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By Alistair Dunsmuir for The Golf Business
A new international research and potentially far-reaching study has found evidence to suggest that golf provided improved muscle strength and balance in elderly participants.
The Strength and Balance Study, backed by The R&A, was carried out with two sample groups over two years by Professor Maria Stokes OBE at the University of Southampton and Dr George Salem at the University of Southern California (USC).
It indicated that older golfers have and develop strength and balance benefits.
The Southampton group involved 152 individuals aged 65 to 79 and over 80 and set out to demonstrate the physical and psychosocial benefits associated with playing recreational golf regularly by comparing physical measures between older golfers and sedentary non-golfers.
A study at the USC was undertaken to see if non-golfers developed these benefits while undertaking a 10-week instructional golf training programme. The USC group involved 15 individuals aged 63 (+/- five years) at a municipal course in the greater Los Angeles area, which also examined the feasibility, safety and adherence of the programme for senior non-golfers.
The evidence suggests golf can improve quality of life through muscle strengthening, improved balance, aerobic exercise (equivalent to gym-based work or yoga) and social interaction.
The combined findings show that:
Ahead of the study being peer reviewed to validate findings and future presentations made to the academic world, Professor Maria Stokes said: “The findings indicate that golf is associated with health benefits related to better muscle strength and balance.
“This suggests golf may meet World Health Organization recommendations for older people, which would potentially qualify golf for social prescription and exercise referral schemes among policy makers to help manage health conditions.”
Dr George Salem added, “Our findings suggest that golf should be considered when prescribing exercise for older adults because it appears to be safe, feasible and an adherent form of exercise for a better, healthier quality of life.
“Moreover, as golf is an exercise activity that includes strengthening, power, balance, endurance and cognitive challenges, it satisfies the recommended physical activity guidelines of the World Health Organization, the American College of Sports Medicine and UK guidelines.”
Martin Slumbers, chief executive of The R&A, said, “These findings should encourage policy makers and healthcare professionals to consider recommending playing golf to older people as part of encouraging them to adopt a more active lifestyle, as well as tackling physical inactivity to reduce healthcare costs.
“We are seeing more and more evidence that golf can provide significant physical and mental health benefits for participants as a moderate intensity activity and so we will continue to advocate these in all of our work with golfers, national federations and associations, healthcare professionals and policy makers.”
Dr Roger Hawkes, executive director at The R&A’s Golf & Health Project, added, “The evidence from this study is indicative that golf helps strength and balance, with no previous research to highlight this to the golf industry until now. The overall findings and benefits should be of great value for golfers and non-golfers going forward.”
Of all the golfers inspired by Greg Norman’s exploits over the past 30 years, Adam Scott was anointed as the chosen one.
Chosen by the Great White Shark himself.
From the time a 19-year-old amateur blitzed The Lakes Golf Club with a course record in the second round of the 2000 Greg Norman Holden International – Scott’s 63 was the best score of the week by two shots – Norman saw a kindred spirit in the fellow Queenslander.
Australia’s Greatest Golfer, The Final: @SharkGregNorman v @AdamScott ???♂️
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) September 9, 2020
Of all the golfers inspired by Greg Norman’s exploits over the past 30 years, Adam Scott was anointed as the chosen one.
Read more ➡️ https://t.co/RyNqjAgiMm
He became a mentor, a sounding board and trusted ally. But now, like a plot twist straight out of Star Wars, Norman has to go head-to-head with Scott in an online poll to determine who Australian golf fans regard as Australia’s Greatest Golfer.
Two of only three male Australian players to ever reach the world No.1 ranking, the reverence with which Scott has held Norman throughout his career has created a rare bond between two elite athletes.
A heartbroken teen when Norman squandered a six-shot lead at the 1996 Masters, Scott paid special tribute to the Pied Piper of Aussie golf when he claimed the green jacket at Augusta National in 2013.
“Part of this is for him. I drew on him today. He’s given me a lot of time and he’s given me inspiration and belief through the years,” said Scott after the most historically significant win of his career.
Part of belief was spawned from Norman’s faith in Scott to select him as a captain’s pick for the 2009 Presidents Cup.
At the time Scott was enduring the toughest stretch of his career, 10 of 17 missed cuts on the PGA TOUR resulting in a drop outside the world’s top 60. Not even his long-time instructor Butch Harmon thought it a smart move on Norman’s behalf.
