Centurion Club, located on the outskirts of St Albans, Hertfordshire, played host to the European Tour’s inaugural GolfSixes event May 6-7, with both the venue and the format receiving rave reviews throughout the golfing world.
The revolutionary, short form of tournament golf, which featured two-man teams from 16 different nations, was won by the Danish pair of Thorbjørn Olesen and Lucas Bjerregaard, with the event providing the perfect stage to showcase the championship layout.
With the closely fought final coming right down to the wire, the dramatic par-5 18th was the ideal backdrop for the championship to be decided, with a birdie four for the Danes conceded by the Australian runners-up, Sam Brazel and Scott Hend.
More than 9,000 spectators were welcomed through Centurion Club’s gates over the weekend, with the innovative and engaging tournament including music, pyrotechnics and player interaction, while live Sky Sports coverage showcased the event to 450 million potential television viewers.
Friday saw a host of celebrities and amateurs take to the specially designed six-hole course for the Pro-Am, including Vernon Kay, Tony McCoy and Darren Gough among others.
One celebrity in particular who was quick to speak highly of the course was Mike Tindall. Commenting on Centurion Club, the 2003 Rugby World Cup-winning squad member said, “It’s a great club. The course is going to mature and just get better and better as it ages. To walk onto it now, it’s a fantastic course. I’ve really enjoyed it every time I’ve played the full 18.”
The professionals were also quick to praise the course, with the winning pair of Olesen and Bjerregaard speaking particularly highly of the club.
“Centurion Club has been absolutely amazing. It’s some of the fastest greens we’ve played on all year, and the whole hospitality has been great. They’ve really taken care of us,” commented Olesen.
“The course has been in amazing shape. I can’t remember the last time I played on greens this fast. The greenkeeping staff have done an amazing job and the people here have been very nice. All in all it’s been a great couple of days,” continued Bjerregaard.
The event also created a significant buzz across social media platforms throughout the week. Tweets sent from @CenturionClub reached in excess of 7.9 million Twitter users, achieving more than 300,000 impressions and 11,000 engagements during the course of the event.
Centurion Club features a highly-rated 7,200-yard golf course designed by Scott Evans and Simon Gidman, a past president of the European Institute of Golf Course Architects. Southern Golf handled the construction while another worldwide leader, Troon Golf, advises on agronomy.
Centurion Club www.centurionclub.co.uk