The inaugural European Team Shield at Pravets Golf Resort was launched by the European Golf Association (EGA) to support the development of golf in the Balkans, southern and eastern European and Baltic regions. The Shield is the latest addition to the series of 20 European title championships and international matches run by the EGA.
Working in partnership with The R&A, as part of their ‘Working For Golf’ Programme, a team of top coaches from the Confederation of Professional Golf shadowed and mentored team coaches and delivered coaching sessions to competitors offering various areas of guidance to the players and coaches alike.
The Shield is the latest addition to the series of 20 European title championships and international matches run by the EGA.
Twelve four-player teams from Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Malta, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine played in the event which follows on from the former Balkan Challenge Trophy.
The event received €35,000 of R&A funding to help cover staging costs and national participation subsidies. The governing body also provided two highly experienced referees in Nigel Watt and Tony Rocke who delivered a Rules clinic for players and officials.
A team of top coaches from the Confederation of Professional Golf delivered coaching sessions ahead of the event to offer additional guidance to the players.
Richard Heath, European Golf Association (EGA) General Secretary, said, “The championship is open to countries who, this year, have not fielded teams in the EGA’s other European team championships. The event’s main aim is to encourage the participating nations to develop their elite golf programmes and national team infrastructure so that there are greater playing opportunities open to their players in future. The event has received tremendous support from The R&A and has provided an excellent showcase for these emerging nations.”
The 2015 European Team Shield was won by Greece.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.