GGGG S International S International C O N S U L T A N C Y

WINNING SCOTS IN GOLF – ‘NOWINNING SCOTS IN GOLF – ‘NO LIMITS’LIMITS’

REPORTTO

WINNING SCOTLAND FOUNDATION

BY GORDON G. SIMMONDS LLB DLP

FEBRUARY 2009

© Winning Scotland Foundation 2009

‘So many people along the way, whatever it is you aspire to

do, will tell you it can’t be done. But all it takes is

imagination. You dream. You plan. You reach. There will be

obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But

with hard work, with belief, with confidence and trust in

yourself and those around you,

there are NO LIMITS.’

U.S. Multiple Olympic Gold Medalist

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I N D E X

1. Scope of Study2. Executive Summary & Recommendations3. Defining a Champion Golfer4. Report

Appendices:I. Elite golf development structure in:

Australia CanadaDenmark England France Ireland NetherlandsScotland Sweden U.S.A.

II. Scottish professionals on main tours in 2009

III. Aims and Performance Targets of Pathways

IV. Gordon G. Simmonds CV

V. Budget

VI. Sources

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Scope of Study

Despite extraordinary achievements by Scots for hundreds of years in all

walks of life and all over the world, we remain, as a culture, underdogs and burdened

with a debilitating inferiority complex and fear of success. Consequently, in sport,

and particularly competitive golf, Scots always appear to be limited by something

from achieving their full potential.

In this regard, a study was undertaken on behalf of Winning Scotland

Foundation (“the Foundation”) to find out why Scots are so conspicuously absent

from the top of golf’s world rankings by means of a detailed investigation into:

(a) what works in other countries and for particular individuals;

(b) what hasn’t worked in Scotland or for Scots; and

(c) the transition period from amateur to professional and beyond,

and based upon the findings, devise a ‘no limits’ pilot project (“Project”) with the

objective of making a ‘winning attitude’ and world class success attainable and

pervasive for elite Scottish golfers rather than exceptional or opportunistic. Ideally,

the Project would be implemented, administered and funded by the Foundation for a

small group of carefully selected young male and female Scottish golfers already of

junior international standard or beyond.

This Report does not examine or proffer a view about the historic ‘split’

structure of Scottish golf (Scottish Ladies Golf Association, founded in 1904, which

controls women’s golf and the Scottish Golf Union, founded in 1920, which is solely

responsible for the men) or its possible impact on elite golf development, about

which much has already been written and is being deliberated among the relevant

stake-holders in great detail at present.

Research was conducted between 1 July and 31 December 2008; the end date

for statistics included in this Report. During this period, the Author interviewed and

spoke informally with more than 100 people directly involved on one or more levels

in elite golf development in over ten countries and made personal visits to France,

Australia, Scotland and the United States. Extensive research was also conducted on

the internet, supplemented by the Author’s considerable personal experience and by

reference to a wide selection of books, magazines and other published material on

the subject of high performance in sport. A list of people interviewed and principal

sources used in the course of the Study is set out in Appendix VI. All contributions from

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sources were solicited and have been made in confidence and therefore there are no directly

attributed quotes from any individual in this Report. The Author’s interpretation has been applied

throughout.

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Executive Summary

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1. Where we are on 1 January 2009:1.1 Talented Scottish golfers, both men and women, often set their goals too low,

don’t work hard enough on the right aspects of the game, are ill-prepared for and have difficulty adapting to the special rigours of professional life, engage the wrong support and are perennial under-achievers. With few exceptions, instead of planning their careers to be in a position to win Major Championships and place consistently in the world’s top ten, they fail to formulate and/or execute a workable plan to achieve much more than relative mediocrity and a comfortable livelihood once their comfort zone has been reached.

The 2007 Pathways Performance and Coaching strategy, approved for implementation by the stakeholders in Scottish golf as part of Scotland’s One Plan for Golf, is laudable on many levels; unfortunately, in contradiction of its mission to make Scotland a world power in golf, the goals set are too modest. This is a fundamental shortcoming, particularly when, as a minimum to ensure access to Major Championships and other significant events in men’s professional golf, a top 50 world ranking place is required.

1.2 There are less than 3,000 full-time professional tournament golfers in the world; nearly 1,400 are ranked in men’s golf, of whom about 30 are Scots, and about 800 are ranked in women’s golf, 8 of whom are Scots.

1.3 Only one of the Scots is ranked in the world’s top 100 women golfers, which are made up of players from 14 different nations. Ninety come from just six countries (Korea, USA, Japan, Sweden, Australia and Taiwan). Twenty countries have players ranked in the men’s top 100, of whom 83 come from only eight countries (USA, Australia, South Africa, England, Japan, Sweden, Ireland and Spain). The leading Scot is ranked 121st.

1.4 The average age of a player in the men’s World Top 100 is 34 years and 3 months and the women’s World Top 100 reveals an average of 27 years and six months. The main professional golf tours, and those providing most of the incumbents of the respective world ranking lists, comprise the PGA Tour and European Tour for men and the LPGA Tour and LPGA Tour of Japan for women. The average age of the 13 Scots with ‘full’ (this term is misleading in so far as Challenge Tour and Q-School qualifiers have limited tournament access in the relevant year) playing privileges on the European Tour is 33, and their World Rankings range from 121 to 1,381. The sole Scot on the PGA Tour, Martin Laird, is 26 years old and ranked 268. The average age of the three Scottish women with playing privileges on the LPGA Tour is 35.

1.5 The Women’s World Top 30, thirteen of whom are below the age of 25, comprises ten Koreans, six Americans, three Swedes, three Japanese, two Australians, two Taiwanese and one from each of Mexico, Norway, Brazil and England. The top 50 men come from the USA (12), England (7), South Africa

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(6), Australia (5), Ireland (3), Sweden (2), Spain (2), Denmark (2), Argentina (2), Canada (2) and Fiji, Korea, Taiwan, India, Colombia, Japan, Germany (1 each). Only two of them are less than 25 years old, though 15 are below the age of 30.

1.6 In 1999, Paul Lawrie, then aged 30, became the first Scottish-born winner of a Major Championship since 1931. There have been none since. Indeed, only fifteen Scots, four as amateurs (two playing through exemptions), have even competed in a men’s Major Championship in the last five years; and seven of those only ever in The Open Championship. The average age of the winners of the men’s Major Championships during the past five years is 33 years and 3 months. The women’s average age over the same period is 28 years and 3 months, though the most recent three winners of Women’s Major Championships have been only 19, 19 and 20 years old respectively.

1.7 Access to the women’s Major Championships is still based principally on money lists, qualification events and invitations, whereas the men’s fields are now largely determined by the World Ranking. Moreover, the World Ranking is used by the main men’s tours as criteria for access to certain other important events; usually those, which themselves, offer most World Ranking points. In other words, breaking into the upper echelons of the men’s game may be difficult but once there, making advancement is not as much of an insurmountable challenge as it would appear. An interesting situation to monitor in this regard during 2009 will be the field weightings on the European Tour. As more than half of the current world top 50 (certain starters in all Majors) are European Tour members, and the ultimate rewards in the new ‘Race to Dubai’ exceed what is on offer on the PGA Tour, better quality fields are anticipated; which, in turn, will boost the ranking points, and in consequence, the ranking position of successful European Tour players.

2. Where we seem to fail2.1 At the top of the professional game, there is clear evidence that Scottish

golfers are falling behind the mature and dominant golf nations that provide similar development pathways from talent identification to a career in tournament golf. Areas of concern that must be addressed if there is to be any hope, for example, of even one Scot earning a place in the 2014 European Ryder Cup team, far less winning Major Championships or reaching a top ten World Ranking, include preparation, ambition, resolve, character, coaching, continuing education, lifestyle and managing success.

2.2 One additional and potentially significant factor to consider in the context of the challenge in the modern era to reach golf’s summit is the impact ‘golf in the Olympics’ could have on the overall standard of competition. Assuming the IOC decides to admit golf into the Olympic Games at their meeting in October 2009, many governments of developing nations (and others), hitherto dismissive of golf as an elitist game, will begin to invest heavily in grass roots

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golf development. The Korean invasion of the women’s professional game will seem like a tentative peek over the parapet once China, for example, includes golf in its Olympic training programmes.

2.3. There is no shortage of information available within the current Scottish golf community at elite level, but it does not appear to translate into knowledge or understanding about what is really needed to give talented young players the best opportunity to fulfill their potential. Decision-makers may feel constrained by lack of finance, but that cannot be a viable excuse for not delivering, because Sweden, Ireland and The Netherlands, for instance, on limited budgets on a par with Scotland do consistently well at the elite level. In Scotland, there seems to be a rather insular approach and unwillingness to consider what is best for the relevant individual wherever it is happening or situated, and to hire world class support talent, whatever the nationality. The Scottish Eisenhower Trophy victory in 2008 was a fantastic achievement but it can be explained as a fortunate confluence of venues, mature, experienced and educated players at the peak of their careers as amateurs, their friendship and (where credit is due to the Scottish Golf Union) proper preparation.

2.4. While much is now done in Scotland in a positive way to try to identify golfing talent and to nurture its advancement against the influential flow of alternative competitive sporting activities, principally football, there is much that could still be improved; not least, communication between the various stake-holders and between them and the general Scottish golf constituency, including parents, such that there is genuine belief in the elite development system and realistic hope for its success. Moreover, the coaching system at elite level needs to be far more player centric and holistic. Worldwide, and running contrary to the player’s best interests, there exists the problematic issue (not restricted to golf) that coaches, who have the capacity to advance talented players at different points along the development curve, work their own agendas and fail to recognize when to move aside and pass the player on to those better able to guide him or her to realize full potential. This problem certainly exists in Scotland, as does the more disturbing trend of self promotion and potential conflicts of interest.

2.5 Playing professional golf for a living is extremely challenging on several levels. It can also be highly rewarding, of course. Generally, Scottish golfers fail to understand what really needs to be done to prepare properly to meet and overcome the obstacles of a solitary, hopefully high profile career in which every weakness or failing is publicly magnified; to put in place the steps required to make a successful transition and how to prioritise and maximize the opportunities as they arise. They lack experience of life in general. Attention to detail is conspicuously absent, there is little aptitude to evolve or be continually educated along the way and few, if any, have the character, confidence or mental strength required to succeed at the very highest levels.

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Consequently, the game that they have probably enjoyed and played brilliantly as elite amateurs (a sine qua non) becomes a job and a struggle for survival in a harsh and highly competitive world that owes them nothing.

2.6 Moreover, it might be suggested that Scotland, led by a generally negative and overly influential press, is a nation of whiners all too ready to knock failure and success with equal passion and ignorance. Indeed, rarely do Scottish sportsmen and women have the capacity to deal with success even when it has been earned. From childhood, there is no ‘can do’ attitude. Ambition, flair and confidence are quashed. In sport and in education, our frame of reference is far too insular and, in consequence, too many of our so-called leading athletes, including aspiring professional golfers, simply do not possess the key ingredients required to develop as individuals capable of flourishing on a world stage. Needless to say, there are notable and welcome exceptions from time to time, encouraged more generally now by the work of the Foundation.

2.7 In essence, Scots golfers aspiring to play the game for gain, enter the critical transition phase from talented elite amateur to professional carrying too much of the ‘Limitation’ baggage (“the Limitations”), some of which has its roots in formative years, viz:

Limited vision, ambition and horizons; Limited education and resources Limited parental support; Limited preparation, knowledge and understandingLimited course and weather condition experience Limited international and ‘best quality’ experienceLimited confidence and character development; Limited mental strengthLimited work ethic; Limited perseverance; Limited attention to detail Limited short game; Limited peer pressureLimited personality, social and communication skillsLimited mentoring and role models; Limited experience as winners.

