Golf Express, a campaign to encourage busy people to play all the game in half the time, has been launched at Uttoxeter Golf Club in Staffordshire. Golf Express has also been backed by 20 clubs across the county, offering nine-hole green fees and a loyalty card to encourage golfers to play more often: if they play five rounds, they get the sixth free.
The clubs involved in Golf Express are: Bloxwich, Branston, Calderfields, Darnford Moor, Dartmouth, Druids Heath, Izaak Walton, Lakeside, Lichfield, Mark Butler Golf Academy, Newcastle, Onneley, Oxley Park, Stafford Castle, Stone, The Chase, Trentham Park, 3 Hammers, Uttoxeter and Cannock Park.
Twelve of the clubs are also offering golfers the opportunity to play in weekly, after-work roll-ups, as was experienced at Uttoxeter Golf Club. These are open to non-members, a handicap is not essential and players will be paired up with other golfers for the fun competitions.
Golf Express is part of an England Golf project which is trialling innovative ways of increasing golf club membership and participation in the sport. It recognises that most people’s leisure time is reducing and for many it can be as little as two hours a day. Research from Syngenta, the golf course turfcare specialist, shows that 54 percent of golfers are intimidated by 18 holes of golf and a 9-hole option gives the golfer choice.
Iain Lancaster, regional manager for England Golf stated, “The time it takes to play the game is a barrier to the sport. We are hoping that marketing the message that playing shorter rounds of golf to suit your available leisure time will be acted on by players new to the game, current golfers and even lapsed golfers, leading to an increase in golf participation across Staffordshire.” More at: www.getintogolf.org/golfexpress
