Lawrie, who is currently enjoying a rich vein of form on the course – sitting in 6th place on the European Tour’s Race to Dubai rankings and 3rd place on the official points list for the 2012 European Ryder Cup team – has been in discussion with some fellow Aberdonian businessmen for some time, as they have sought the right opportunity to purchase a centre in Aberdeen.
The golf facility, which currently boasts a 9-hole course, covered driving range bays and short game practice areas, will become the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre with a dedicated approach to the development of junior golf. The new centre will become the base of the Paul Lawrie Foundation, launched by Lawrie back in 2001 with a mission to get as many young people involved in golf as possible.
In just over 10 years Lawrie has committed much of his own time and money to the Foundation, and along with a number of sponsors and partners has successfully grown the Foundation to now provide coaching and competitive play for 1,000’s of youngsters across the North East of Scotland. The golf centre will be used for the various junior coaching programmes of the Foundation and will also host a number of the Foundation’s junior flag events across the year. There will also be a dedicated Paul Lawrie Academy to help develop the talents of young Scottish golfers, and Lawrie himself will be heavily involved in coaching short game clinics to children in the Foundation.
In addition to being the base of the Paul Lawrie Foundation, the centre will also have a number of teaching pro’s on hand to encourage participation in golf for all levels through kids and adult summer camps, courses and competitions, with Lawrie putting the emphasis on one common goal – the enjoyment and development of golf for all.
He commented: “I’m delighted to be opening the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre at such a fantastic facility here in Aberdeen. It’s a superb place for the Foundation to be based, and will give us the perfect opportunity to get lots more youngsters involved in golf, as well as develop those that have come through our Elite Squads. I’m very thankful to Stewart Spence, my long term friend and sponsor, for his support in this exciting project, and I know that he shares my continued goals of developing golf in Scotland.”
He also added: “We are very excited to have secured the services of Robbie Stewart as our Director of Golf. I have known Robbie for many years and he will bring vast experience and enthusiasm to the role, and I’m very much looking forward to working with him.”
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