid foundations and that comes from a self-sustainable and financially strong PGA. Filippo was keen to stress this fact throughout the conversation: “We cooperate closely to ensure we run on strong foundations. Becoming more sustainable as a PGA is our goal. With the focus now switching to Italy for 2023, commercial sponsors will be looking for new opportunities to target golfers and activate across the country. I believe we have a part to play on this front. The challenge for the PGAI and the Federation now is to ensure that we reaffirm our position as the two leading organisations for golf in the country. That is key. By maintaining our influence and presence, I feel this will help revenue and sponsorship to flow long after the event has been staged. This money helps to move our organisations forward and provide better services to our members.”

There is no doubt that the 2018 Ryder Cup, the French Open and many other major golf events have helped to place France in an attractive position for commercial investors over the years. Investment and profits from the event itself – which is channelled through and administered by the Ryder Cup European Development Trust (RCEDT) – has helped support projects such as the 100 Petites Structures and other developmental initiatives that are growing the game in France. It is that sort of legacy that the PGA of Italy is aiming to replicate heading into the 2023 edition: “I am convinced it will be a great event but we must focus on what we are good at and what our strengths are. Our unique position for golf in Italy will help to attract sponsors, tourists, golfers and businesses – all of which are key to supporting golf’s development in the country”.

Keen to stress that actions speak louder than words however, Filippo cited recent examples of how and why the PGA of Italy is keen to be involved in international golf events as much as possible: “During the recent Italian Open, we had a dedicated area to host a series of coaching clinics and zones. We invited some of our most experienced PGAI Professionals to be stationed throughout the week and deliver lessons to the general public. This is a very small and simple example but it was very effective. Our highly educated PGA Members are the experts in the game. We think having them present at the Ryder Cup and during events like the Italian Open is valuable. They are able to engage with golfers and help them to improve and a lot of these amateurs are ones who we would not normally see at golf clubs and driving ranges on a day-to-day basis. They have come to watch golf for the first time.”

“That is the power of golf events such as the Italian Open and the Ryder Cup. They enable us to reach new audiences. We can do a great job in 2023. There are some tremendous opportunities for the PGA of Italy and the Italian Golf Federation to take advantage of. We just want to showcase our PGA Professionals and help drive the numbers of people playing golf here in Italy. The Ryder Cup is perfect for this.”

The Power of Sponsorships in Golf

To hear Filippo speak so passionately about golf in Italy and the PGA for which he has presided as President for over three years was quite eye-opening. He is a man who cares deeply about the sport in his country, with a strong and vested interest in providing greater and further opportunity for his members: “Having better educated Professionals, supported by a strong PGA both financially and operationally, ensures they are able to engage with golfers in new and better ways, and ultimately grow the game across all levels.”

It is clear that large-scale golf events play an integral part in driving domestic participation and in supporting national golf organisations. The Ryder Cup has a history for providing increased opportunity and exposure for countries to benefit and in turn, for golf to thrive in the respective host countries. By staging the matches in Rome in 2023, it will be immense for Italian golf – not just because of the anticipated three day spectacle that we have all grown to love but also because of the effect it will have on the wider game in Italy and on the institutions that are responsible for its development. For the many passionate individuals that administer the Italian game, such as Filippo Barbé, the Ryder Cup’s impact will be profound.

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Centurion Club is a CPG Business Partner and member of the Business Club by CPG – Find out more here

The CPG were delighted to host the inaugural CPG Centurion Club Invitational at its international headquarters, Centurion Club, on Tuesday 5^th October. Aimed at providing an exclusive opportunity for CPG Commercial Partners, PGA Professionals and invited guests to enjoy an outstanding golfing experience with first class hospitality and entertainment, staged just after the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits, the event stayed true to its promise throughout.

Attending teams were as diverse as they were significant – from global golf and technology brands such as Trackman and Pitchfix; to cybersecurity and malware protection provider ESET; to club, apparel and accessory manufacturer PING Europe. It was a golf event where CPG Partners, Supporters and those with close ties to the organisation could finally come together for the first time in over 18 months to share in a unique golf and networking experience.

The event started off with a range of product and service demonstrations for guests including from the golf swing biomechanics company, Dragonfly 3D, as well as from youth education programmes and golf clubs provider, GolPhin, followed by practice and business networking – the latter being made possible by a dedicated Business Club Lounge Sponsored by ESET. Before a golf shot had even been hit, the opportunities for developing meaningful relationships, creating business and brand exposure and experiencing the exquisite facilities at Centurion Club were aplenty.