3. Transition and aiming for the top3.1 While the governing bodies for golf in Sweden and Australia were operating

very successful elite player development systems before the emergence of Tiger Woods, his arrival on the world professional stage in late 1996 and subsequent extraordinary success on and off the course, apparently based on solid developmental foundations that were nurtured from the moment he could walk, opened the floodgates for other governing bodies around the world, including Scotland, to put in place talent identification and development systems designed to try to ensure that ‘the next Tiger’ was not missed. As important for the transformation of the women’s professional game as Tiger was for elite golf development generally, was the success of a young Korean called Pak Se-ri, whose victory in the U.S. Women’s Open in 1998 spawned a generation of equally talented, driven and committed Asian girls (and their parents) in her wake.

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3.2 Given golf’s individuality and longer elite development time than most sports, it is impossible to define the precise components that convert talent into championship success but a combination of the following are absolutely essential: Talent and Hard work (Andy Murray’s mantra is – Hard Work Beats Talent when Talent doesn’t Work Hard), Desire, Experience, Ability to perform under pressure, Preparation, Mental focus, Positive influences, Physical maturity, Complete single-mindedness, Assuming responsibility, Self-belief/no doubts and Life skills and balance.

3.3 One other critical element, often overlooked in the rush to join the paid ranks, is sensible and independent evaluation of a player’s readiness to leave the considerable safety net of modern elite amateur golf. The decision to become a professional golfer, for so long as there remains a clear demarcation between ‘amateur’ and ‘professional’, should not be taken without proper, objective advice that is given by a person (or people) who has (have) the player’s best interests in mind.

3.5. No high performance golf development system currently being operated anywhere in the world has all of the answers. However, a few have demonstrated that they do get encouraging results by pursuing certain courses of action. The Pathways initiative in Scotland, while a constructive step forward, may well fulfill its modest objectives; but it is unlikely to produce a Major Champion. More is needed. An evaluation of the systems and initiatives undertaken in other countries during the course of this study suggests that a principal reason for targets not to be achieved may be the existence of too many conflicts of interest and commercial intrusions. Hence, a properly funded, administered and independent, non-conflicted support scheme implemented over a meaningful period of time in an individualized manner that uses the best elements of programmes in other countries that have been known to create the best opportunities and provide success for certain players could pave the way for young Scottish male and female players possessing the right character traits to reach the top of the ladder of world golf, not merely its lower or middle rungs. Specific recommendations based on the above analysis follow.

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Recommendations

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1.1 Golf is often portrayed as a national sport of Scotland, and as a foundation stone of its modern tourism industry. Wherever the game was actually first conceived, numerous ‘firsts’ put Scotland on the world golfing map, and rich legacies keep it there. First course, first club, first Rules of Golf, first open championship, first ladies’ golf union, first handicap system and first golf professionals. The iconic image of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club clubhouse, public accessibility to golf in St. Andrews, the influence of The R&A in The Rules and worldwide golf development and the revered status and global television exposure of The Open Championship safeguard Scotland’s seat at golf’s high table. Conspicuous by their present day absence, however, are any male or female players of genuine world class, and no male or female winner of a Major Championship since 1999; a first in itself of a home-born Scot since 1931. Colin Montgomerie’s appointment as 2010 Ryder Cup non-playing captain is a timely reminder that Scotland should do much better in the world of professional golf, and soon. Scottish sporting culture, of which golf is a significant part, demands that we address this issue because without regular success at the highest competitive level, our legacy will be seriously impaired for the next generation who need current and visible heroes.

1.2 If the golfing mountain is to be scaled successfully by Scots, the Limitations, once identified, must be removed as obstacles; if possible, in the development landscape, and certainly in the course of transition from elite amateur to the professional stage. Given all that is already done by relevant golf bodies in Scotland in the early development phase, it would only add an unnecessary additional layer of complication for the Foundation to become involved at this stage. However, in accordance with the ultimate purpose of the Foundation’s Winning Scots programme (to develop more role models who can inspire, encourage, motivate and educate other young Scots), the Foundation can certainly add material value in preparing for a successful transition and career in professional tournament golf a small group of Scotland’s potential world class golfers who have already demonstrated competitive playing ability and desire to play the game seriously.

1.3 Based on the research and analysis conducted while preparing this Report, it is therefore recommended that in order to address the current shortcomings, a suitably talented pilot group (initially comprising not more than four boys and two girls probably between 17 and 20 years of age and selected following in-depth psychometric testing and independent analysis), would be presented by the Foundation with, and contract into, an individualized ‘No Limits’ plan designed for each player:

(a) To realize his or her full potential;(b) To have a realistic opportunity to achieve full playing privileges on The

PGA, European or LPGA Tours (as appropriate) within five years;(c) To have a realistic opportunity to rank in the world top ten within six

years;

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(d) To have a realistic opportunity to win a Major Championship within seven years; and

(e) To contribute as a role model to developing a Positive Winning Attitude in Scotland for all Scots golfers.

1.4 In order for the Foundation to establish such a pilot No Limits scheme to address the main issues that have prevented, and continue to prevent, the most driven Scottish talent from reaching the golfing summit, and provide an opportunity for them to have unfettered access to relevant world class guidance that permits them to fulfill their potential, the Board of the Foundation should consider engaging a programme director and assistant to lead the implementation of the Project and, through them, initiate the following course of action:

(a) Engage the stakeholders in Scottish Golf, for the purpose of avoiding unnecessary misunderstandings and to explain the need to cultivate a smaller and more focused ‘super’ elite group of players with the world golfing summit as the goal. The scheme must operate at all times independent of commercial, and other, influences, save, perhaps, working with appropriate agents for the sole benefit of the relevant player;

(b) Engage closest relatives and other people of positive influence in the relevant player’s life so far and (where relevant) maintain strong communication channels;

(c) Hire Denis McDade, former director of the Victoria Institute of Sport golf programme and currently a fully authorized coach at the world-class Titleist Performance Institute (http://www.mytpi.com/default.asp ), to identify (with the help of the Scottish governing bodies) and evaluate (through psychometric testing and profiling) four boys and two girls probably aged between 17 and 20 (“Participants”);

(d) Identify the best location for maximizing value for both athlete and funding. Tiger Woods and Annika Sorenstam are both based (and have been for many years) close to Orlando in Florida. There is near perfect weather all year round, access to top class facilities for training and golf and close proximity to a manageable international airport and world class support systems. One ambitious idea would be to buy a property in Champions Gate, near Orlando to act as a base for the Participants, coaches and relevant support team members, as required, with pay back by the Participants once they achieve certain disposable income thresholds. An alternative venue for consideration would be Dubai, closer to Scotland and with similar weather conditions to Florida from November until March. Moreover, the European Tour is in the advanced planning stage to set up an international headquarters in Dubai, which will include a Performance Institute similar to that operated by the Acushnet Company under the Titleist brand in the United States;

(e) Engage the services of Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriot of Vision54 (http://www.vision54.com/vision54/pages/home ) for the purposes of

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introducing the Participants to an holistic approach to golf (emphasizing the importance of the game as a whole and the interdependence of each part that makes up a successful championship golfer) and include an annual two or three day visit for Participants to their base in Phoenix;

(f) Create the best possible playing, training, travel, social and personal experiences at each level of development both before and after turning professional – to include access to the Titleist Performance Institute or European Tour’s Performance Institute, for instance, with particular focus on development of a long-term health and fitness regimen;

(g) Create a world class short game teaching and practice environment and engage a recognized expert in teaching short game; for instance, Adam Hunter;

(h) Create individual development programmes for each Participant making available, as appropriate, support people who are the best in the world at what they do;

(i) Create a continuing education environment and deal with weaknesses head-on;

(j) Plan and execute annual (and individual) practice, training and international tournament schedules that expose each Participant to the best administered events, the best players and the best teachers (it may also be advantageous to engage one or two Scottish coaches in the early stage of their careers and who aspire to be the world class; they can grow and learn alongside the Participants);

(k) Teach and give guidance about inter-personal skills and dealing with the media, including development of advanced interview techniques;

(l) Teach and give guidance about the benefits of a strict time management regimen;

(m)Teach and give guidance about a healthy & balanced lifestyle;(n) Set the highest standards of general appearance, including dress codes;(o) Give detailed guidance on the relevance and importance of engaging a

caddie whose personality, as much as his or her competence, best suits the Participant;

(p) Eliminate the ‘deer in headlights’ issue by extending the Foundation’s existing Winning Mentors programme with world class athletes and people (on an expenses only basis), such as Nick Price+, Andy Murray, Judy Murray+, Jackie Stewart, David Wilkie, Chris Hoy, Gavin Hastings, Peter Dawson+, Peter McEvoy+, Nicola Benedetti, Billy Connolly, Martin Gilbert+, Denis McDade+, Pia Nilsson+, Sam Torrance, Annie Lennox, Ian McGeechan, Stephen Hendry and KT Tunstall; as the only living Scottish-born Major Championship winner, it would also be appropriate to involve Paul Lawrie+, and Catriona Matthew+, as the most successful Scottish female professional, to date, should also be involved on some level.

+ People already spoken to in the course of the study and all willing to be involved in

the Project

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Failure on the part of any Participant to respond and meet pre-agreed performance targets and measurements could give rise to removal from the scheme.

1.5. Funding for the pilot scheme is difficult to quantify, and will, of course, be dependent upon the extent to which the recommendations might be embraced and, thereafter, can be implemented. In any event, excluding a property acquisition, there should be a fund raising/sponsorship goal per annum of not less than £350,000 (see Appendix V). In so far as the ‘No Limits’ scheme is designed to bring credit to Scottish golf and golfers on a world stage, the Foundation would expect the stakeholders in Pathways to make an annual contribution to operational costs to confirm their support. Going forward, there should be an express contractual obligation for successful Participants to provide ‘pay-back’ (commencing in the form of charitable donations to the Foundation once the Participant has established himself/herself on the Tour and cleared an agreed income threshold), both financially and personally, for the investment in them and for those following.

1.6 The ‘No Limits’ scheme, as contemplated, would fit the Foundation’s charitable objects, in particular:

(a) The advancement of the physical education of young people;

(b) The advancement of education; (c) The advancement of health;

(d) The advancement of amateur sport and/or public participation in sport.

1.7 In the longer term, the Foundation should also consider how the ‘No Limits’ scheme might be used in collaboration with the golf scholarship and R&A Bursary programme at the University of St. Andrews, with a view to the University achieving sufficient credibility to compete head-on with the best Division 1 universities and colleges in the United States and become a world class golf and study venue for those aiming for the top of world golf.

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DEFINING A CHAMPION GOLFER

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In the course of this study, the views of many people have been invited concerning the ingredients that define a champion golfer. While there was no specific DNA that could be formulated, recorded and replicated, there was consensus on a number of aspects, including some key personal characteristics that make up those who have already achieved the moniker ‘champion golfer’ and important components that have helped to guide them along the way. What follows is not intended to be exhaustive or listed in any order of importance. No excuse is made for using Tiger Woods as an example to explain many of the traits because he is undoubtedly the most complete package ever to play the game professionally, and during a career (by no means over), he has re-defined what a champion golfer requires to succeed.

1. Mental strengthChampionship golf is 90% mental because as sure as night follows day everyone participating at that level can hit the golf ball well, has had the confidence to get there, has returned sub-par scores in competition and has experience of playing before an audience; but can they play the game to the best of their ability under the media microscope and in championship conditions when every possible distraction the game presents is magnified to the extreme? Having the capacity to get into a comfort ‘zone’ and being able to function ‘normally’ when the pressure is greatest is what allows the best to perform well in championship golf and what separates a champion golfer from the rest. Text books have been written on the subject and several people earn their living counseling golfers on the ‘mind game’. No doubt, it is the strength of his mind that has separated Tiger from the rest for the past 10 years.

