As teams of world golf stars battle it out in the new GolfSixes tournament, local children have been showcasing how this dynamic team format can help grow the junior game.
As teams of world golf stars battle it out in the new GolfSixes tournament this weekend at Centurion Club, local children have been showcasing how this dynamic team format can help grow the junior game in many of our golf clubs.
GolfSixes is the revolutionary new short form of golf from the European Tour that sees two-man teams from 16 nations competing around a six-hole circuit for a prize fund of €1 million.
Today, the Golf Foundation has been given a unique opportunity by the European Tour. During Pro-Am Friday at GolfSixes it has been staging its own junior GolfSixes team event, a pitch and a putt away from the main action on the course at Centurion Club, St Albans.
And, as the European Tour is a major supporter of the Golf Foundation, the charity has been helped as a number of star players agreed to captain four teams of five boys and girls from local schools taking part. Denmark’s Thorbjørn Olesen and Lucas Bjerregaard, and Australia’s Sam Brazel and Scott Hend were an inspiration to the children.
Following the launch of GolfSixes by the Tour, the Golf Foundation will be helping youngsters emulate their European Tour heroes by piloting ‘GolfSixes Academy’ events in 32 golf clubs around England over the summer, employing the European Tour’s GolfSixes branding.
Playing the exciting team format over six holes, promising new young golfers will represent their golf clubs in a league against other local clubs while kitted out in team shirts. All of the clubs involved operate the Golf Foundation’s successful HSBC Golf Roots programme that helps young people to ‘Start, Learn and Stay’ in golf. The Golf Foundation was delighted to receive funding from Sport England to test out this new team format over fewer holes as a means of encouraging more young people to ‘Stay’ in the sport.
Frederik Lindgren, Head of Corporate Responsibility at the European Tour, said: “One of the main aims of the new GolfSixes concept is to attract more people to the sport, whether that is taking up the game themselves or as spectators.
“Through our existing relationship with the Golf Foundation, together we identified the GolfSixes Academy concept as a great way of bringing the GolfSixes format directly to young people in clubs across England, the host country of the first ever event, allowing the benefits of the format to extend beyond the opening weekend at Centurion Club.”
Brendon Pyle, Chief Executive of the Golf Foundation, said: “The aim of the Golf Sixes Academy is to encourage more young people, supported by their parents, to enjoy the fun and competitive team atmosphere of golf, similar to other team sports such as football or netball, so that they want to play golf on a more regular basis.
“GolfSixes, with its team formats and kit, Texas scramble shotmaking for the kids and the family involvement, will be a great addition to our support for clubs and we are hugely grateful to the European Tour for allowing us to embrace the GolfSixes brand in this way. This is all very progressive and we wish all the players the best of luck in this inaugural event at Centurion Club.”
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