Situated to the west of St. Albans, Centurion Club is the international headquarters of the CPG, whose name reflects the historical associations the area has with the Roman era. As a host venue for one of the recently staged Aramco Team Series events on the Ladies European Tour, the course explores a mix of pine tree-lined and dramatically shaped holes to offer an aesthetically beautiful golf course. The venue was befitting of such an event and delivered above and beyond guest’s expectations.

The golf event provided the perfect opportunity to pilot European Doubles Golf, which will see its international rollout in 2021 and 2022. Co-founded by Jack Nicklaus and 2PG and already proving to be a massive success in the USA, Doubles Golf was launched as an innovative form of recreational and competitive golf, played as a series of two-person team, ‘scramble format’ events. For the CPG Centurion Club Invitational, this format provided the perfect opportunity for teams to interact with one another more closely, discuss strategies (about their golf games, but also about business!) and work together to produce an accumulated team points total across two sets of 9-hole tournaments.

In the end, 85 points was enough to claim first place for Centurion Club’s Andy Stubbs, PGA Professional Lee Scarbrow, PING Europe’s former Managing Director, John Clark, and CPG Chief Executive, Ian Randell. Ian placed most of the praise on Stubbs: “Andy made that front nine look easy – he must have contributed 7 birdies to the overall team total, it was incredible to watch.”

The CPG Centurion Club Invitational was not just about the golf and demonstrations in the morning however. For Old Tom Gin 1821, who recently announced their partnership as the Official Gin of the CPG, the day provided the platform to officially launch their brand-new gin products. Attended by Founder and CEO, Giorgio Cozzolino, guests were treated to gin tasting at an Old Tom Gin-hosted drinks reception. Giorgio was delighted with the response: “Following many years of hard work in perfecting the taste, the quality and even the packaging, it was incredible to see my vision come to life at our own launch event, in partnership with the CPG.”

Centurion Club prides itself on quality. The golf course, service and experience that it provides its members has created a unique and reputable experience that very few venues can rival. This premise held true right the way through to the very end of the day, as guests were rewarded for their tremendous golfing efforts with a fine dining experience; a panel session with Old Tom Gin Brand Champions, Carly Booth and Gary Evans, around their playing careers and PGA Professional influences; and a short Q&A between Ian Randell and John Clark, who both focused on the recent staging’s of the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup and their own involvements with the two biennial events.

Throughout the pandemic, events such as this have been few and far between – safety restrictions and regulations have reduced the ability to mix and interact through golf. These principles of social interaction across a level-playing field for a full day of golf are the very cornerstones of why golf is termed ‘The Sport of Business’. Having the opportunity to finally bring a range of partners, guests and golfers together for a one-day experience like no other was valuable for all involved. In fact, the day was nicely summarised by Pitchfix Marketing Director, Russell Coulston: “Yesterday was immensely enjoyable, even for a novice golfer like me. The event was extremely well-coordinated, held at a wonderful venue and had great company and connections for me to talk to about our respective businesses. Well done and massive thanks to the teams from both the CPG and Centurion Club.”

PING Europe is a CPG Business Partner and member of the Business Club by CPG – Find out more here

PING has announced details of its Autumn/Winter 2021 women’s apparel collection, which combines premium performance fabrics and manufacturing techniques with the latest seasonal print and colour trends, designed to inspire female golfers to both look and play their best in all conditions.

The Autumn/Winter 2021 range features options to suit every golfer and blends PING’s premium performance fabrics with a rich colour palette, to create a selection of choices that offer comfort and practicality, whilst allowing golfers to continue to look their best.

Featuring PING’s innovative Sensor performance fabric technologies, SensorCool®, SensorWarm® and SensorDry®, the range features a rich colour palette inspired by nature’s autumnal shades. The main colours of ‘Firebrick’ and ‘Radiant Yellow’ are offset with ‘Pristine’ – a fresh winter white. This versatile palette allows all colours to be worn together and all coordinate with classic navy tones.

The Power of Paisley

The collection is centred around elegant, timeless and classic paisley prints that create a strong visual impact across key layering styles and accessories, whilst also appearing as a subtle tonal effect in new stand-out outerwear pieces.

The reversible, insulated Colette vest provides a core style in the range to centre outfits around. Engineered for warmth in cold weather, this water-resistant vest features a reversible design with a printed paisley pattern to one side and a bold Firebrick colour to the other. This versatile style is fully insulated throughout with feminine chevron quilting.

Another highlight garment in the collection, the Marlena Jacket is a paisley printed hybrid jacket that provides warmth and water resistance. It features an insulated paisley printed front panel with brushed-stretch fleece sleeves, back and side panels, metallic silver front zip teeth, and two front zip pockets.

