President Barrack Obama and Prime Minister David Cameron played a few holes at The Grove during the President’s state visit. Mr Cameron is also a fully paid up member of Ellensborough Golf Club in Buckinghamshire. The occupier of Chequers has been entitled to honorary membership of the club since the time of Lloyd George and his recently published tax return shows that Mr Cameron paid his £1,165 2015/16 fees.
Last year more than 60 golf clubs in China were shut down by the Communist Party and in October the sport was officially banned.Members were stopped from joining or entering private clubs because the party saw them as connected with bribery and corruption.
In a surprising U turn the ban was lifted just before the Sczezen Open and the only restriction on party members is now from accepting free memberships or gifts of golf equipment.
The way is now clear for golf to flourish amongst the huge Chinese population.
Adam Scott drew controversy last week when he announced that he was skipping the Rio Olympics.
“My decision has been take. as a result of an extremely busy playing schedule and other commitments, both personal and professional”.
This brought a scathing response from Australian swimmer Dawn Fraser, winner of four gold medals.
“Very sorry to hear thst Adam Scott cannot fit it into his schedule to play for Australia in the Olympics. Well done Adam, great to put your own country on hold so that you can fulfil your own schedule how much money do you want in life not showing much for your country. I guess working three jobs a wedk to secure my place as an Olympic swimmer gave me perspective”.
Follwing on, furthet major champions withdrew. First Vijay Singh from Fiji, then South Africans Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel pulled out of the competition.
Gary Player professed himself “sad and disappointed by this”. He said that when he was younger he would have given anything to play in the Olympics and players withdrawing would hurt the game of golf.
“The Olympics will undoubtedly grow the game worldwide no matter who plays and who doesn’t. All the top players should think carefully about this. It is a spectacular celebration of sport and very exciting that golf is back again. It will be a time that no living golfer has ever experienced and I will be walking with the South African team at the Opening Ceremony I cannot wait to represent my country with pride”.
On the women’s side many players are concerned about the threat of the zika virus, and there remains the possibility of further withdrawals.
Danny Willett’s wonderful victory in the US Masters has given European golf a huge boost, especially as seven European players finished in the top 10. One of our finest hours!
US Amateur Champion Bryson De Chambeau has announced that he will turn professional after The Masters at the RDC Heritage presented by Boeing.
The 22 year old Californian left Southern Methodist University last September and has been travelling round the world playing on sponsors invitations. He must remain amateur to play in The Masters. Sports Illustrated call him the most exciting player of 2016. Former Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger says he has never seen a player come out on tour so secure in what he is doing.
He will play at The Memorial and the Quicken Loans National and 8 more exemptions during which time he must earn 1551 FedEx Cup points to grant him entry to the rest of the season.
Bryson says “it’s all a journey and its only just begun”. A brilliant start at yhe Masters too and leading amateur.
PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem (pictured left with Jay Monahan) has signed an extension to his contract through to the end of this year to allow him to complete projects before he hands over the reins to his successor Jay Monahan.
Jay Monahan was recently apointed Deputy Commissioner and is currently Chief Operating Officer, running the day to day business of the tour. He has worked in various roles at the tour for the past eight years and will be concentrating on promoting global growth and digital opportunities.
Tim Finchem said
“Young, aggressive leadership is good for a company. I am getting old and Jay is ready”.
Tim Finchem will act as consultant for the First Tee and the World Golf Foundation. During his tenure he has led an era of expansion, negotiating lucrative TV deals and introducing the FedEx Cup playoffs.
2015 Masters Champion Jordan Spieth served Texas barbeque at the Masters Champions Dinner on Tuesday night.
His mentor, Ben Crenshaw, a two-time champion who leads the conversation at the dinner, said that Jordan Spieth had chosen Salt Lick Barbecue to be served. Crenshaw called it a “great choice from right here in Austin, Texas.”
This is where Spieth went to college. But that’s not to say it’s where the barbecue is being prepared.
“I didn’t select Salt Lick. I don’t know where that was spread from,” Spieth said “Augusta National always makes the meals. So they asked, ‘What do you want to have for your meal?’ and I said I’d love to do some Texas barbecue. So they kind of go out and search for a way to make it based on popular places. I’m not sure what it’s exactly going to be. It’s going to be Texas barbecue. I’m pretty excited for it.”
Wherever it’s from, Crenshaw is sure to enjoy it. He hosted his first dinner in 1985 and said the food was based on what Augusta National had on the menu.
“I think it started very soon after that the champion got to pick his own menu,” Crenshaw said. “So it gave a real personality to the player.”
Tiger Woods said that the food was “unreal” and Jordan had done an amazing job. Phil Mickelson, an invitee as former champion, trashed fellow player Dustin Johnson by asking “where are you going to dinner tonight?” another classy remark from the Master of pearls of wisdom.