“I’m not sure it was a good thing,” said Harmon, who had split with Scott the week before the 2009 PGA Championship where Scott shot 82-79 to fall to a new low.
“We talked about it after he was picked. I’d rather see him take the rest of the year and get back in the dirt and work it out.”
But Norman believed Scott simply needed to be reminded of his greatness, the Great White Shark fittingly on hand to present the Stonehaven Cup to Scott as Australian Open champion in December that year.
Less than 12 months after his five-stroke win at New South Wales Golf Club Scott was back inside the top 20 in the world and when the 2012 Open Championship slipped through his fingers, again it was Norman offering moral support.
“I just basically told him to think of the 68 holes he played phenomenally well, better than anybody else. Even the four holes, he probably hit 60 per cent of his shots the way he played the previous 68 holes,” said Norman the week after Scott’s heartbreaking collapse.
“Always look forward; never look back and use the loss as a catalyst to be a winner, not using the loss as a catalyst to be a loser.”
Scott was lauded for the way he handled that disappointment in similar grace to Norman 16 years earlier and when the now 40-year-old conquered Angel Cabrera at the first playoff hole of the 2013 Masters, he pointed to the example Norman had set both on and off the golf course.
“He’s an icon in Australia not only because he was the best player in the world but because of the way he handled himself with so much grace through the years,” Scott said.
“He was incredible to have as a role model.”
The same could be said of Scott for the generation now following in his footsteps.
To lodge your vote and help decide who is Australia’s Greatest Golfer visit the PGA of Australia Twitter page and select either Greg Norman or Adam Scott.
Greg Norman
Career wins: 89
Major wins: 2 (British Open 1986, 1993)
PGA TOUR wins: 20
Australasian Tour wins: 32
Australian Open: Won (1980, 1985, 1987, 1995, 1996)
Australian PGA: Won (1984, 1985)
Round 1 def. Stewart Ginn
Round 2 def. Wayne Grady
Round 3 def. Aaron Baddeley
Quarter-Final def. Marc Leishman
Semi-final def. Ian Baker-Finch
Adam Scott
Career wins: 31
Major wins: 1 (2013 Masters)
PGA TOUR wins: 14
Australasian Tour wins: 6
Australian PGA: Won (2013, 2019)
Australian Open: Won (2009)
Round 1 def. Jarrod Lyle
Round 2 def. Norman von Nida
Round 3 def. Rod Pampling
Quarter-Final def. Karrie Webb
Semi-Final def. Kel Nagle
The Australian Golf Industry Council (AGIC) has released a first-of-its-kind three-hour-long slow TV production that promotes the mental health benefits of golf.
The feature film, titled Tee Your Mind, is a golf mindfulness experience that packages some of Australia’s most breathtaking courses into an 18-hole experience that accentuates the natural ambiences encountered on the fairway.
Tee Your Mind follows the rounds of men and women golfers at Collaroy’s Long Reef Golf Club and St Michael’s Golf Club in Little Bay and brings to life the calming and meditative sensations of the game, such as the trees bending by the coastal breeze and native birds singing.
“Golf is the perfect sport for creating the conditions for true happiness,” said Performance Psychologist Jonah Oliver.
“Happiness comes from finding the sweet spot between challenge and skill. Combine this with doing exercise in nature and you have the perfect recipe for lifelong mindfulness and psychological health.”
Golf has enjoyed a remarkable resurgence during the COVID-19 pandemic with many lapsed and disengaged golfers returning to the game.
To seize on this participation boom, the AGIC has created Tee Your Mind to mimic the true golf experience in a digital format to engage more people to the game by highlighting the sport’s mental and physical health capabilities.
“Golf has been an antidote to an incredibly stressful year brought on by the once-in-a-generation challenges of COVID-19,” said Gavin Kirkman, AGIC Chairman and PGA of Australia chief executive.
“Given golf can be played in a safe, socially distant environment, many new and returning participants have used the sport to reconnect with friends and nature. Our game is one of the best whole body and mind experiences and many have used golf as a valuable mental health outlet during this difficult period.”
Golf Australia Chairman Andrew Newbold said golf is a powerful respite to help people overcome their anxieties.
“The benefits of golf are diverse and extend beyond the physicalities of the sport,” Newbold said.
