Members of the British Golf Industry Association (BGIA) have held their annual golf day and raised around £18,000 for the Golf Foundation and its work to bring more youngsters into the game.
The fifth annual event of this kind was held at the superb venue of Woburn Golf Club in Bedfordshire. A total of 21 teams teed up in glorious weather for a team stableford competition on the famous Duke’s Course.
The BGIA held a dinner and charity auction the previous evening, with all profits from the gathering going to the Golf Foundation, a charity committed to the sporting and social development of young people through golf. The money will be spent on the Foundation’s initiatives in schools, communities and golf clubs that all increase the number of young people who enjoy golf and learn and develop through the sport.
David Wells, BGIA chairman, said, “The work of the Golf Foundation is close to the hearts of all our members, who care about the future of the game. I’d like to thank members of every team who came along and made this such a special event, held in a wonderful atmosphere. I’d also like to thank all the sponsors and Woburn Golf Club and its staff, who had a vital part to play in making this such a memorable occasion.”
The winning team for the golf was a four-ball from market analysts Datatech, just pipping MacGregor Golf’s team (second) and Setanta Golf’s team in third.
There were a number of challenges out on the course to test the players and raise funds. Setanta Golf, Pro Shop Europe magazine and Golf Recruit sponsored nearest the pin events, while True Temper sponsored the longest drive, and golf manufacturer Acushnet gave away a total of 26 bottles of premium champagne to those who hit the difficult 170-yard 6th green in one shot.
The excellent dinner was sponsored by publishers EMAP and Setanta sponsored the wine. A noisy and cheerful charity auction on the night raised £4,200 for the Golf Foundation and diners enjoyed a witty and challenging after-dinner speech by entrepreneur and scratch golfer P-Y Gerbeau.
Mike Round, chief executive of the Golf Foundation, said, “We would like to thank the BGIA and its members, all the individual sponsors and Woburn Golf Club for this excellent day. The funds will be used to give children from different backgrounds and abilities the opportunity to both try golf and continue to play the game, something all present on the day saw as highly important for the future of the sport.”
Golf Foundation www.golf-foundation.org
BGIA www.bgia.org.uk