The paisley print design also extends into two long-sleeved performance tops. The Evangeline is a full body paisley print, available in two colourways – Pristine and Navy – whilst the Ainsley features the paisley print placed at the upper body and is available in Navy/Pristine and Pristine/Navy. Both styles are engineered from peached fabric with enhanced softness for moisture-moving comfort in all conditions and provide female golfers with a bold, expressive and premium look. When used as a layering piece, both styles combine with the Colette vest and the reversible Paisley Neck Warmer, providing a complete Autumn/Winter look.

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PING Europe is a CPG Business Partner and member of the Business Club by CPG – Find out more here

PING has unveiled its Autumn/Winter 2021 men’s apparel collection, which builds on the success of the AW20 range and represents the most technical collection ever released by the brand, providing unrivalled protection in all conditions, come wind, rain or shine.

Engineered to work with the ever-changing climates, the AW21 range features PING’s innovative technology platforms and the latest premium fabrics that have been designed and engineered to allow golfers to play through the seasons, without compromising comfort or performance.

Working in tandem with the brand’s trusted Sensor platform technology, the collection sees PING expand its partnership with market-leading insulation brand, PrimaLoft^®, to include PrimaLoft^® ThermoPlume^® insulation technology in the new Norse S3 jacket.

Complementing this, the SensorDry^® Series has been expanded to provide golfers with a comprehensive range of wet weather protection that enables them to continue playing throughout the winter months.

SensorDry^® Series: Take No Cover
The updated SensorDry^® Series now features three options: the SensorDry^® 2.5 suit, the SensorDry^® Pro suit and the SensorDry^® suit, each of which offers exceptional protection in even the wettest of conditions.

Developed with PING’s Tour Apparel Ambassadors, the SensorDry^® 2.5 suit provides the ultimate waterproof and windproof protection from the elements. Super lightweight and stretch 2.5-layer fabric provides golfers with the most advanced breathable and waterproof outerwear, ensuring no distractions during the round.

The SensorDry^® Pro suit has been designed for superior comfort and functionality, which allows golfers to adapt to the ever-changing conditions, offering waterproof performance with additional features for extra warmth in cold and wet weather.

With a number of added features, the jacket includes inner storm-cuffs and an adjustable collar, so that rain droplets don’t compromise performance, whilst a brushed lining to the upper body provides added warmth and protection. Featuring a PING Eye logo next to the chest pocket and a high gloss two-way front zip, the jacket is available in three colour-blocked designs, meaning golfers can play and look their best, whatever the weather.

Completing the AW21 waterproof collection, the SensorDry® suit offers proven waterproof performance in wet weather with its fully seam-sealed construction. Designed as a go-to style for golfers when the weather changes and waterproof outerwear is essential, an inner stretch mesh lining and an adjustable hem and hook-and-loop cuffs provide comfort in the wind and rain. This jacket is available in four, core classic colourways to suit the style of every golfer.

Norse S3 Jacket: Warmth When You Need It
The next generation of the ground-breaking Norse series, the Norse S3 jacket is a fully insulated PrimaLoft^® jacket that has been engineered for superior warmth in cold weather and features the introduction of PrimaLoft^®ThermoPlume^® insulation.

A pioneering technology that enables PING to continue to push the boundaries of performance golf apparel, PrimaLoft^® ThermoPlume^® insulation is comprised of small, silky plumes of fibre that mimic the lightweight warmth and softness of high-quality natural down. This delivers the unwavering performance features that golfers need – insulating loft, water-resistant protection, and compressibility.

The outer design features a stitch-free 3D quilted effect that enhances wind and water resistance and provides a clean, contemporary visual with added warmth, comfort, and style.

Power Half-Zip: Exceptional Modern Performance

Also new for Autumn/Winter 2021, the Power Half-Zip wind top has been engineered to stretch and move with the body in a variety of playing conditions, delivering the ultimate technical mid-layer for on-course performance. Additional stretch panelling allows greater ease of movement, while water resistant and highly wind resistant properties ensure that the Power Half-Zip top is an essential for year-round golf.

Felix: Geometric Camouflage Graphic

Continuing the geometric camouflage pattern from Spring/Summer 2021, the Felix mid-layer provides an additional layer of warmth on the colder days, for a seamless transition from season-to-season.

Engineered and designed to provide thermal, stretch, water-resistant properties and freedom of movement in cold weather, the Felix works across all three colour stories. This allows golfers to co-ordinate their winter wardrobe by pairing it with winter accessories, such as the Camo Knit hat and the reversible Harlow neck warmer, both of which feature the same camouflage pattern.

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