“During COVID-19 we have seen more Australians turn to golf and we think our sport, with its unique blend of open space and nature, can offer a solution for people exploring new ways to take a break from the day-to-day.”
The University of Southern Queensland is also exploring the role sport, including golf, plays in creating a strong sense of connectedness and belonging, by embarking on a research study investigating the relationship between sport participation and mental health issues.
“We know that our exposure to green spaces can have a positive impact on our overall well-being, we often feel happier, more relaxed and more positive. Alongside our research, this suggests our response to experiencing nature is emotional and essential to our mental health,” said Andrea Lamont-Mills, Professor of Psychology, University of Southern Queensland.
Over the course of the film, Tee Your Mind provides a peaceful escape for viewers to unwind and immerse in the calming elements of golf.
Tee Your Mind will be live on Friday 4 September 2020 on https://www.golf.org.au/teeyourmind/
They achieved golf immortality with the way they played but they did it in vastly different ways.
Semi Final 2 | Match 62 | Australia's Greatest Golfer ??
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) September 1, 2020
They achieved golf immortality with the way they played but they did it in vastly different ways.
Read more ?https://t.co/eKIDGIiEwE
Both hailing from south-east Queensland and entering the professional ranks in the late 1970s, Greg Norman and Ian Baker-Finch’s similarities led some to label Baker-Finch ‘the Dark Shark’, a more olive-skinned equivalent of the Great White Shark already taking chunks out of the game’s best players.
Open champions both, there was a ruthless aggression to the way Norman approached the game that the more mild-mannered Baker-Finch just didn’t possess.
Where Norman used power and fearlessness to amass 89 professional wins around the world, Baker-Finch’s was a more subtle style, happy to deftly manipulate the relationship between clubhead and golf ball to subdue golf courses rather than smash it into oblivion.
For one magic week in 1991 – and a spectacular weekend of shot-making in particular – it cemented Baker-Finch’s place in the annals of golf history, his career resume also boasting wins on the PGA TOUR, European Tour and 10 on the PGA Tour of Australasia, the first of which was the 1983 New Zealand Open.
Ill-fated swing changes and a willingness to take advice from all and sundry led to a sudden fall from grace for Baker-Finch yet it was Norman’s stubbornness that proved to be both a blessing and a curse.
Arriving hot on the heels of the ‘Golden Bear’ Jack Nicklaus, Norman was so much more than a golfer.
He was a marketer’s dream, a superstar who rubbed shoulders with presidents and kings of business and who played in a manner that inspired countless kids across the globe to pick up a club, don anything with a shark logo and ‘Attack Life’.
Six years after taking up the game Norman turned professional in 1976 and in his fourth start on the Australasian tour won the West Lakes Classic in Adelaide by five strokes, leaving the likes of David Graham, Graham Marsh and Bruce Devlin in his wake.
It signalled the birth of a sporting phenomenon who would single-handedly elevate golf to previously unimaginable popularity in Australia for the next two decades.
Such was Norman’s influence that golf administrators would declare that a lull in golf interest would be remedied by the ‘next Greg Norman’ that came along.
We have had wonderful players emerge since Norman was at the height of his powers but there will always only ever be one Great White Shark.
To cast your vote for either Greg Norman or Ian Baker-Finch visit the PGA of Australasia Twitter page.
Greg Norman
Career wins: 89
Major wins: 2 (British Open 1986, 1993)
PGA TOUR wins: 20
Australasian Tour wins: 32
Australian Open: Won (1980, 1985, 1987, 1995, 1996)
Australian PGA: Won (1984, 1985)
Round 1 def. Stewart Ginn
Round 2 def. Wayne Grady
Round 3 def. Aaron Baddeley
Quarter-Final def. Marc Leishman
Ian Baker-Finch
Career wins: 17
Major wins: 1 (1991 Open Championship)
PGA TOUR wins: 2
European Tour wins: 2
Australasian Tour wins: 10
Australian Open: 2nd (1983)
Australian PGA: Won (1993)
Round 1 def. Brett Rumford
Round 2 def. Greg Chalmers
Round 3 def. David Graham
Quarter-Final def. Steve Elkington
A fast-track to the Championship Final and the opportunity to become an ambassador decked out in Callaway equipment and Adidas apparel are just two reasons why there has never been a better time to host a Volkswagen Scramble local event.
