Tour stars inspire junior golf at the Open

Due to the nature of the game, golfers are often in danger of getting a reputation as overly single-minded and verging on the self-obsessed, especially during Major Championship weeks and all this is understandable given the nature of what is at stake. However, the reality of often very different and it?s to the game?s credit that it is not often shouted about.

For the last two years Acushnet ? the umbrella brand encompassing Titleist, Cobra and FootJoy ? in tandem with the Golf Foundation has been at the centre of some sterling work to promote the game at the junior level. ?In 2005 the Golf Foundation asked me if I could bring a few players over to the R&A Junior Golf Centre to help entertain the youngsters and it?s been a huge success ever since,? explained Jonathan Loosemore, Titleist Europe?s player promotions manager.

Around 4,000 youngsters take part in the activities run by the Golf Foundation at each Open and over the last two years they have got pretty lucky, with the likes of Adam Scott, Paul Lawrie, Ross Fisher and Ian Poulter paying a visit. ?The players come in, get involved in the activities the kids are playing, taking sides or playing against them and then they spend some time signing everything and posing for pictures ? the kids absolutely love it,? said Loosemore. Tri-Golf is especially popular with the players and the kids and it can get rather competitive, according to Loosemore.

It?s a considerable commitment for the players to give up any of their time during what is arguably the biggest week of their season and it?s something the Golf Foundation is extremely grateful for. ?When you see the young children?s eyes light up when they meet a top Tour player, you can understand the positive effect these players have and how they inspire the players of the future,? said Mike Round, chief executive of the Golf Foundation. ?We should never underestimate the effect meeting a champion golfer can have on a young person.?

However, as Loosemore explains the arrangement is not all one-sided. ?The players actually come back saying how much they have enjoyed it and a lot of them ask me about it every year. It?s a great chance for them to get away from the pressures for a while and just to relax.? Some of them even revel in the attention. ?Poults does love the adulation. He enjoys being at the centre of attention,? laughs Loosemore. ?And he is a great role-model, he?s young, exciting and fashionable. He makes golf cool to the kids which is what it?s all about.?