Incidentally, a round of golf in professional tournaments takes about five hours. Swinging at the ball 70 (or so) times takes less than three minutes. Add to that, say, an average of two minutes per stroke to decide on club, strategy and line and that still leaves more than 2½ hours to think and reflect. The potentially adverse consequence for performance of such time in a game that presents countless distractions means that a player’s mental strength is paramount. Those who win tournaments at professional level need to be able to treat the two imposters of triumph and disaster, both of which are bound to arise at some point over 72 holes, in the same way. Ultimately, the goal will be to maintain an even temperament during the ups and downs of a round of golf. Mental skills can be learned and practiced, just like fitness. Tiger’s father was a great believer in strengthening the mind and consequently, through a mix of tapes and personal challenges set by Earl who drew extensively on his psychological warfare training in the Green Berets, Tiger’s mental skills were honed in the early development phase. Unlike many, who only turn to mental conditioning when form slumps or tournaments or championships are lost for inexplicable reasons, Tiger and his father understood that learning and understanding the mental side of the game should be included in the preparatory phase, and not as a reaction.

2. Talent

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Any aspiring champion golfer needs to have talent, if only to be able to acquire and master the technical elements (both taught and discovered) necessary to play the game at an elite competitive level.

3. Work ethicHowever, as the player moves through competitive levels, talent can be easily squandered without hard work. An often quoted mantra, and one Andy Murray abides by, is Hard Work Beats Talent when Talent doesn’t Work Hard.

4. DesireMichael Phelps believes the ‘solution is inside yourself’. That is another way of saying that without the personal desire to train, to practice, to learn, to improve, to compete, to win and to succeed, no amount of external support can make it happen.

5. Short game skillsThe ability to score under the most intense pressure presented in Major Championships when not playing well is a distinguishing feature of all great champions; being prepared to be able to do so means focusing on the short game in practice. It was Seve Ballesteros’s phenomenal short game display in the final round of the 1988 Open Championship that finally prompted Nick Price, his unfortunate victim that day, to devote more than 80% of his practice regimen on the short game thereafter. Between 1991 and 1996, Price was one of the best three players in the world, for a spell the undisputed number one, and won three Major Championships. The way Tiger hits a golf ball might be what attracts attention, but his Championship success has been achieved because of an extraordinary short game and the ability to ‘will’ the ball into the hole. Twice (2001 and 2002), he ranked first in the ‘scrambling’ statistic on the PGA Tour. His ‘scrambling’ percentage was about 70% on both occasions, which meant he got ‘up and down’ seven times out of ten when he missed a green. Such is the importance of the short game in professional golf, that there are dedicated short game coaches; one of the best is a Scot, Adam Hunter, and his star pupil is Paul Lawrie, the only home-born Scottish Major Champion in the last 75 years.

6. PersonalityWatching golf on TV in the modern era, save for the Majors, and usually when Tiger is in contention and, perhaps, the Ryder Cup (when the contest is close) lacks entertainment value. The slow and ponderous nature of the game has been taken to a new level of tedium, and it is not entertaining despite poor attempts by the commentators, always anxious to please their paymasters, to generate interest and excitement. Players are not owed a living. To distinguish themselves, they must entertain, be accessible and try (at least) to give the impression that it is still a game. Incidentally, Tiger’s inaccessibility on a personal level at tournaments and championships, while fully understandable on security and practical levels, has done nothing to promote the game to the next generation eager to rub shoulders with their heroes. However, when he plays, we watch, and when he

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speaks, we listen. Like it or not, this is the sound-bite era and one in which sports men and women are one small part of the ‘24/7’ entertainment fabric. An engaging personality is therefore just as important as playing the game well. The win by Alvaro Quiros in Qatar in late January 2009 was welcomed, for instance, not so much because of his undoubted talent as a golfer but because of the cavalier way he won, his happy demeanour and the fact he can be easily identified by virtue of his Leadbetter-style hat and 1950s side-burns.

7. Constructive parenting – knowledge, resources & timeIn the development phase, more so, perhaps, for girls given the possible brevity of the period between being a child and competing for Major Championships, constructive parenting is important. However, in an era when many parents of gifted golfing children have little or no experience of playing the game at all, lack of knowledge can be an impediment. Also, given the likely cost of processing talent along the development curve and to create relevant opportunities, meaningful financial resources are needed. Finally, without available time of one parent or guardian to arrange the child’s schedule and implement it, potentially significant opportunities will be missed and development held back. Judy Murray prepared a dedicated Tennis Parents website, now included in the LTA’s website, in which she gave guidance to parents of talented young tennis players with a view to preparing them for the extraordinary sacrifices needed to prepare a child for a career in professional tennis. Nothing similar exists for golf, but it should. A good starting point would be reproducing much of Earl Woods’ book, Training a Tiger, published in early 1997 and narrating the steps he took to prepare Tiger for a career in professional golf.

8. Education (including proper career advice at the right time)Tertiary education is not for everyone who aspires to play golf professionally. For those who are able to combine further formal education with continuing improvement as a player, it is an ideal situation. For others departing at compulsory school age, full-time golf may be the best route to take. An absolute necessity, however, for anyone who wants to be the best is the willingness to learn and be open to continuing educated in life and living along the development pathway. The ‘education’ need not be formal, but it must be the best available. All great champions have an inquiring mind, and are receptive to finding out or being taught new ways to improve and reach their goals. That doesn’t mean having their heads filled with too much information or being exposed to too many conflicting views; more, it is about having the capacity to appreciate what will add value to the database they already possess or know they need to have to succeed, filter the information and views to the extent necessary and apply them in a constructive way. Both Tiger Woods and Annika Sorenstam are masters of this art, and their achievements, in consequence, speak for themselves.

9. Peer Pressure

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Growing up competing against others more skilled will always have a positive effect on someone with a competitive nature. Often, younger brothers or sisters emerge as the best in a family with capable elder siblings. Strong junior sections at golf clubs often spawn a crop of talented players who do well while they are together. As a player gets older, the presence of peers with whom to compete remains relevant and important. If college or university is the route, then being amongst the best at that level should be preferred. Being the big fish in a small pond might help with confidence but it will not prepare the player for the real world. When Tiger was at Stanford or Annika at Arizona State, strong peers were present and able to push them at an important time in their lives. Chris Hoy, the multiple Olympic Gold Medal winning cyclist, did not suddenly touch down in Birmingham as the leader of the highly successful British Olympic cycling squad. He had outstanding competition along the path to the top, many of them peers who inspired him to get better and work harder.

10. Persistence & perseveranceDistinct from work ethic, is the concept of persistence and perseverance. There will be obstacles in any career path, no matter the champion and no matter the success. Overcoming the obstacles will require persistence. Potential champions will often be told at points in their careers that they are simply not good enough, or don’t have the right attributes to get to the top. The ability to persevere against these doubters is an important characteristic of a champion. Padraig Harrington was a good golfer when he turned professional after his third Walker Cup match at the end of 1995, but few thought he would ever be good enough to play in the Ryder Cup far less be ranked in the World top ten and win a Major Championship. His persistence and perseverance, combined with an extraordinary work ethic, has been astonishing and should be a beacon of hope for anyone following that anything is possible.

11. Competitive instinctMany feel that you need to be born with a competitive instinct, and that may be true. Is it needed to be a champion? Perhaps. Certainly, no-one who succeeds at a world-class level in any sport does not possess the facility to compete. Clearly, it is demonstrated in different ways. Ernie Els is (probably) no less competitive than Tiger Woods, but by all appearances he is barely out of neutral when Tiger is in over-drive when Major Championships are on the line; perhaps that is why Tiger has won 14 and Ernie only three because when the chips are really down, Tiger’s competitive instinct is far greater than Ernie’s. It is interesting to note also that whatever Tiger does, he wants to win and hates to lose. The same is true of Andy Murray, who has been known to stay up until 5.00 am just to be able, as himself (one of the game’s participants), to beat every one of his fellow competitors on the Wii tennis game.

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12. Opportunity (includes targeted financial support)Along the road to the champion’s enclosure, opportunities, financial and otherwise, may present themselves. More often than not, they will need to be earned or sought out. But however they appear they must be embraced only if they are in the player’s best interests and used to the player’s best advantage. In other words, the opportunity must fit with the overall plan to progress the player’s career. Signing what appears to be a very attractive endorsement contract with a club manufacturer could be folly if the clubs the player has used to get to that position differ in any significant way from those being presented and for which he or she will now be paid to play; short term comfort for longer term pain if form and results go down.

13. Mentoring & heroes (includes history)When Tiger Woods turned professional in August 1996, he appeared to be the complete package. He wasn’t, by a long way. He knew that, as did his father and those responsible for his career development at IMG. From the beginning of his professional career, a mature and experienced mentor was engaged to look after him and guide him around the tour, and on overseas trips. Coincidentally, the mentor was another IMG client – Mark O’Meara. His role may have been informal and little publicized, but it was crucial in Tiger’s development. Indeed, a few months before signing with IMG, Mark McCormack arranged for Tiger to meet and spend time with Arnold Palmer. The reason, perhaps, was two-fold; first, to safeguard IMG’s investment in Tiger up to that point (Earl Woods, Tiger’s father, had been on a sizeable retainer from IMG since Tiger’s early teenage years) and make certain he signed with them as a client, and also to present Tiger with an opportunity to quiz and learn from the most influential golfer in history so far as the business side of the game was concerned. Tiger’s inquisitiveness ensured he made the most of the opportunity. Every sports legend has grown up with their own heroes. The more they know about the history of their sport, the more likely they will understand why they do what they do and what it is they are trying to achieve. For Tiger, his career is being defined by his quest for Jack Nicklaus’s 18 professional Major Championships, though his knowledge of the game generally inspires him to achieve much more in the process. Nick Price and Ernie Els had Gary Player as a mentor. Jackie Stewart, 3-time World F1 champion, had a variety of mentors at different stages in his long career on and off the track, each providing him with one more piece in the jigsaw of life which he knew would make him a better person, and, if truth be known, a far more valuable commodity.

14. Time managementAn aspect of the world of professional tournament golf often over-looked by newcomers to the main tours, is the importance of being able to manage time. There are 24 hours in a day. Assuming eight hours of sleep, 16 hours are left to fill. Playing a round of golf might take five hours, warm-up beforehand and practice afterwards should add two or three hours, eating meals adds another couple of hours, the gym might fill an hour. That leaves about five hours to fill, and that is on tournament days. There will be missed cuts, travel days, off weeks when there is no access to tournaments; what happens then? Learning to plan schedules and implementing them takes time, but it must be

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done if the player is to have the best opportunity to fulfill their potential. With rare exceptions, every champion golfer manages time well, and he or she has the added distraction (albeit lucrative) of keeping sponsors, media, tournament organizers and fans happy.

15. Positive experience path – the best at each levelMost champions have had a positive experience path in the game or in life. Invariably, it has included competing on the best courses against the best competitors in championship conditions at junior or senior amateur levels, and winning. It could just as easily be, however, the simple pleasure of playing a round of golf with a hero early in their development or being taken to play the Old Course, Muirfield, Augusta National and/or Pine Valley for the first time. Even just attending a Major Championship and being exposed to golf and golfers at the highest level would be considered a positive experience, if done in the right company. Positive experiences in life at vital stages breed confidence, and no champion golfer can function without confidence.

16. Maintenance of individualityWith success, comes the myriad of distractions and trappings deemed, by some, as essential to prosper in the world of professional golf. Support and guidance, properly managed, may allow the potential champion to be better able to fulfill his or her potential. However, no-one except the player will be there to hit the shot or make the putt that is going to win a championship. Maintaining individuality and personal space is crucial for success in championship golf. Champion golfers take what they need from the support system around them, but never become dependant.

17. Self-belief & commitment; focus on what you can controlAn extension of individuality and a material part of the mental part of the game is the ability of the best players, through extraordinary self-belief and commitment, to focus on what they can control, which are their technical and mental abilities to play the shot needed and deliver results when the pressure is greatest.

Denis McDade is a 43 year-old Australian who was involved with the VIS Golf Programme for eleven years, first as assistant coach under Dale Lynch (1996 to 2001) and then as head coach from 2001 to 2007. He is now a significant part of the BannLynchGolf business (see www.bannlynchgolf.com) operating from Melbourne Golf Academy and at the International Institute of Golf in North Carolina. In addition, he looks after the coaching needs of a number of tour players and elite amateurs, including Matt Griffin, now a rookie professional in his first year and who recently secured an Asian Tour Card. McDade is also on the World Advisory Board for the Titleist Performance Institute.

