Sport for Business is delighted to be part of what will be an opportunity in seven weeks time for a corporate sports team to win a National Championship and represent Ireland on the world stage.
The Irish leg of the World Corporate Golf Challenge will see 50 teams of two players take to the newly refurbished Druids Glen Golf Resort in Wicklow on Friday, September 8th bidding to be crowned as Irish Champions and going on to represent Ireland at the World Finals against representatives from more than 30 other countries in Tenerife in October.
The Irish Challenge is being brought to life by International boutique sports agency Druid Sport with former Aviva Sponsorship and FAI Commercial and Marketing Director Mark Russell as Head of its new Irish operation.
The tournament has been established for 30 years and is a staple in the Corporate Golf world in most countries but has never previously been staged in Ireland.
Sport for Business is on board as a media partner of the event and we will present a special prize to the low-scoring team that includes one or two women players.
With the event taking place only five days after the conclusion of the KPMG Women’s Irish Open at Dromoland Castle, we feel it is important that Women golfers step forward and are encouraged to see the benefits of play for their business lives, just as men have been able to for decades.
And yet, the strong entry to this point is dominated by all male teams, risking an opportunity to be lost for the advance of equality in sport.
Golf is one sport where male and female players can play against each other. Women play off their own advanced tees, lessening the strength advantage that a male player might have and making it more of a test of skill.
Players play off three quarters of their Golf Ireland handicap, also making it possible that our winner will come from an OK player having a good day, rather than the absolute best player in the field.
And with winning only part of the deal, the advantages of mixing in the company that will be there in Wicklow on the day will have undoubted benefits.
The tournament will be as close as most of us get to playing in a full professional tournament with a live scoring app so that the teams can track their progress, pre-round clinics for final tweaking, brunch on arrival, a players club lounge and a special World Corporate Golf Challenge Awards dinner.
Team entry is €1,295 which includes all flights, accommodation and entry to the World Final for the winning team.
“It is great to be bringing this event to Ireland for the first time, and we believe that it is the start of something that will quickly grow into a major landmark on the Irish golfing calendar,” said Mark Russell, Vice President of Druid Sport Ireland.
“The Irish event is positioned to promote participation for all. The tournament will be a professionally run modern event with modern values, promoting diversity and inclusion within the Irish Corporate Golf landscape”
“It will provide a fantastic business networking platform as well as an opportunity to create some healthy competition and allow your business to take on the world.”
“In this first year we will stage one national event but we have plans to extend towards regional qualifiers in the future and we are also keen that Ireland should be in the mix to stage the World finals in years to come.
If you are interested in entering a team or finding out more about the tournament you can do so by contacting Mark Russell at mrussell@druidsport.com