With Regional Finals of the 2019/2020 season still ongoing, the 2020/2021 Volkswagen Scramble season officially got underway on August 1 and already clubs are reporting significant increases in participation compared to recent seasons.
Golf’s ability to largely continue throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has brought former golfers back to the fold and encouraged new players to try their hand at the game, the format of the Volkswagen Scramble proving appealing to newcomers and experienced campaigners alike.
A prolific host of Volkswagen Scramble events, Tropics Golf Club in Townsville has staged one of five Scrambles they intend to conduct this season and are already seeing an influx of new participants.
“One of our members, Chris Webster, entered a team with three of the star representative indoor cricket players from up this way,” said Tropics Golf Club General Manager and PGA Professional Matt Duke.
“Like many sports they have been unable to play indoor cricket during this time so they decided to join the golf club. We have had quite a few new members join from other sports and the Volkswagen Scramble was a great chance to play as a team in a fun but competitive environment.
“The numbers of people playing the past few months has been fantastic and I’ve got no doubt we will see that reflected in the remaining Scrambles we’ll be hosting the rest of the season.”
Another club quick to get their Volkswagen Scramble season underway was Port Macquarie Golf Club on the New South Wales mid north coast.
PGA Professional James Single has been hosting local events at Port Macquarie since 2014 and now has his best chance to see a team progress to the Championship Final.
In previous years Port Macquarie has not reached the required number of players to qualify three teams for the Regional Final but the upsurge in golf interest and a format change will see four Port Macquarie teams advance to the next stage.
“We normally always play in groups of eight under a shotgun start and it has worked well in the past,” Single said.
“This year we decided to try a two-tee start and we were able to fit way more players on the course and the speed of play was the same.
“Previously we have never been able to reach the entry numbers where the top three teams go away to the Regional Final but this year we had 212 entries and will be sending four teams through next year.”
The winning team from Port Macquarie are also in the running now to skip the Regional Final completely and advance straight to the Championship Final.
For the first time in the 29-year history of the Volkswagen Scramble, every event that runs before December 31 goes into the draw to fast-track to the Championship Final, with one lucky team skipping the Regional Finals and going straight to the all-expenses paid decider.
Individuals also have extra incentive to play in as many Scrambles as possible with every entry to put you into the draw to become the Volkswagen Scramble Ambassador and receive Callaway equipment and Adidas apparel worth $7,000.
“Planning events has obviously been difficult in 2020 but the new season of the Volkswagen Scramble is a great way for clubs to bring people together safely,” said PGA of Australia Events Manager Louise Meagher.
“The indications from the early events that have already been held is that we are headed for record participation numbers and there is no reason why clubs can’t host multiple events over the course of the season.
“Tropics Golf Club is planning to host five local events this season; it would be great to see other clubs try to match that number.
“We’ve seen an influx of new players come to golf in the past few months and what better way to ensure we keep them by playing as part of a Volkswagen Scramble team.”
The 2020/2021 season of the Volkswagen Scramble runs from August 1 until March 8, 2021. To enter a team at a local event or host a Scramble event visit www.vwscramble.com.au.
Two stunning upsets have delivered some unexpected semi-finalists as the search for Australia’s Greatest Golfer nears its climax.
Almost 2,500 votes were cast by fans on the PGA Tour of Australasia Facebook page during the quarter-finals where Peter Thomson and Karrie Webb were both sensationally bounced out by Kel Nagle and Adam Scott respectively.
The 1960 Open Championship winner, Nagle attracted 54 per cent of the fan vote against Thomson while Scott’s margin of victory was even tighter, advancing to the semi-finals with 53 per cent of the votes cast.
Two-time British Open champion Greg Norman moved past Marc Leishman in convincing fashion while Ian Baker-Finch also registered a comfortable win over Steve Elkington with 63 per cent of the votes in their quarter-final clash.
The first of the semi-finals will see Nagle and Scott go head-to-head with Queenslanders Norman and Baker-Finch to fight for a place in the final in the second semi-final.
To lodge your vote log on to the PGA Tour of Australasia Facebook page from Monday and nominate who you believe should qualify for the final of Australia’s Greatest Golfer.
Semi-Final 1
Kel Nagle v Adam Scott
Semi-Final 2
Greg Norman v Ian Baker-Finch
To many they are defined by one magic week in careers stretching out across more than two decades yet the resumes of both Ian Baker-Finch and Steve Elkington go far deeper than that.