Under McDade, every player was taught quickly how to become self-sufficient. For example, the VIS squad members are funded to travel to the UK and U.S. McDade would simply inform them about their selection to go overseas, announce the personal budget

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and instruct them to research and produce a travel and competition plan for review. Nothing was ever expected in year one, but great importance was attached to the de-briefing upon the player’s return when he or she is allowed to admit his or her limitations and to seek solutions. Once the wiring is understood, building blocks are put in place to remove or minimize weaknesses (if any) encountered under pressure.

18. Learning to trainTraining encompasses all aspects of preparation to compete. Doing anything for the sake of doing it, without regard to why and to what end, is meaningless and, often, counter-productive. Champion golfers, who generally manage time well, train constructively and productively, setting goals, achieving them and moving on.

19. Health & Fitness It is not a surprise to see ‘Fitness Programs’ as a specific section on Annika Sorenstam’s Foundation website (see http://www.annikafoundation.org). A significant reason for her longevity at the top of women’s golf was her physical fitness and general good health. As Tiger has re-written the book for professional male golfers so far as health and fitness are concerned, so Annika has done the same in the women’s game. In the 1950s, Frank Stranahan, one of the most prolific amateur champions, advocated weights and exercise as an essential ingredient in the make-up of a successful golfer. In the professional game, only Gary Player believed him and it was not until the era of Nick Faldo and Greg Norman in the 1980s and early 1990s that physical fitness, flexibility, health and diet began to move towards the front of the priority queue. Tiger embraced this approach and made them front and centre in his overall game plan. His success convinced everyone else following, and even some of those older, that time in the gym and eating well were essential to prepare for high intensity championship golf and be able to remain at the forefront over a long period of time. Some in the golf business passionately believe that health and physical fitness will be the dominating factor in golf development programmes in the years ahead, not only to prepare the aspiring champion golfer for long-term competition on a world stage but to allay the impact of extensive practice regimens, travel and modern living.

20. Learning to deal with success (includes media)Being a winner from a young age and at each level is invaluable when learning how to deal with success. As an amateur, there may be accompanying media attention but it will be nothing as compared to the intrusion arising when success comes early in a professional career. Lewis Hamilton, courtesy of his father’s foresight and belief of Ron Dennis (McLaren), was, according to Jackie Stewart, the best prepared entrant ever to F1. The same was true of Tiger Woods when he announced, ‘Hello World’, at his Nike suggested press conference on the day he turned professional. Both Hamilton and Woods exude charisma and confidence, not only in how they play their respective games, but in how they deal with the media; a crucially

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important ingredient for a successful professional athlete in the modern era. That said, Woods made mistakes along the way; but he learned quickly. His dealings with the media may now, on the whole, be stage-managed and the sound-bites well rehearsed but his eloquent utterances are always given with confidence and conviction. He thinks, sounds and looks like a champion and, as someone who understands how to deal with success and is prepared, he has no fear when it arises.

21. Constructive coachingA player must master the fundamentals of his or her golf swing if he or she wants to compete at the highest level. Each player is different and constructive coaching and good coaches at any level, more so at an elite level, must recognize this. Also, coaches cannot be experts in all areas, but an elite level coach must know what additional support might be required and when. Changes to make a player’s swing more reliable and less likely to falter under pressure are to be commended and embraced by any aspiring champion. Change for the sake of change should be resisted. In any event, the player must trust the coach 100% and try to understand as much as possible about the swing. Revealingly, in a recent clinic given by Tiger and Anthony Kim during Tiger’s convalescence from knee surgery, Kim was asked how far he hit a 56 degree wedge and a 60 degree wedge and how he did it. He couldn’t answer the questions. As a ‘feel’ player, he simply plays the shot he sees without knowing how. His distance could easily be 10 yards apart with each club. Tiger, on the other hand, knew precisely how far he hit each club and how he did it.

It is strongly believed by some in the game that imparting competitive mental

skills to a player should be part of a coach’s remit, not that of a psychologist. The rationale is that the coach needs to know why the elite player is not performing and, where possible, remove the ‘inhibitors’. However, the coach may need to tread warily, despite the temptation to expand his remit beyond the technical. Nick Faldo welcomed everything David Leadbetter could throw at him, including attendance on the practice ground at tournaments (a move which spawned an unhealthy intrusion in the modern game where few players now seem to feel secure unless their coach is hovering close by). At the other extreme was Nick Price, who told Leadbetter in no uncertain terms that his presence at a tournament was, for him, unnecessary and unwelcome.

22. Well thought-out competition schedule (includes preparation)Given the importance of being ranked in the World top 50 in the men’s game and the likely growing importance of a high ranking in the women’s game, planning a well thought-out competition schedule is material. Making available quality time to prepare properly for events that could make a significant difference to a career, such as Major Championships, must be considered by the player as a priority. The discipline of scheduling can be learned through experience, and should begin, at the latest, at elite amateur level.

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23. Planning (includes location base)It is interesting to note that both Tiger Woods and Annika Sorenstam have lived near Orlando in Florida for several years. This location provide seclusion, when required, easy access to top quality courses and practice facilities, all-year round good weather, proximity to their support systems and convenience in implementing their travel and tournament schedule. Many players on the PGA Tour and the LPGA Tour are also based in Florida (or Arizona) for similar reasons. Establishing a base that provides most, if not all, of a player’s checklist of needs to ensure he or she is properly prepared to compete at the highest level, sometimes on short notice in the case of those with limited tour access, is a factor that could have a material effect on performance and career progression. Travel is difficult and stressful in the modern world; for a champion golfer in the making to add to the stress by living somewhere that is not close to a major airport hub does not appear to make much sense.

24. A good caddie – most significantly in the transition phaseThe person spending most time with a player during the transition phase and when he or she is under greatest pressure will be the caddie. For long, little more than a glorified bag carrier, a good caddie on the main professional tours is now viewed as valuable and a potentially significant component in the champion golfer’s support system. The average cost of a full-time caddie on the European Tour will be about £750 per week plus varying commissions of prize money earned with travel costs on top, particularly on long-haul trips. A costly exercise, no doubt, but if it is the right person and the collaboration produces good results, the expense could be viewed as an investment. In any event, the player and caddie’s personalities must gel for the arrangement to be productive and in the player’s best interests. Given the amount of time a leading player will spend with his caddie, voluntarily or not, much thought will likely be given to appointing the right person. A professional in the early transition phase should approach this task no less carefully. When Tiger turned professional, IMG helped secure the services of a very experienced caddie called Mike (‘Fluff’) Cowan. This was an important and productive relationship during Tiger’s early years, until, inevitably, Cowan failed to remember who was paying the bills and became surplus to Tiger’s requirements. In any event, Tiger was ready to move on and to engage someone closer in age, outlook and ambition. Steve Williams proved to be the right man for Tiger at the right time and the relationship, so far, has proved to be highly productive.

25. Lifestyle & relationshipsGolf is a very lonely game. For hours, the player can be alone in his thoughts. Mentally, it can be depressing, particularly after a bad round or poor finish that causes a tournament or Championship to be lost. The downtime can be considerable, both during a tournament and on weeks off to practice. There can be many distractions. There is clear evidence that players who implement a sound life/golf balance achieve the best results. It need not be a relationship

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or children, but there must be fulfillment elsewhere. In recent times, Tiger and Annika have clearly demonstrated the impact personal happiness or unhappiness has on their Championship performances. Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Arnold Palmer and Nick Price all enjoyed long, happy marriages and a busy home life away from golf, as does Padraig Harrington. It might be fair to suggest that a player who has the facility to put the game, and the unique pressures of playing and winning Major Championships, into perspective and get something else out of life will be likely to focus and perform better when he or she needs to do so.

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REPORT

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1. Introduction1.1 As this Report is about elite golf development and the level at which

Scotland’s leading players should be competing, or aspiring to compete, it is important to understand a little about the principal arenas in which the world’s best golfers compete and the importance of the Major Championships and world rankings in the modern era.

1.2 Elite golf development systems are now formally operated in several golf playing nations around the world. The basic elements, and objectives, are similar but implementation and success varies considerably. Should golf be admitted to the Olympics in October 2009, a move which is widely anticipated and welcomed, it is likely, with central government support that several other ambitious nations will set up elite golf development systems under the Olympic umbrella, including China. While governments of the mature golf nations, in such circumstances, may feel obliged to put a little more investment into golf at the elite level, it is unlikely that the current elite development structures will change to any material extent save perhaps extension into or of transitional support.

1.3 Scotland is one of only three golf-playing nations still functioning with separate men’s and women’s governing bodies, a potentially serious impediment for elite development in the long term, though probably not of any great consequence short term. Ireland and England are the other two, though, like Scotland, discussions are ongoing in England about future amalgamation. ‘Scottish Golf’ is a partnership among Scotland’s principal stakeholders in the game, the Scottish Golf Union (“SGU”), the Scottish Ladies Golf Association (“SLGA”) and the Scottish Region of the PGA (“PGA”) supported by sportscotland. Together, they are pursuing One Plan for Golf, one aspect of which deals with high performance and coaching and which was encapsulated in a document called Pathways in September 2007. Previously decentralized and highly fragmented, with successful players emerging more by chance than design, the new centralized system, as promulgated in Pathways, attempts to replicate what has been done in other mature golf nations concerning the road from initial talent identification to the professional tours.

1.4 As golf provides the longest potential career of any major professional sport, there are several factors unique to the game that need to be considered before and during the transition phase from elite amateur to tournament professional, not least the time at which the move to paid ranks is made and the foundations and support that are essential before and during the process to present the best opportunity to succeed. According to Golf Digest, the sport’s leading publication resource, there are about 250,000 children in U.S. high schools alone who play golf at a competition level and that about 8,000 people attend U.S. colleges on golf scholarships at any one time. Worldwide, there are less than 3,000 active full time tournament professionals;

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thousands, emerging from U.S. colleges alone, have clearly tried and failed, most at the transition phase. No matter how successful a player has been as an amateur, the leap to the professional game will be intimidating, fraught with challenges and difficult; save for an exceptional few, it will take at least three years, probably more, to make the adjustment.

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2. The main professional golf tours2.1 The goal for an ambitious, talented and driven young Scottish professional

golfer must be to play on one of the world’s main golf tours, if only to gain relevant experience and build solid foundations to be able to challenge for Major Championships and reap the myriad of benefits that accrue from reaching the world’s top fifty. The PGA Tour and The European Tour dominate the men’s game and the LPGA Tour has similar pre-eminence for women.

2.2 The PGA Tour, as a distinct entity, was originally established in 1968. Before that time, the tour was run by, and as part of, the PGA of America, the governing body for the club professionals in the United States and rights’ holder for both the Ryder Cup and the U.S. PGA Championship. In order to play as a tournament professional, a player had to become a member of the PGA of America. And in order to participate in the Ryder Cup, for example, a player had to have been a member of the PGA of America for a minimum period of six years. Hence, Jack Nicklaus, already a winner of eight Major Championships and the World’s top golfer (according to statistics compiled by Mark McCormack), who turned professional in 1962, didn’t make his Ryder Cup debut until 1969. The first Commissioner of the PGA Tour was Joe Dye, previously and for thirty-four years, the Executive Director of The United States Golf Association. His gravitas provided the new body with immediate credibility. In 1974, he handed over to former leading elite amateur and professional player Deane Beman. Under Beman’s strong leadership, the organization grew into the dominant tour in golf, far and away the most significant competitive environment. His deputy, Tim Finchem, has been the Commissioner since 1994, a period during which the tour has had the material benefit and uplift in purses as a consequence of Tiger Woods (from September 1996) but also serious competition from the European Tour and its ‘quasi-world circuit’.