Butch Harmon, who coached Tiger Woods to eight of his 14 major titles, has offered his former charge the chance to reignite the most lauded player-coach partnership in the history of golf. Now he is no longer coach to Tiger’s old rival Phil Mickelson he is free to take on what must be golf’s biggest challenge.
Woods is picking up the pieces of his career after a series of serious back surgeries and has plummeted to the previously unimaginable depths of No 467 in the world rankings.
It would require an unprecedented fightback for Woods to dominate the game as he once did – most notably when he claimed the ‘Tiger Slam’ of all four majors in succession under Harmon’s tutelage in 2000-01. But any sort of reunion would spark fresh hope of a sporting miracle.
If anyone can help Tiger, Butch can. It’s heartening news.
The England Golf Partnership (EGP) is backing Community Golf to offer more opportunities for disadvantaged and disabled people to play the game in Surrey and parts of Sussex, Kent and London.
Community Golf was founded three years ago by PGA professional Richard Shaw who, with his team, believe that golf is a game that everyone should have the opportunity to play and be involved in.
They offer programmes to inspire and engage people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds and have developed links with schools for children with special needs and with community organisations reaching out to the lonely and socially isolated.
Community Golf runs outreach and club based programmes and has partnered with four golf clubs so far, to offer follow-on sessions, events and holiday camps: Epsom GC; Selsdon Park GC, near Croydon; Milford GC, near Guildford; and The Oaks GC, near Sutton. Currently 320 people are involved in weekly golf, with many more being given a taste of the game, and it wants to involve more clubs and volunteers to increase the work that they can do.
The new partnership will give support to Community Golf from England Golf and Golf Foundation officers and links with County Sports Partnerships. Richard Shaw (pictured) commented: “I am really excited about this. We all share the same ambition to grow the game and this will help us to reach new groups and new people who haven’t had access to golf before.”
Jamie Blair, England Golf’s Disability Manager, said: “The England Golf Partnership recognise the work of Community Golf in getting more disabled people active through the sport in their local setting.”
“By working more closely together we will create stronger links to more golf facilities so that disabled people get the opportunity, if they would like it, to move on to playing within these facilities. We want to combine the strengths of local deliverers who can activate the community and clubs who want to create stronger links within their locality.”
The Community Golf approach is creating many enthusiasts. Anne, 54, who joined a session at the Surrey Choices Woking Resource Centre, commented: “This is really addictive”. While Molly, a 14-year-old pupil at St Catherine’s Girls School, confessed: “I hate golf – but this was fun!”
Meanwhile, Bailey, a 12-year-old schoolboy, has made a real difference to older people in Crawley, West Sussex. He was challenged by his school to raise money for a charity and, with cake sales and sponsored activities, made £330 which he gave to Age UK Crawley.
The charity used the money to treat their members to play in the Community Golf Spring League and, said Richard Shaw: “They are now enjoying the health and social benefits that the sport has to offer and unbelievably the average age of the group is 83.6!”
Click here to find out more about Community Golf activities and opportunities to join its team as an activator or volunteer.
The England Golf Partnership brings together the amateur governing body, England Golf, and the Professional Golfers’ Association to grow the game with the support of the Golf Foundation and Sport England National Lottery funding. The Partnership’s Whole Sport Plan for golf aims to increase and widen participation in golf, from grass roots to elite level.
A debate is to take place in the House of Commons on the value of golf to the UK economy this week.
The Adjournment Debate, which will take place in the Commons Chamber on the evening of Wednesday 13 April, was applied for by Lincoln MP and Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Golf Group Karl McCartney.
The Debate follows an independent report published by Sheffield Hallam University, commissioned by The R&A, that shows in detail how much the sport of golf adds to the UK economy.
Nearly 74,500 people work in the UK golf industry with a third employed directly by nearly 3,000 clubs. Golfers spent £4.3 billion on their sport in 2014, half of which was channelled through clubs, and accounted for 14% of all consumer spending on sport. Golf paid £990 million in taxes to the Government over the same period.
The overall outcome is that golf’s gross value add to the UK economy is calculated at £2 billion or 7% of GVA attributed to all sport in the United Kingdom and after accounting for indirect and induced economic impact effects, the turnover of the UK golf industry is estimated at £10.3 billion for 2014.
In calling for the debate, Karl McCartney said “after seeing just how much golf does for the UK in terms of revenue generated, tax paid and people employed, it is only right that a sport of this scale is debated in the House of Commons chamber and the details placed on public record. Golf is one of the UK’s biggest industries and as the home of golf, we can use this data to ensure more is done to encourage people to become involved.”
The Sports Minister, David Evennett, will most likely respond to points raised in the Debate on behalf of the Government.
