Members of the British Golf Industry Association (BGIA) gave a great boost for grass roots junior golf by raising £19,000 at Frilford Heath Golf Club, on April 10-11. The occasion was the fourth annual BGIA golf day and dinner to raise funds for the Golf Foundation and its development work in grass roots golf, and members were clearly delighted to return to the Oxfordshire club’s excellent facilities for a second year.
The picturesque Green Course welcomed 18 teams of four on a wet April day, with players paying for a game from the smallest independent firm to the largest multinational. The warm atmosphere was immediately apparent at the pre-tournament dinner, sponsored by publishers EMAP, as nearly £2,000 was raised at the auction before a ball was even struck. Out on the course, the Sports Marketing Surveys team emerged as winners of the main event, edging out last year’s winning team from True Temper into second place, while the EMAP team enjoyed third place.
David Wells, chairman of the BGIA, said, “The annual dinner and golf day in support of the Golf Foundation was again a huge success. I am always overwhelmed by the amount of support we receive for this event from the industry both in terms of contribution and participation. The now established day is a great opportunity to get together as an industry and support a worthy cause. I am already looking forward to next year’s event which will be held at Woburn Golf and Country Club.”
Mike Round, chief executive of the Golf Foundation, said, “This fantastic donation from the BGIA means that over £70,000 has been raised in the first four years of this event and we would like to thank everyone who has contributed. I think everyone enjoyed what is a great venue and we would all like to thank the staff at Frilford Heath for their assistance.”
Companies supporting the event included Eaton Golf Pride, which sponsored a nearest the pin challenge on the par 3 second and nearest the pin with the drive on the par 4 18th; Acushnet, giving FootJoy gloves for those hitting the 10th green and a Titleist Vokey wedge for those stopping within 10 feet from the flag; Pro Shop Europe magazine, which sponsored a cumulative par 3 challenge, SGB magazine, sponsoring nearest the pin on the sixth, and True Temper, which backed the longest drive on the 16th.
Golf Foundation www.golf-foundation.org
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