2.3 Historically, The PGA Tour ‘followed the sun’, and ran from early January in Hawaii to early November in Georgia. Recently, recognizing the need to avoid the end of season clash with mainstream American professional sports that saw television viewing figures plummet, the tour has created a new end of season extravaganza called the ‘FedEx Cup’ which concludes in late September. There are about 200 ‘exempt’ players each year, made up from the previous year’s top 125 money winners, the previous year’s top 25 money winners from the feeder or Nationwide Tour, the 25 (and ties) qualifiers from final qualifying school and about 25 past tournament or Major Championship winners and those on medical or other approved extensions. Access to a number of tournaments, however, can be difficult for those with rights from either the Nationwide Tour or Q-School, because certain events, particularly early in the season, have field limits of only 132 or less. There were 48 official money events during 2008 with a total purse in excess of US$ 250 million.

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2.4 The PGA Tour is an organization constituted and designed to look after the best interests of its members. It does not run any of the four Major Championships or the Ryder Cup, and nor is it the governing authority for golf in the United States or anything to do with formulation or interpretation of the Rules of Golf; those functions rest in the capable hands of The United States Golf Association, as they have done since its formation in 1894.

2.5 The European Tour is the second most important men’s professional golf tour after the PGA Tour. It was originally established in 1972 by the Professional Golfers Association of Great Britain (“PGA”) with events running from April to October throughout Europe. In 1984, responsibility for the tour was transferred from the PGA to a separate legal entity called The PGA European Tour, since when the tour has developed into an all-year round schedule with tournaments played on every golfing continent outside the United States. There are approximately 180 players with ‘full’ (this term is misleading in so far as Challenge Tour and Q-School qualifiers have limited tournament access in the relevant year) playing privileges, made up from the top 115 money winners in the previous season, the top 20 money winners on The Challenge Tour (the ‘feeder’ tour for the European Tour), the 30 (and ties) qualifiers from the most recent final qualifying school and former tournament and championship winners and those on medical exemptions (not otherwise eligible). Access to a number of tournaments, however, can be difficult for those with rights only from either the Challenge Tour or Q-School, because certain events, particularly early in the season, have limit fields of only 120 or less. The average age of the 13 Scots with ‘full’ playing privileges on the European Tour is 33.

2.6 The European Tour does not control The Open Championship, which is run by The R&A, but it does own 50% of the rights to The Ryder Cup (shared with the PGA of America).

2.7 Prize money on The European Tour in 2008 amounted to about US$150 million (on current exchange rates), which represents about 60% of the PGA Tour purse, However, seven of the events are co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour (four Majors and three World Golf Championship events) and therefore it might be fair to suggest that the European Tour is currently about half the size of the PGA Tour; with the 2009 ‘Race to Dubai’ likely to begin to change this balance.

2.8 Other official men’s tours, and members of the International Federation of PGA Tours (“IFPGAT”) that make up the Official World Golf Ranking and World Golf Championship events, comprise The Asian Tour (founded in 1995), The Japan Golf Tour (1973), The South African Tour (1972)(“Sunshine Tour”) and The PGA Tour of Australasia (1973). The Canadian Professional Golf Tour (1970) and the Tour de las Americas (2000; formerly The South American Tour, 1991 to 1999) are associate members of the IFPGAT. There are also

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professional domestic and/or feeder tours in China, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Australia (Von Nida), Germany, France, Spain Argentina, Sweden, Scotland, Ireland and the PGA EuroPro Tour, the Alps Tour and the EPD Tour. In the United States, the Gateway Tour and the NGA Hooters Tour also provide regular competitive experience for those trying to reach the more lucrative playing arenas.

2.9 The leading women’s professional golf tour, by a considerable margin, is the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour (“LPGA Tour”) which was founded in 1950 and is run by the Ladies Professional Golf Association (“LPGA”). The LPGA is also an organization for female club and teaching professionals. The LPGA Tour schedule runs from February to November and while most events are played in the United States, there are also tournaments (either co-sanctioned or exclusive) held in Canada, Mexico, France, Thailand Japan, Korea, China, the United Kingdom and Singapore. In 2009, total prize money for the 31 official events will be about US$55 million, a reduction of US$5 million from 2008. The last time an American won the LPGA Tour money list was 1993.

2.10 Other main women’s professional tours comprise the LPGA Tour of Japan, the LPGA Tour of Korea and the Ladies European Tour. Besides the ‘feeder tours in the USA, Korea and Japan, there are also women’s professional golf tours run in Australia, Sweden and Asia (ex-Japan and Korea).

3. The Men’s Major Championships3.1 The four Major Championships (see paragraph 3.4 below) sit on the summit of

the world of men’s tournament golf. Anyone with serious ambition as a player must aspire to play in them as young as possible because the experience gained, according to those who know, is the equivalent of three normal professional tournaments. And for those with the appetite to absorb and learn quickly and independently, early participation can act as an accelerant in the climb up the professional ladder. As Bobby Jones was once heard to opine, ‘there is tournament golf, then there is Championship golf’.

3.2 In the modern era, victory in a single Major Championship is (save for John Daly) a guarantee of financial security for life. Gaining entry to any of them, however, is difficult. Once there, few players have the mental resolve to challenge for victory, fewer still the capacity to triumph. The average age of the winners of the men’s Major Championships during the past five years is 33 years and 3 months, and of the twenty played, there have been only 11 winners: (Tiger Woods (6), Padraig Harrington (3), Phil Mickelson (3), Zach Johnson (1), Vijay Singh (1), Tevor Immelman (1), Retief Goosen (1), Angel Cabrera (1), Geoff Ogilvie (1), Todd Hamilton (1) and Michael Campbell (1).

3.3 In passing, it should be noted that sitting below the Major Championships but above the standard tournaments in terms of importance, and therefore of

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significance in a player’s career progression, are The Players Championship, an event on The PGA Tour, the European PGA Championship, three World Golf Championship events, one match play and the other two stroke play entry to which is either exclusively or principally based upon the World Ranking, and the Open Championships of Japan, Australia and South Africa. Needless to say, the ranking points awarded at any of these eight events are higher than those available for ordinary tournaments.

3.4 The men’s Major Championships comprise the following four events:The Masters Tournament (established 1934 – April, Augusta National

Golf Club)- Entry based on ‘Invitation Categories’ including, inter alia, World

Golf Ranking (top 50), other Major Championship winners (last 5 years), past winners, top 30 previous year’s PGA Tour money list and certain amateur champions. The event is owned and organized by Augusta National Golf Club. The final field rarely exceeds 95 players.

The U.S. Open Championship (established 1895 – June, various venues)

- Entry based on, inter alia, World Golf Ranking (top 50), qualifying process (at sites in the United States, England and Japan), past champions (last 10 years), other Major Championship winners (last 5 years) and (exceptionally) by invitation. The event is owned and organized by The United States Golf Association. The final field is always 156 players.

The Open Championship (established 1860 – July, various venues)- Entry based on, inter alia, World Golf Ranking (top 50), other Major

Championship winners (last 5 years), leading placement on other main tours, International Final Qualifying (sites in Australia, South Africa, Europe, Asia and the United States), Local Qualifying, past champions (until age of 65) and Mizuno Open. The event is owned and organized by The R&A. The final field is always 156 players.

The U.S. PGA Championship (established 1916 – August, various venues)

- Entry based on, inter alia, World Golf Ranking (not obligatory but top 100 invited), members of most recent U.S. Ryder Cup team, qualifying members of PGA of America. The event is owned and organized by The PGA of America. The field is usually 156 players.

3.5 In 1999 at Carnoustie, Paul Lawrie, then aged 30, became the first Scottish-born* winner of a Major Championship since 1931 (Tommy Armour). There have been none since. Indeed, besides Colin Montgomerie’s admirable runner-up place in the 2005 Open Championship at St. Andrews, the best

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performance by a Scot in any Major Championship in the past five years was by Alastair Forsyth in the 2008 U.S. PGA Championship when he finished tied for 9th place. Apart from Paul Lawrie (The Open) and Anglo-Scot Sandy Lyle (The Masters and The Open), who maintain their access to certain Major Championships solely as past champions and not current form, only the following 15 Scots (4 amateurs) have even competed in Major Championships in the past five years (note that 2004 was the final year of Lawrie’s five years’ exemption after winning The Open, hence his access to The Masters and U.S. Open):

The Masters Colin Montgomerie (2004, 2006 & 2007 – World Ranking)

Richie Ramsay (2007 – as 2006 U.S. Amateur champion)

Stuart Wilson (2005 – as 2004 British Amateur champion)

Paul Lawrie (2004 – as 1999 Open champion)

The U.S. Open Alastair Forsyth (2008 – International Final Qualifying)

Colin Montgomerie (2005 to 2008)Richie Ramsay (2007 – as 2006 U.S. Amateur

champion)Martin Laird (2007 – Sectional Qualifying)Stephen Gallacher (2005 – top 15 European Tour,

2004) Paul Lawrie (2004 – as 1999 Open champion)

The Open Championship Colin Montgomerie (2004 to 2008 – World Ranking/Money

list)

Barry Hume (2004 & 2008 – Final Qualifying)Richie Ramsay (2007 – as 2006 U.S. Amateur

champion)Ross Bain (2007 – International Final Qualifying)Alastair Forsyth (2005 & 2007 – Final Qualifying)Scott Drummond (2004 to 2007 – EPGA

champion, 2004)Andrew Oldcorn (2004 & 2005 – Final Qualifying)Murray Urquhart (2005 – Final Qualifying)Stephen Gallacher (2005 – Tour money list)Lloyd Saltman (2005 – Final Qualifying: amateur)Eric Ramsay (2005 – Final Qualifying: amateur)Stuart Wilson (2004 – as British Amateur

champion)Euan Little (2004 – Final Qualifying)

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The U.S. PGA Championship Colin Montgomerie (2004 to 2008 – World Ranking) Alastair Forsyth (2008 – World Ranking)Stephen Gallacher (2005 – European Tour money list)Scott Drummond (2004 – EPGA champion)

* Sandy Lyle was born in England and a product of the English golf system. He played international golf for England and was designated an Englishman when he played in the 1977 Walker Cup. His Scottish designation and allegiance, pursuant to his father being a Scot, was one of convenience and principally to exploit playing and commercial opportunities when he turned professional in 1978.

3.6 In the past five years, only Colin Montgomerie and Alastair Forsyth have qualified for any of the Major Championships based on the World Ranking, and in the case of Forsyth that was the U.S. PGA Championship, which the organizers ensure (though don’t officially state) includes all of the top 100 in the field. Unless and until Scots reach the top 50, access to the other three Major Championships will be extremely difficult. It follows, therefore, that without known and regular access to the ‘Majors’, around which a playing season can be structured and planned there is no opportunity to gain experience at the highest level and/or be in a position to challenge for victory. Any plan to make Scotland a ‘world power in golf’ must begin with a stated intention to see at least three players in the World Ranking’s top 50 at any one time. Once that is achieved, there might be an opportunity for one of them, at least, to gain sufficient experience to have the confidence to win a Major Championship. Colin Montgomerie may end his illustrious career without a Major Championship victory but he has been runner-up in three of them (five second places in total) during his career. The simple fact that he was able to compete in every Major in every year from 1992 (aged 29) to 2004 meant he gained enormous experience and confidence over a long period of time during which each season could be planned before it began to ensure he optimized the chance of doing as well as he could in the Majors. Needless to say, it is precisely the way Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods always planned their seasons.

3.7 Of more immediate concern, perhaps, is the age at which Scottish players, when professionals, have experienced teeing it up in the Major Championships in the last five years. Only three, Alastair Forsyth as a 29 year old in 2005, Barry Hume as a 22 year old in 2004 and 26 year old in 2008 and Euan Little, as a 28 year old in 2004, were less than 30. Starting 2009, Forsyth is Scotland’s highest ranked player in the world at number 121 (slipping to 129 and being replaced by Montgomerie in early February 2009) but has played in only three other Major Championships (of the 13 staged in the period) since the 2005 Open; Hume, a notorious under-achiever, is languishing on the EuroPro Tour after losing his card on the Asian Tour and Little has minimal playing privileges on the Challenge Tour. While the path to the first tee of a Major Championship may be arduous, several ambitious players under the age

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of 30 manage to do it every year. There is no reason why Scots should not be included and part of what will inevitably be the next generation of Major Champions.

