Golf Live and Celebrity Cup Huge Success

Thousands of golf fans flocked to the first staging of Golf Live at The Celtic Manor Resort in Wales.

The event, which hosted the first ever Celebrity Cup, was hailed an overwhelming success by tournament organisers and exhibitors.

In all, 12,453 visitors attended Britain's ultimate golf and lifestyle weekend, and over 5,000 watched television stars Ant and Dec take on 2010 Ryder Cup-winning captain Colin Montgomerie in a skills challenge on Saturday.

Event Director James Goode said: "The weekend was a massive success. This is the first time we have staged Golf Live outside London and Celtic Manor proved to be the perfect venue."

The fun-filled Celebrity Cup was won by Scotland, who narrowly pipped a Sir Steve Redgrave-led England team. Wales, led with gusto by funnyman Rob Brydon, beat Ireland to claim third place.

Monty, Shane Lowry and Soren Kjeldsen gave entertaining and informative masterclasses in front of a packed grandstand, and Paul Barrington's trick shots and Joe Miller's power hitting were big crowd pullers.

Also on hand was the large main pavilion which featured a host of exhibitors including golf resorts and destinations, the latest gadgets, golf accessories, clothing and merchandise.

Kevin Mitchell, Marketing Director of Golfbreaks.com, said: "We've been involved with Golf Live since the very beginning and this year was yet another excellent event."

Celtic Manor Resort Chief Executive Dylan Matthews thanked everyone for their support, in particular those who contributed to raising £65,000 for the Elizabeth Montgomerie Foundation.