Both emerged from humble beginnings to scale the greatest heights golf offers and now face off against each other for the chance to move into the final four of our search for Australia’s Greatest Golfer and a semi-final showdown with Greg Norman.
Baker-Finch’s crowning glory was the 1991 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, his affinity for the British links clear for all to see when he led the 1984 Open at St Andrews in his first appearance in a major.
An unfortunate stroke of luck on the opening hole of the final round cruelled the Queenslander’s hopes that day but seven years later he fired weekend rounds of 64-66 at Birkdale to claim the Claret Jug by two strokes from fellow Australian Mike Harwood and a place in golf immortality.
But to confine Baker-Finch’s accomplishments to four glorious days in England is merely a snapshot into a stellar career.
His Major debut in 1984 was a direct benefit from his first professional title, the 1983 New Zealand Open, the first of 10 PGA Tour of Australasia victories.
He came close to completing the Australasian Open double in 1983 when he was runner-up to Peter Fowler in the Australian Open at Kingston Heath and showed his growing stature with victories at the WA Open, NSW Open, Queensland PGA and a runner-up finish at the Victorian PGA the following year.
The Australian Match Play Championship in 1987 was his first national triumph but more would soon follow, starting the 1988 Australian Masters where he bested close friend Roger Mackay and Craig Parry in the playoff.
Wins at the Coolum Classic (1990), Vines Classic (1992) and Australian PGA (1993) further entrenched Baker-Finch’s status on home soil but there were also victories abroad in America, Sweden and Japan.
From the time he joined the University of Houston golf team from Wagga Wagga in 1982, Steve Elkington concentrated his efforts on success in the US and did so in impressive fashion.
The only Australian to win THE PLAYERS Championship on two occasions (1991 and 1997), Elkington is one of only seven Aussies to have won at least 10 PGA TOUR tournaments and was a formidable presence in major championships.
Top-five twice at the Masters in 1993 and 1995, Elkington was part of the four-man playoff ultimately won by Ernie Els at the 2002 Open Championship but is best known for his extraordinary Sunday performance at the 1995 US PGA Championship.
Trailing Els by six strokes through 54 holes, Elkington fired a round of 7-under 64 at Riviera Country Club to set a new 72-hole scoring record at the championship and force a playoff with Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie, a playoff he would win with his eighth birdie in 19 magical holes.
Although he wasn’t a regular back on Australian soil later in his career, Elkington claimed the 1992 Australian Open at The Lakes in a field that boasted Montgomerie, Americans Raymond Floyd, Mark Calcavecchia, Lee Janzen and Duffy Waldorf.
Both have now developed into popular media personalities but their playing records – highlighted by one Major milestone each – stand among the best we have ever seen in this country.
Ian Baker-Finch
Career wins: 17
Major wins: 1 (1991 Open Championship)
PGA TOUR wins: 2
European Tour wins: 2
Australasian Tour wins: 10
Australian Open: 2nd (1983)
Australian PGA: Won (1993)
Round 3 def. David Graham
Round 2 def. Greg Chalmers
Round 1 def. Brett Rumford
Steve Elkington
Career wins: 17
Major wins: 1 (1995 US PGA Championship)
PGA TOUR wins: 10
Australasian Tour wins: 1
Australian Open: Won (1992)
Australian PGA: T44 (2003)
Round 1 def. Peter O’Malley
Round 2 def. Rachel Hetherington
Round 3 def. Bruce Devlin
Two of Australia’s finest ambassadors also happen to be two of the greatest golfers this country has ever produced.
If ever two golfers were seemingly pre-ordained for greatness it was Karrie Webb and Adam Scott.
From the moment Webb emerged from the tiny town of Ayr in North Queensland to take her talents to the world there emerged a quiet determination and singular focus to be the best player on the planet.
When Scott – the son of PGA Professional Phil Scott – began dominating junior competitions with a swing to make any coach swoon, he too seemed destined for the greatest heights the game has to offer.
Scott’s pathway to No.1 in the world was slightly more circuitous than Webb’s but both are among a select group of Australian golfers to have won major championships and possessed status as the best player in the world.
Given they weren’t established until February 2006 Webb never reached the summit of the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings but at the turn of the century there was no question as to who was the No.1 female player in the world.