3.8. In passing, it should be observed that many players, while aspiring to play in Major Championships and who get there, respond poorly and realize they don’t have the stomach or mental aptitude to perform on this stage. Good fortune and modest success in the lower divisions may find them competing in future Majors, but they know, as should those in support, that challenging for the top positions or even winning will always be beyond them. There could be a multitude of reasons for this type of reaction, but in the main it will be traceable to poor development foundations or lack of belief.

4. The women’s Major Championships4.1 As in the men’s game, the pinnacle of competition in the women’s

professional game is the Major Championship arena and there are also four staged each year, three in The United States and one in Britain. While the composition of the four events has changed over the years, they now appear settled and are described briefly in paragraph 4.3 below. From 2000 to 2008, non-Americans won 28 of the 36 women’s Major Championships played.

4.2 The champions’ average age over the past five years is 28 years and 3 months, though the most recent three winners of Women’s Major Championships have been only 19 (Yani Tseng – Taiwan), 19 (Inbee Park – Korea) and 20 (Ji-Yai Shin – Korea) years old respectively, a consequence, it seems clear, to a culmination of exposure to the highest available level of competition from mid-teens, early physical and mental development, unwavering personal commitment and sacrifice (including their formal education), significant investment and uncompromising parenting.

4.3 The women’s Major Championships comprise the following four events:Kraft Nabisco Championship (est.1972 – March/April, Mission Hills CC,

California)- Entry based mainly on exemptions (i.e. top 70 on LPGA money list,

past winners, previous year’s top 20 etc.) with a few invitations. Event became a ‘Major’ in 1983. The event is organized by the LPGA in collaboration with Mission Hills CC. The field is usually about 100 players.

U.S. LPGA Championship (established 1955 – June, Bulle Rock GC, Maryland)

- Entry based mainly on exemptions (i.e. LPGA money list) and invitations. The

event is owned and organized by the LPGA. The field is always 150 players.

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U.S. Women’s Open (established 1946 – June, various venues)- Entry based on exemptions (past winners (10 years), winners of other Majors (5 years) and winners of LPGA co-sponsored events between U.S. Women’s Opens) and qualifying events. The event is owned and organised by The United States Golf Association. The field is always 156 players.

Women’s British Open (established 1976 – August, various venues)

- Entry based mainly on exemptions (i.e. top 70 in LPGA money list, top 35 in LET money list etc.) and final qualifying event. So far, World Ranking not used. Event became a ‘Major’ in 2001. The event is owned and organized by the Ladies Golf Union. The field is always 150 players.

4.5 No Scot has ever won a women’s Major Championship. Indeed, only nine Scots have even competed in any of the women’s Major Championships during the past five years. On account of three of the four Majors being played in the United States and with access restricted primarily to those on the LPGA Tour (or qualifiers (in the case of the U.S. Women’s Open)), save for a few invitees from the LPGA of Japan and the Ladies European Tour, it may not be surprising that only Catriona Matthew, Janice Moodie and Mhairi McKay, as full-time members of the LPGA Tour, have been able to play.

Catriona Matthew 2004 to 2008: all Majors = 20Janice Moodie 2004 (4); 2005 (3); 2006 (1); 2007 (4);

2008 (3) = 15Mhairi McKay 2004 (4); 2005 (1); 2006 (3); 2007 (2);

2008 (3) = 13Kathryn Imrie 2005 LPGA ChampionshipKrystle Caithness Women’s British Open: 2008 (amateur) Sally Watson Women’s British Open: 2007 (amateur)Heather MacRae Women’s British Open: 2006 (amateur)Clare Queen Women’s British Open: 2005(amateur) & 2007Dale Reid Women’s British Open: 2004

4.6 In so far as the age levels for women’s golf at the highest level are on average five years below the men, it may be worth noting that of those few Scots who played in Major Championships during the past five years only Caithness, Watson, MacRae and Queen were below the age of 25. Imrie and Reid have both now retired from competition and MacRae is training to be a club and teaching professional.

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5. World Rankings5.1 The importance of the world rankings in the men’s professional game in the

modern era cannot be overemphasized, particularly, inside the top 50, as a creator of competitive opportunities and measurement of relative success. While the women’s version is still struggling to find general credibility and acceptability it will, in due course, become the measurement against which the opportunity to play in the Majors and other significant events will be determined.

5.2 The first men’s ranking, promoted by The R&A with the guidance of Mark McCormack (whose unofficial world ranking had been published annually in ‘World of Professional Golf’ since 1968) and sponsored by SONY, was launched in April, 1986. Its principal purpose was to determine the majority of the exempt field for the Open Championship, such was the annual controversy arising when exemptions were given out by the Championship Committee of The R&A. The Sony Ranking took several years to gain credibility, but eventually it did and after adoption in 1997 by the four Major Championships and the International Federation of PGA Tours it has operated with general acceptability under the title Official World Golf Ranking (“OWGR”). The official events from the six main tours, The PGA Tour, The European Tour, The PGA Tour of Japan, The Asian Tour, The PGA Tour of Australasia and the Sunshine Tour, together with results from the Canadian Tour, the Nationwide Tour and the Challenge Tour are all taken into account and Ranking Points are awarded according to the players’ finishing positions and are generally related to the strength of the field. Nearly 1,400 golfers are listed in the OWGR, and (as of 1 February 2009) thirty-three of them are Scots ranging from 119th to 1,320th. The sole Scot on the PGA Tour, Martin Laird, is 26 years old and ranked 291st.

5.3 Notably, as an indicator of the internationalization of the men’s professional game over the past 22 years and its likely future, there were 31 Americans in the top 50 of the first published World Ranking in 1986, and at the end of 2008 there were only 12 (in tennis, the same power shift has happened; in 1973, when ATP Rankings began officially for men, there were 14 Americans in the World top 50, at the beginning of 2009 there are only four). The average age of a player in the men’s World Top 100 is 34 years and 3 months.

5.4 Reaching the world top 50 must be the explicit goal of any serious

male tournament professional, and more particularly the published target of any programme designed to assist young Scottish male professionals fulfill their potential. However, such a target does not appear in Pathways (see Appendix III). Not only does it guarantee access to all four Major Championships and the three World Golf Championship events, it is also, for Europeans, one of the qualification criteria for the European Ryder Cup team. Moreover, unless players participate in these events on a regular basis, there will be no opportunity ever to reach the

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world’s top ten. Once in the sanctum of the world top 50, however, the opportunities are endless for the right person to make swift progress towards the top. In other words, breaking in to the upper echelons of the men’s game may be difficult but once there making advancement is not as much of an insurmountable challenge as it would appear.

5.5 An interesting situation to monitor in this regard during 2009 will be the field weightings on the European Tour. As more than half of the current World Top 50 are European Tour members, and the ultimate rewards in the new ‘Race to Dubai’ exceed what is on offer on the PGA Tour, better quality fields more often are anticipated; which, in turn, will boost the allocated ranking points, and in consequence, the ranking position of successful European Tour players.

5.6 Twenty countries have players ranked in the men’s top 100, of whom 83 come from only eight countries (USA, Australia, South Africa, England, Japan, Sweden, Ireland and Spain). The top 50 men come from the USA (12), England (7), South Africa (6), Australia (5), Ireland (3), Sweden (2), Spain (2), Denmark (2), Argentina (2), Canada (2) and Fiji, Korea, Taiwan, India, Colombia, Japan, Germany (1 each). Only two of them, Anthony Kim (aged 23) and Rory McIlroy (aged 19), are less than 25 years old, though 15 are below the age of 30.

5.7 The women’s professional world ranking is called the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings (“WWGR”). The system of ranking for the world’s leading female professionals only began in February 2006. It is sanctioned by the five main women’s professional tours, the LPGA, the LPGA Tours of Japan and Korea, the LET and Australian Ladies Professional Golf, and by the LGU who administer the Women’s British Open. Points can be earned through performances in official events on any one of the five tours or on the Futures Tour (feeder tour for the LPGA Tour).

5.8 The WWGR is slowly gaining credibility after a controversial start. The LPGA Tour uses it as one of the qualification criteria for the LPGA Championship and the LGU and LPGA Tour use it as one criterion to determine those gaining direct entry into the Women’s British Open. Also, four places in the European Solheim Cup team are determined by reference to the WWGR.

5.8 The WWGR top 100 reveals an average of 27 years and six months and the top 30, thirteen of whom are below the age of 25, comprises ten Koreans, six Americans, three Swedes, three Japanese, two Australians and one from each of Mexico, Norway, Brazil and England. Only one of the Scots is ranked in the world’s top 100 women golfers, 39 year-old Catriona Matthew at number 34 (Note: she may drop out altogether later in the year because a second child is due in May, which, presumably, will curtail her tournament schedule on the LPGA Tour for some time before and a few weeks afterwards),

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which are made up of players from 14 different nations; though ninety come from just six countries (Korea, USA, Japan, Sweden, Australia and Taiwan).

5.9 There is no official ranking for leading amateur women (GolfWeek – see http://www.golfweek.com - produce an informal ranking and the European Golf Association plans to introduce a ranking for European women in 2009) but since January 2007 there have been two competing rankings for amateur men: The R&A’s World Amateur Golf Ranking and the GolfWeek Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking. The R&A version is used primarily to determine access to The Amateur Championship and a few other events internationally while the GWSP version is used primarily by tournament organizers in the United States though it has also gained credibility as a reference for several international golf governing bodies.

5.10 As a measurement of progress as an elite amateur player, a builder of confidence and a stepping stone to the professional ranks, a high placement in either world ranking is a worthwhile achievement. Indeed, the three highest ranking players in the top ten of The R&A’s ranking at the deadline date for entry to the European Tour Q-School receive an exemption to stage 2; more than significant when there is serious competition at the first stage of qualifying and costs to be borne personally. In the United States, a high ranking (in the GWSP version) will guarantee an invitation to the main summer amateur invitational events, the winning of some of which can lead to an invitation to participate in a PGA Tour event; for example, the winner of the Southern Amateur is invited to tee up in the next following Arnold Palmer Invitational.

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6. International Elite Amateur Golf6.1 As Judy Murray, mother of world number four tennis player Andy, has said,

“We’ve proved it doesn’t really matter where players come from. If they’ve got the talent that is correctly developed, plus hunger and belief, coupled with the right direction and the right opportunities, then it is possible to produce world-class players.” She may have been talking specifically about tennis, but the same applies to golf.

6.2 Indeed, no high performance golf development system currently being operated anywhere in the world has all of the answers. The best that might be hoped for is to lay down the best technical, mental and physical foundations during the development years, and facilitate unfettered opportunities to compete in the most significant events against the best opposition at each age level. Needless to say, much depends upon the quality of the individuals concerned, and without clear evidence of the following traits it is highly unlikely that any player, male or female and whatever the resources provided and managed, can reach the top of world golf:

Talent technically sound fundamentals through the whole game; outstanding short game

Ambition constantly setting goals and achieving them; never resting on laurels; continually expanding horizons; willingness to learn and keep improving, both personally and as a competitor

Resolve unwavering commitment, work ethic and perseverance; mental strength and capacity to overcome adversity

Character confidence; independence; ability to take responsibility; personality; positive attitude; focus; inquisitiveness; attention to detail

Perspective capacity to have fun and enjoy the process and the challenges

6.3 Leaving aside the fragmented situation in the United States at junior level, which, before the emergence of ‘named’ academies and establishment of well-organized elite junior competition forums, such as the American Junior Golf Association in 1978, intersected at some point in the elite development curve with the sophisticated and highly competitive NCAA college golf framework to produce professional-ready participants, Sweden was the first golf playing nation to establish a dedicated elite development system that operated a distinct and well-managed pathway from talent identification through to the professional arena for both male and female players.

