FootJoy Continues Support Of Grassroots Golf

FootJoy has long been committed to playing a pivotal role in the development of the game of golf at all levels and was delighted to announce its continued support of The National Skills Challenge.

One of a host of innovative England Golf initiatives designed to promote the growth of junior golf in an exciting and engaging manner, the 2013 iteration of the event sees the market-leading shoe and glove brand extend its sponsorship into a fourth successive year.

FootJoy will provide a number of prizes and gifts throughout the qualifiers and finals as youngsters develop their core fundamentals in a fun yet competitive arena, including putting, chipping, pitching, bunker play and the long game.

All of them will undoubtedly be looking to follow in the footsteps of FootJoy ambassadors, Lee Westwood, Luke Donald, Adam Scott and Matteo Manassero and represent their country and make the transition into the professional game in the future.

So far over 1,400 junior golfers from 102 clubs across the country have already taken part in the first round of events, which were held on Sunday 5th May. The second series of challenges can be played until Sunday 7th July and scores are already well underway with online recording available at England Golf’s website.

For players lucky to get through the second round, it’s on to one of the four regional finals, to be held in August. Qualifiers from those will then go forward to the national final at the National Golf Centre at Woodhall Spa in September.

This year’s challenge, where each of the participating clubs receive a variety of free resources to support the initiative, including manuals, certificates and scorecards, has seen a record number of registered entries from over 830 clubs and 7,075 junior golfers.

Russell Lawes, European Marketing Manager for FootJoy, commented: “The future of the game of golf lies with the next generation of golfers and we are continuously striving to help juniors through their golf development, especially with intuitive events such as The National Skills Challenge.

“It’s a fantastic programme which encourages fun throughout and inspires engagement in all aspects of the key fundamentals of the game. We look forward to watching everyone’s progress this year and continuing the relationship for the foreseeable future.”

To find out more about The National Skills Challenge please visit www.getintogolf.org/skills Clubs may register at any time of year and have the option to take part in the events or simply use the resources to support their junior coaching programmes.