The only debate was whether Webb was in a richer vein of form at the time than Tiger Woods.
In a two-year period Webb racked up four majors among 10 LPGA Tour victories including successive US Women’s Open titles in 2000 and 2001 – not to mention back-to-back Australian Ladies Masters wins and victories at the 2000 and 2002 Women’s Australian Open.
Yet beyond her many accomplishments on the golf course Webb has become the No.1 cheerleader for the next generation of female talent coming out of Australia.
The Karrie Webb Scholarship Series not only provides playing opportunities for the best young talent in the country but opens the door to a select few to experience a major championship and spend time learning first-hand from Webb.
Hannah Green was one of those scholarship recipients so it was hardly surprising to see Webb rushing onto the 18th green at Hazeltine National to celebrate Green’s Women’s PGA Championship last year with more emotion than she showed in any of her own seven majors.
And when Adam Scott won the 2013 Masters at Augusta National a photograph of Webb jumping up and down in her living room went viral.
Like his fellow Queenslander, Adam Scott has invested considerable time and money into helping others.
The Adam Scott Foundation was established in 2005 to help provide educational opportunities to young people who are less fortunate while his generous nature came to the fore during his extended stay on the Sunshine Coast this year.
He reached out to long-time friends to help at their respective golf clubs, spent time with juniors and pushed an initiative encouraging golf clubs throughout Australia to offer $5 golf for juniors, promising to promote those clubs who took it up.
Their playing records stand among the best we have ever seen yet perhaps it will be their respective legacies that will have the most long-lasting impact on Australian golf.
Karrie Webb
Career wins: 57
Major wins: 7 (1999 du Maurier Classic, 2000 Nabisco Championship, US Women’s Open, 2001 McDonald’s LPGA Championship, US Women’s Open, 2002 Weetabix Women’s British Open, 2006 Kraft Nabisco Championship)
LPGA Tour wins: 41
Women’s Australian Open: Won (2000, 2002, 2007, 2008, 2014)
Australian Ladies Masters: Won (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2013)
Round 1 def. Eric Cremin
Round 2 def. Peter Senior
Round 3 def. Geoff Ogilvy
Adam Scott
Career wins: 31
Major wins: 1 (2013 Masters)
PGA TOUR wins: 14
Australasian Tour wins: 6
Australian PGA: Won (2013, 2019)
Australian Open: Won (2009)
Round 1 def. Jarrod Lyle
Round 2 def. Norman von Nida
Round 3 def. Rod Pampling
The Australian golf community is calling on golf clubs around Australia to dedicate a members’ day to the memory of Jarrod Lyle and help raise much-needed funds for Challenge, a charity devoted to supporting children and families living with cancer.
Because of COVID-19, the campaign has been postponed from August and September to run in October and November, and will culminate in Yellow Day on Friday 4 December at the Australian PGA Championship.
Having been diagnosed with cancer three times throughout his life, Jarrod Lyle understood the hardship that young people and their families face when battling this disease.
For many years Jarrod was an ambassador for Challenge, a not-for-profit organisation that supports children and families living with cancer and aims to lighten the cancer journey for the whole family, 365 days of the year.
“I would like to encourage all golf fans and golf clubs to get behind the #DoingItForJarrod campaign so that Challenge can continue to not only honour all that Jarrod Lyle was, but also continue his mission to support other families living with cancer,” said David Rogers, chief executive officer of Challenge.
“Jarrod truly believed in the work of Challenge and spent all of his adult life supporting Challenge’s mission.”
In Jarrod’s memory, the PGA of Australia, Golf Australia and Challenge united to create a special fundraising event that could be enjoyed by the entire golf community.
This campaign, #DoingItForJarrod, is now an annual event throughout the country and sees many courses and club members swathed in yellow in support of Jarrod and Challenge.
Golf Australia interim chief executive Rob Armour was delighted to assist in keeping Jarrod’s passion and intentions alive.
“Many Australians know Jarrod was a great player, but I think those in the golf community came to learn that he was an even greater champion off the course,” Armour said.
“Working as a united community around the country, there’s no better way for us all to ensure his desire to help those in trouble lives on. We ask all clubs – especially those touched by cancer – to get involved in #DoingItForJarrod again this year.”
