Oct15 Clarke Westwood back new form of golf

Following the success of cricket’s 20Twenty World Cup it is now golf’s turn to create a format for the 21st Century.

A new format called 6teesix is to be unveiled at Vilamoura on the eve of the Portugal Masters with an all-star cast of leading tour pros taking part in the innovative ‘golf in an hour’ concept.

With regular golf participation on the wane in the UK due to the time pressures of the modern 21st Century lifestyle, the new 6teesix concept delivers a meaningful, but fun, 6-hole team format that can be played in just 60 minutes.  As William Anderson, one of the creators of 6teesix comments, “it is very difficult for golfers to find 5-6 hours every week to play a full round.  6teesix is a great way to keep your eye in more regularly and the team format ensures a competitive edge is maintained in the shortened version.”

6teesix is not just shorter it’s quicker too.  Slow play is still a burning issue on tour which undoubtedly has a knock-on effect in the amateur game and adds to the ‘time pressure’ problems of golf as a modern day past time. In 6teesix the players are encouraged to play 6 holes in an hour which at 10 minutes a hole equates to a three hour 18 hole round – a much more attractive proposition compared to the 5 hour plus rounds that are becoming the norm.

At the launch event, England, captained by Lee Westwood, will take on a ‘Rest of the World’ team captained by Darren Clarke in the Oceanico 6teesix Charity Challenge on Tuesday 16th October. The event is being backed by Oceânico Group, the owners of Oceânico Golf who play hosts to the inaugural Portugal Masters European Tour event from October 18th to 21st. The winning team will pick up a cheque for €10,000 to be donated to the victorious captain’s chosen cause. Westwood’s England team will be playing for Sheffield Children’s Hospital and he is excited about leading his country, “I am really looking forward to captaining the England side and the Oceânico 6teesix format looks like it will be a lot of fun. Any new concept that encourages golfers to get out and play more regularly has got to be good for the game.”  Westwood will be joined by David Howell and Paul Broadhurst plus three amateurs in the England team.

Darren Clarke’s Rest of the World team will be playing for the Darren Clarke Foundation and he is looking forward to the event, “Oceânico’s Millennium course at Vilamoura is a great venue to launch 6teesix. Speed of play is obviously a concern in both the Professional and Amateur games as no-one wants a 5-hour round. This format will highlight that it is possible to play at a pace of 10 minutes a hole and hopefully I can captain my team to a victory against the English!” Darren’s Rest of the World team will include Retief Goosen, Paul McGinley and 3 amateur players.

Two teams of six will play in 3 pairs matchplay matches. The unique ‘pairs scramble’ format encourages faster play as each time a pair hit a shot they pick the ‘best shot’ of the two and play from there. They then repeat this process for every shot for the entire 6-hole round. The ‘modified matchplay’ format sees one point scored for each hole won against the opposing pair and the 6 person team with the most points wins. The 6teesix concept was piloted earlier this year at a handful of golf clubs in the UK and will roll out across the country in 2008.

Oceânico’s Simon Burgess is delighted to be hosting the event. “We love the 6teesix format as I think every one involved in golf would benefit from both faster and more regular play. It is also fantastic for us to be able to showcase one of our famous five Vilamoura courses and welcome some world class players who I know love Vilamoura as a golf and holiday destination.”

Visit www.oceanicogroup.com and www.6teesix.com