6.4 Unburdened by the legacy of merely tolerating children in golf clubs, Sweden’s government and the Swedish Golf Federation (“SGF”) embraced them; even imposing a requirement on every club to permit junior access and advancement, failing which material financial penalties applied. Strong foundations were established in the 1970s and 1980s (see Appendix 1 for details) and by the time Pia Nilsson, a graduate of Arizona State University (in

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1981) returned from five years plying a modest trade on the LPGA Tour in the late 1980s eager to do something in help teach the game to the next generation of young Swedes, there was a receptive audience that included a number of future tour professionals, including Annika Sorenstam. After a quiet beginning, when the SGF allowed her to introduce and develop her holistic approach to learning and playing the game, she was appointed a national coach in 1990, responsible for amateur girls and women and female professionals. She enjoyed extraordinary success over a period of about six years and in 1996 was appointed head national coach for elite juniors, men and women amateurs and men and women professionals. She held the position until 1998, the same year she captained the European Solheim Cup team against the Americans. Six of the players were Swedish - Helen Alfredsson, Catrin Nilsmark, Sophie Gustafson, Annika Sorenstam, Lotte Neumann, Charlotta Sorenstam. On one level or another, all had passed through her sphere of influence.

6.5 The principles expounded by Nilsson, that competitive golf is about far more than learning to hit a small white ball consistently well and that the mental side of the game and personal and individual development cannot be overemphasized, enabled Sweden to become a dominant force throughout the amateur game, both at junior and senior levels, and to produce several world class professionals, not least Sorenstam, the finest women who has ever played the game. Also of significance when Nilsson was involved in the Swedish elite golf system was the investment made by the SGF in the transition phase. Through the Golf Sweden programme, players in transition were allowed to stay in the ‘system’ and were given full support to help them bridge the tremendous gap between the amateur and professional games. That support ended in 2001 due to lack of funding. There was an attempt to resurrect it on a smaller scale in 2005 but lack of funding again caused it to end at the beginning of 2007. There is now no transitional support for players given by the SGF, and, according to some, it is a serious potential issue for the well-being of Swedish professional golf in the future. The PGA of Sweden, through the PGA Future Fund begun in 1997, continues to support about three young players each year and Hello Sweden Team (http://www.hellosweden.se/In_English.asp), an initiative of corporate Sweden, has a stable of 13 golfers, including two or three in transition, who receive sponsorship in return for participation in customer entertainment.

6.6 Since 1990, when Nilsson became involved at the highest level of coaching and administration at the SGF, Swedish amateur teams have won most of the major amateur team events, though notably, perhaps, they have not won the Eisenhower Trophy since 1990 and have never triumphed in the European Men’s Team Championship. That said, they have never (since inception in 1964) finished outside the top ten in the Espirito Santo, including two wins, and can boast four victories in the European Boys Team Championship, five wins in the Girls and three wins in the Women’s, including the extraordinary

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feat of winning the Girls, Boys and Women’s European Team Championships in 2008. Also in 2008, Sweden won the Espirito Santo (by 12 strokes), were runners-up in the Junior World Cup and 3rd in the Eisenhower; Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson represented Europe in the Ryder Cup; Karlsson won the European Tour Money List (first Swede to do so) and he and Stenson both ended the year in the World Ranking top 10 as did Annika Sorenstam (now retired) and Helen Alfredsson in the Women’s World Ranking.

6.7 However, despite all of this admirable success there is a gaping hole in the phenomenal Swedish elite development system at the individual professional level. So far, no Swedish male has ever won a Major Championship and only Lotte Neumann (1988) and Helen Alfredsson (1993) have ever won any of the women’s Major Championships aside from Sorenstam (10 wins).

6.8 In recent years, in partnership with Lynn Marriott, Nilsson has made her successful teaching methodology available to all and on a commercial level through Vision54 from a base in Phoenix, Arizona.

6.9 There were Australian Major Championship winners before Greg Norman, but none whose exploits around the world were transmitted into every home in the country. He was a national hero and an inspiration for many by the end of the 1980s. He was seen succeeding all over the world, including the PGA Tour. A new generation of talented and ambitious golfers emerged, and there was no shortage of interest or resources to encourage the best to make progress and aspire to play alongside Norman on the world stage. The quality of teaching was always high and competition schedules expansive and generally well-administered, which ensured talent was identified early and the best had an opportunity to progress and fulfill their individual potential. However, at the beginning of the 1990s there was no definable ‘system’ for elite golf development. In 1991, the Victoria Institute of Sport in Australia (“VIS”) became the first organization in Australia to formalize the process for golf establishing a well-planned elite development system under the leadership of Dale Lynch. Early products were Stuart Appleby and Robert Allenby, both of whom went on to become established members of the PGA Tour, to be followed by the likes of Geoff Ogilvie and Aaron Baddeley.

6.10 The VIS Programme has always acknowledged the wide chasm between elite amateur golfers and successful professionals. Consequently, every player has to earn their place. At the time of admission, a full player assessment is conducted which includes competition record, mental strength and psychological investigation, review of technical ability, physical development and potential, life balance and strategic competence. Since removal of the expenses limitations previously imposed by the U.S.G.A., many more Australian elite golfers will try to include the U.S. as part of an overseas trip, despite the strong historic ties to the UK. Moreover, because there is concern that the R&A Ranking does not properly reflect an Australian player’s true

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position (in contrast to the Scratch Players/Golf Week Ranking) there is a strong possibility that the best players will simply miss the UK altogether and go direct to the U.S. The weaker pound, may, however, make a U.K. and U.S. trip more likely in 2009.

6.11 The VIS initiative was followed in 1992 by creation of a national scheme by the Australian Institute of Sport in conjunction with the Australian Golf Union and the Australian Ladies Golf Union. For many years, this generally successful and admired scheme was a residential operation but from 2006 it became non-residential. Following the amalgamation of the men’s and women’s games in Australia in the same year, the high performance scheme for elite talent operated under the Golf Australia umbrella. Unfortunately, the AIS and Golf Australia are dealing with certain State associations and institutes (particularly Victoria) who consider themselves national bodies, equal to and possibly exceeding any system of elite development on offer by the national governing body. Historically, communication between the AGU and ALGU (and now Golf Australia) and State elite development coaches and management has been poor, a fundamental problem that the AIS/Golf Australia Director, Peter Knight, highly respected throughout Australian golf, has been tasked with remedying. That said, the Australian systems operating at both state and national levels, have been highly successful and produced a conveyor belt of world-class golfers, admittedly many more at the top end on the male side than the distaff. As of January 2009, 26 Australians have full playing privileges on either or both of the PGA Tour and/or the European Tour and ten are listed in the top 100 of the World Ranking. In addition, there are eleven Australians plying their trade on the LPGA Tour and another six playing on the Ladies European Tour.

6.12 While the governing bodies for golf in Sweden and Australia were operating very successful elite player development systems before the emergence of Tiger Woods, his arrival on the world professional stage in late 1996 and subsequent extraordinary success, apparently based on solid developmental foundations that were nurtured from the moment he could walk, opened the floodgates for other governing bodies around the world, including Scotland, to put in place talent identification and development systems designed to try to ensure that ‘the next Tiger’ was not missed. As important for the transformation of the women’s professional game as Tiger was for elite golf development generally, was the success of a young Korean called Pak Se-ri, whose victory in the U.S. Women’s Open in 1998 spawned a generation of equally talented, driven and committed Asian girls (and their parents) in her wake.

6.15 The basic elements of elite golf development in each of Sweden, Australia, England, Ireland, Scotland, Denmark, The Netherlands, Canada and France, the countries looked at most closely in the course of the study that is the basis of this Report, are broadly similar and can be summarized as follows

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(bearing in mind that girls do develop far quicker than boys in the early teenage years):

(a) talent identification at about 14 years of age (before that there is, in

some countries, pro-active communication with clubs and area golf associations and local teaching professionals to make sure that any early developers are not missed and can be brought into national programmes sooner);

(b) introduction to national development squads at about 15 years of age; (c) structured coaching, training and competition scheduling from ages 15

to 18;(d) admission to elite senior programmes from about age 18;(e) international representative golf;(f) departure to professional ranks.

The usual constraints of funding and resources apply everywhere, even in France and Canada where the French Golf Federation (‘FFG’) and the Royal Canadian Golf Federation (‘RCGA’), respectively, have the benefit of owning their national open championships which usually operate at a surplus.

In the case of Australia, France, Ireland, Denmark and The Netherlands, there is also in place a ‘rookie professional’ scheme (see paragraph 8 below) through which customized support is provided to a limited number of golfers through the transition phase from elite amateur to professional. The FFG, for instance, fully underwrites the qualifying school process for all of the players who have been part of their top national amateur squad, and also currently supports twenty-four (17 male and 7 female) of those now playing on the professional tours; principally, though not exclusively, those in the early transition period.

6.16 Where the systems differ is in implementation. In France, for example, those children identified at age 14 usually attend one of seven fully residential sports’ schools that operate alongside the national Olympic sports’ programme. Education and golf is the focus for the next five years, with players leaving and joining the squad from time to time depending upon performance. Currently, there are fifty-eight players going though this system, 38 male and 20 female. In The Netherlands, where funding and potential talent is far more limited, the weeding out is done much earlier, often as early as 16 years of age when only about ten boys and eight girls will form the elite squads and, subject to performance, be given support to develop through international amateur golf. The Dutch system is heavily focused on individual personal development, besides technical, physical and mental training. For instance, as soon as a driving licence is obtained, participants are required to plan their Continental travel according to a pre-agreed budget and logistics worked out by the relevant player. Also, while the Dutch Golf Federation will fund attendance of the elite squad players at pre-agreed international

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amateur events, should the player wish to compete in something not on the list, he or she can do so but at their own expense with the proviso that they will be entitled to partial reimbursement if they make the ‘cut’, increasing in amount until full reimbursement for a top ten finish. In Ireland, there is a strong legacy of mentoring by leading players and support from corporate Ireland. Rory McIlroy had one-on-one exposure to Darren Clarke from the age of 12. All of the leading Irish tour professionals put a great deal back into junior golf in Ireland, and do it without fanfare either through the Golfing Union of Ireland or directly, as in the case of Clarke and his foundation. McIlroy visited the Irish Boys’ team during the Boys’ Home Internationals at Royal County Down in August 2008, simply to wish them well. There was no publicity about the visit. Incidentally, the Irish won.

6.17 There is no national elite development system in the United States. At the preparatory level, in terms of talent identification, coaching and training, there are numerous local and regional opportunities for children to make the most of their interest in the game on a personalized basis. There are also high-profile ‘named’ academies which function either as residential or non-residential. The David Leadbetter Golf Academy in Bradenton, Florida (also the location of Nick Bolliteri’s renowned tennis academy) is the best known. A purely commercial operation (owned by IMG) that combines the highest quality resources with continuing formal education, DLGA now has about 200 pupils matriculated, of which a small majority is residential. While scholarships are offered to those identified in early teens as most talented, it is unlikely that any more than a handful even of these will ever make it to the main professional golf tours despite early specialization and dedicated support. For the rest, who pay the full fees (and once a competition schedule is added in, there will be very little change from US$100,000 per annum), it is an expensive, highly specialized educational process that may or may not produce the desired results. For most, of course, this means gaining a college scholarship. Indeed, parents of many high achieving young golfers in the United States prefer the ‘stay at home’ alternative whereby the child remains in the family home, attends a local school, works with a good coach at a local club and competes in regional and national junior competitions during a distinct season. That way, the parents feel, the child has an opportunity to grow up ‘normally’ and, hopefully, maintain a proper perspective on life such that golf doesn’t overwhelm them, particularly, as will often be the case, when progress suddenly stops as they emerge from teenage-phenomenon in a highly sheltered environment into the real world of senior competitive golf. One concern about the future development of the game at elite level in America is the possible diminishing quality of teaching club professionals, and the eagerness of many to pursue their own agenda, which may or may not be in the best interests of their pupils.