All clubs that participate in #DoingItForJarrod in 2020 will be entered into the draw to win an invitation to play alongside golf’s best in the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and European Tour co-sanctioned Australian PGA Championship Pro-Am to be held in December at Royal Queensland Golf Club, incorporating the featured ‘Yellow Day’ fundraiser.
“Yellow Day was a true highlight of the Australian PGA Championship in 2019 and we are excited to turn Royal Queensland into a sea of yellow this December,” said Gavin Kirkman, chief executive of the PGA of Australia.
“It was incredible to see hundreds of golf clubs around Australia support this great cause in 2019 and the PGA is honoured to once again partner with Challenge and Golf Australia to be a part of this important initiative in 2020.
“PGA Professionals working in clubs around the country have thrown their support behind #DoingItForJarrod days and we look forward to seeing them bring their clubs together throughout October and November.”
Creating yellow-themed events, encouraging club members to don yellow and selling Challenge merchandise at your club are just some of the ways you can help raise money. All donations are tax-deductible.
“In 2019 more than 200 golf clubs around Australia participated in the inaugural #DoingItForJarrod campaign, resulting in an incredible $200,000 raised,” said Briony Lyle, Jarrod’s wife.
“With the help of golf clubs around Australia once again in 2020, we hope to continue raising money to support a cause that was so close to Jarrod’s, and my, heart.”
All monies raised through #DoingItForJarrod will go towards a special legacy, Jarrod’s Gift, that has been created by Challenge in Jarrod’s honour.
You can help Challenge by donating directly, or purchasing clothing and pins carrying the Leuk the Duck symbol Jarrod Lyle wore as a Challenge ambassador, by visiting www.challenge.org.au.
To register your club for #DoingItForJarrod in 2020, or for further information, please visit the Challenge website.
Will you be #DoingItForJarrod in 2020?
The 29th season of the Volkswagen Scramble officially teed off on 1 August ahead of a jam-packed wrap-around schedule set to run through to March 2021.
As restrictions change around Australia teams will begin their 2020/2021 Volkswagen Scramble campaigns from the event’s normal start date of August with the aim of earning a place at the coveted Volkswagen Scramble Championship Final next May.
While the COVID-19 delayed 2019/2020 season continues with Regional Finals underway around the country, PGA of Australia Events Manager Louise Meagher says the Volkswagen Scramble’s 29th season will be bigger and better than ever before.
“We are excited to launch the next season of the Volkswagen Scramble in a time where people are playing more golf and are excited about the game,” said Meagher.
“The Volkswagen Scramble is about fun, a bit of friendly competition and bringing people together so while the pandemic remains front-of-mind, we are doing everything that we can to ensure that our events are run in a safe and healthy manner for all participants while keeping the Scramble atmosphere alive.
“In our third season with Volkswagen we are committed to continuing the Scramble’s legacy as the largest and most successful team golf event and we know that this season will be one of the most exciting yet.”
Volkswagen’s Marketing Communications Manager, Rowena Kanna, also shared the PGA’s sentiments about the upcoming season.
“Volkswagen Group Australia and our national dealer network are delighted to support local golfing communities and bring them together in the healthy spirit of competition with the Volkswagen Scramble,” Kanna said.
“We can’t wait to share in the tales of triumph and comradery on the course as friends compete in the largest amateur golfing event in Australia to make their way to the coveted Volkswagen Scramble Championship Final.”
The ever-popular team format of the Volkswagen Scramble consisting of four golfers will remain and we have worked with our equipment partner Callaway to improve the prizes on offer across all levels of the event season.
“Thanks to the support of Callaway we have been able to bring back golf bags for 1st place at all local events. These have always been very well received by the winners” added Meagher.
Along with the new X Carry golf bags we have added Chrome Soft TruVis and the new Chrome Soft Triple Track golf balls, towels, caps and for the larger events we have also added four of the new Callaway MD5 JAWS wedges to the prize table.
Regional finalists for the 2020/2021 season will receive tee gifts, hospitality and the opportunity to compete for over $2,000 worth of prizes from Callaway when they team up with a PGA Professional to vie for a place at the Volkswagen Scramble Championship Final.
Broome Golf Club hosted the first Volkswagen Scramble event of the season on 11 July and clubs around Australia are beginning to schedule in local event dates.
To find a Volkswagen Scramble near you, visit www.vwscramble.com.au or reach out to your local club directly.
