After a successful launch year in 2010, The National Golf Club Challenge will double in size in 2011 with a new event in support of the Seve Ballesteros Foundation, working in partnership with Cancer Research UK.
The organisation’s Help For Heroes 2011 event will take place on the weekend of 4- 5 June 2011, with a new nationwide Seve Ballesteros Foundation event on the 23- 24 July weekend.
Speaking of his support for the new nationwide event, Seve Ballesteros comments: “I have always admired and loved British people. Their support during the toughest match of my life is very special. I am proud to be involved in the National Golf Club Challenge and I hope golf clubs throughout the UK will take part to raise funds for The Seve Ballesteros Foundation, in partnership with Cancer Research UK. By signing up to the challenge, clubs all over the UK can enjoy the sport while raising money for brain cancer research.”
2010’s National Golf Club Challenge brought hundreds of golf clubs and thousands of golfers together on the same weekend in July as part of a nationwide fundraiser, with each participating golf club hosting their own charity golf day in aid of Help for Heroes.
In 2011 the two National Golf Club Challenge competitions are designed to coincide with participating golf club’s monthly Stableford event, with each club turning the day into their own charity golf day. Competing clubs submit aggregate scores from their ten best players on the day. This then determines the top scoring golf clubs against standard scratch, who will be invited to compete in a climactic National Final for each event.
“The inaugural National Golf Club Challenge event has been an outstanding success, exceeding everyone’s expectations.” commented Event Director Stacey Jeffries, “The great British golfing community has supported the event in their thousands. With this in mind, we are looking forward to doubling our efforts in 2011 in order to stage two challenge events – in support of two very worthy charities.”
Seve Ballesteros, whom many consider to be the greatest golfer ever to play the European Tour, set up the Seve Ballesteros Foundation in 2009 and works in partnership with Cancer Research UK to raise money for the charity’s world class research into cancers of the brain.
The five-time Major winner continues to be an inspiration in his personal life as much as he was during his professional career. He was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2008 after collapsing at Madrid Airport. Having undergone four operations, intensive chemotherapy and a six-week course of radiotherapy, Seve is now fighting back with the same grit and determination we have seen from him on the golf course.
For more information on The National Golf Club Challenge, including how to enter your golf club for either or both of the 2011 events, go to www.ngcc.co or www.nationalgolfclubchallenge.org.uk.
The Seve Ballesteros Foundation www.seveballesterosfoundation.org
Cancer Research UK www.cancerresearchuk.org.
Help for Heroes www.helpforheroes.org.uk.