6.18 Most American elite sports’ development is geared towards college scholarships, and golf is no different. In this regard, one of the most successful

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forums for identifying talent and enabling it to develop in a constructive manner is the nationally operated American Junior Golf Association (“AJGA”). The AJGA has been organizing junior golf competitions since 1978, and in 2008 their full-time staff of 56 with another 50 seasonal volunteers (many of whom are AJGA alumni) ran 83 events around the United States for the membership that numbers about 5,000 children aged between 12 and 18. At their main tournaments, which are limited field and invitational, the standard of competition is the best in the world at junior level, though high cost of participation (between US$2,000-US$3,000, including flights and accommodation, per tournament depending on venue) is a serious barrier to entry for some potential entrants who could compete at this level. The Swedish Golf Federation, for instance, fully funded two boys and two girls to participate in the AJGA’s flagship event at the end of November in Florida (Polo Junior Golf Classic); one boy and one girl had been invited pursuant to a long-standing relationship between the SGF and the AJGA, and another boy and girl had qualified through outstanding performances in early season AJGA events.

6.19 Notably, more than 160 AJGA alumni currently play on the PGA Tour or the LPGA Tour, including Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Lorena Ochoa and Morgan Pressel. 14 of the last 16 U.S. Amateur champions and 19 of the last 25 U.S. Women’s Amateur champions were AJGA alumni, as were 18 of the past 25 NCAA Division 1 Men’s champions and 19 of the past 25 NCAA Division 1 Women’s champions. The AJGA, undoubtedly, over thirty years has evolved into a significant forum for college recruitment in the United States (there were coaches from more than 30 leading colleges at the fore-mentioned Polo event in November) and for nurturing competitive experience in a first-class environment (on and off the course) on the pathway to the main professional tours. It has also provided many with the confidence to compete at a national level in championship golf.

6.20 The governing authority for golf in the United States is the United States Golf Association (“USGA”). While it does contribute considerable amounts of money annually to various junior development initiatives at the grass roots, including collaboration with the AJGA, it does not run any elite golf development programmes. Exposure for the USGA to the best ‘next generation’ talent comes each year in the form of the U.S. Junior Amateur and the U.S. Junior Girls’ Amateur, both events run by the USGA in the same way as the U.S. Open in terms of quality and attention to detail. For many participants in the junior national championships, their next exposure to the USGA will be at The U.S. Amateur and The U.S. Women’s Amateur, and, for a select few who are chosen by the USGA to represent The United States, thereafter at The Walker Cup and The Curtis Cup matches. Ultimately, the most successful elite players will have experience of the USGA at the U.S. Open and The U.S. Women’s Open.

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6.21 After the junior ranks, most of the best golfing talent destined for the main professional tours, will attend college (this term includes university) on a golf scholarship. As there are over 750 men’s colleges and over 500 women’s colleges offering golf programmes, making the right decision (or being accepted at the right college) can be very important so far as career development is concerned. As might be expected in the United States, there is a strict ranking system dividing golf colleges into ‘divisions’, with Division 1 being the best in terms of golf programmes and level of competition. Golf Digest, the world’s leading publication resource for the game, provides extensive guidance on golf colleges, ranking them on both academic and golf specific quality. Though many of the players on the main tours, fewer now in the ladies game when so many young Asian players, and a few Americans, are going direct from high school to the LPGA, have attended a Division 1 college, there are also several others who have blossomed late and reached the PGA Tour via a Division 2 or Division 3 golf college. Moreover, the early departure from Stanford of Tiger Woods and from Oklahoma State of Anthony Kim may have set an unhealthy precedent for the next generation so far as education is concerned.

6.22 The U.S. college golf system is open to all, and in recent years, recruiting efforts into Europe, Australia and South Africa have increased considerably. Indeed, many northern Europeans, in particular, have had successful stints at U.S. colleges and used the period well to lay strong foundations for subsequent careers on the main tours. Understanding the limitations of coaches at most American colleges (who, in essence, are recruiters and schedule administrators rather than teachers of the golf game), the Swedish Golf Federation’s coaches always stay involved directly with their players. No doubt, the attractions of being at college in the United States are many, not least the possibility of warm-weather golf through the winter and education paid for, but the ‘self-development’ system is not for everyone; and many who go discover the advance sales’ pitch doesn’t match reality and leave early for a variety of reasons. Often, a bad experience can have an adverse effect on the student’s golf game, though for England’s Danny Willett and Scotland’s Richie Ramsay, who decided to leave college in the U.S. early, it appears to have been the right decision; that said, after leaving, Willett became a full-time elite player under the English Golf Union system and then direct to the European Tour whereas Ramsay completed his tertiary education at Stirling University, during which he claimed victory in the U.S. Amateur Championship.

6.23 In passing, it should be observed that there is a paradox in elite golf development which could have a detrimental effect on the systems themselves, wherever operated, and is certainly having an adverse effect on the growth of the game generally. The more information that becomes available to parents and potential participants about what is really needed to succeed in golf at the professional level, the more likely many will reject it and

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look to another sport for an easier and faster track to the paid ranks. What elite golf schemes have also done is to partition children earlier into those who ‘can’ and those ‘who never will’, so far as competitive performance is concerned. As knowledge increases, it seems inevitable that the former will contract and the latter expand, such that even playing the game at all as a child or youth could be spurned in favour of other sports, or, sad to say, high-technology games.

6.24 The other serious issue that must be dealt with to keep children in golf, once they have been introduced, to the point that whatever talent they have can be sensibly and properly developed, is the pace at which it is played. Clearly not a topic for analysis in this Report, it is worth highlighting that for elite talent to emerge, the base of the participation pyramid probably needs to be as wide as possible. In an instant gratification generation golf as presently formulated and presented, taking weeks and months to master technique and hours to play the game, will simply not appeal generally. Their absence further reduces the potential pool of talent from which the elite can be identified, supported and guided.

6.25 Salient details about each of the elite golf development systems being operated in Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland, Sweden and the United States are set out in Appendix 1.

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7. Scottish Elite Golf7.1 Historically, elite golf development in Scotland was a rather haphazard

process conducted at club, county and national level. The more enthusiastic club or county junior conveners ensured that a smattering of talent found its way to the attention of national selectors, but in the process many kids were missed or lost to other better organized sports, such as football (still an ongoing struggle today). Almost by default, a few then battled their way, via the junior and senior international teams, to the professional tournament arena, and fewer still succeeded. Some, like Sam Torrance and Paul Lawrie, ignored the amateur international route altogether. Indeed, the failings of the system, so far as it could be so described, had become glaringly apparent when, during the first decade of the new Millennium, there has only been one Scot, Colin Montgomerie, in any of the four Ryder Cup teams and he alone also in the top 50 of the World Ranking. In the two most recent Solheim Cup teams, our sole representative has been Catriona Matthew, and she is also the only Scot currently in either World Ranking top 100. In the course of 2009, Montgomerie will be 46 and Matthew, due to give birth again in May, turns 40.

7.2 In 2007, pursuant to a mission designed ‘To enable Players to fulfil their potential and make Scotland a World Power in golf, the SGU, the SLGA and the PGA in partnership with sportscotland, collaborated to produce Pathways, the Performance and Coaching Plan within the broader and more far-reaching ‘One Plan for Golf’ in Scotland. Also committing to Pathways as stakeholders, which includes delivery on certain aspects and commitment of resources, are the Scottish Institute of Sport, the Area Institutes of Sport and Scottish University Sport.

7.3 A more expansive description of what is now operating in Scotland is set out in Appendix 1. In essence, Pathways (see Appendix III) is designed to identify Scottish golfing talent as early as possible, nurture and guide it over a period of years through a structured system of teaching, learning, discovery and competition, and, hopefully, duly developed and possessing requisite confidence, international competitive experience and success, present a properly prepared athlete to the professional game who can be competitive alongside the world’s best and do Scotland and him or herself proud. As a piece of work and concept, it is very good. Unfortunately, though this may be something that will be addressed in the annual plan updates and revisions, it is largely dependent for success on strong leadership and non-conflicted communication and support, and does not go far enough in setting meaningful targets at the professional level. In particular, aiming to have two Scots in the 2012 and 2014 Ryder Cup teams is laudable but simply won’t happen if three golfers reach only the World Ranking top 100 (one of the performance goals of Pathways).

7.4 Subject to selection criteria at the time, it would be fair to suggest that no-one will be in the European Ryder Cup team ranked outside the World’s top 50

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(and possibly top 30), save, perhaps, for the captain’s picks. While the Solheim Cup selection policy may not be as draconian, access to the main events in the women’s game will become more dependent upon world ranking position and as the fields will get smaller, in a difficult economic environment, when sponsors demand participation by ‘only the best’, anyone outside the top 30 will probably need to rely on invitations or other qualifying means. Consequently, Scotland’s elite players should be targeting at the very least, the top 50 of the World Ranking for men and top 30 for women as a primary goal. Once there, taking the final steps into the top ten of the Rankings and/or winning a Major Championship would become an achievable reality.

7.5 So long as the Men’s Home Internationals, which require ten players participating, remain in the elite amateur schedules, squad selections will be large and, in consequence, not in the best interests of producing world class competitors in the professional arena. The reason is that limited resources will be spread far too thinly at a crucial stage in development of our best players. In the women’s game, the match sizes are fine, but the squads are too large, often numbering 16 players when teams of six or eight will be competing. At a time when highly successful nations in professional golf, such as Australia and South Africa, select state and national amateur squads of not more than eight or maybe ten players for the purposes of meeting their six-a-side, four-a-side and three a-side annual and biennial inter-state and international competition obligations, Scotland has a pool of seventeen players drawn from a much smaller golfing population and a more limited budget. Only six players are needed for the European Amateur Team Championships and only three for the World Amateur Team Championships. Agreement from the other Home Nations to change the Home Internationals format to eight or six-a-side, as per the European Team Championships, may be too much to expect but if producing world class Scottish golfers takes priority over success in the Home Internationals, it should be worth considering.

7.6 There is no shortage of information available within the current Scottish golf community at elite level, but it does not appear to translate into knowledge or understanding about what is really needed to give talented young players the best opportunity to fulfill their potential. Decision-makers may feel constrained by lack of finance, but that cannot be a viable excuse for not delivering when other nations on limited budgets on a par with Scotland do consistently well at the elite level. There seems to be a rather insular approach and unwillingness to consider what is best for the relevant individual wherever it is happening or situated, and to hire world class support talent. The Scottish Eisenhower Trophy victory in 2008 was a fantastic achievement but it can be explained, perhaps, as a fortunate confluence of preferred venues (courses that suited their games, and in particular, conditions that required strong ball maneuvering skills), mature (ages 23, 24 and 24), experienced (international golf competition for at least four years) and educated (all three university graduates) players at the peak of their careers

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as amateurs, their friendship and (where credit is due to the SGU) proper preparation that included acclimatizing for ten days.

7.7 While much is now done in Scotland in a positive way to try to identify golfing talent and to nurture its advancement against the influential flow of alternative competitive sporting activities, principally football, there is much that could be improved; not least, communication between the various stake-holders. Moreover, the coaching system at elite level needs to be far more player centric and holistic. Worldwide, and running contrary to the player’s best interests, there exists the problematic issue that coaches, who have the capacity to advance talented players at different points along the development curve, work their own agendas and fail to recognize when to move aside and pass the player on to those better able to guide him or her to realize full potential. This problem certainly exists in Scotland, as does the more disturbing trend of self promotion and conflicts of interest. Worth noting is that Tiger Woods’ first coach Rudy Duran, who taught him so well from aged four to ten, knew to move aside and advised Earl Woods to engage leading Southern California teaching professional John Anselmo. Aged 17, both Tiger and Earl knew better quality instruction and guidance on the game’s mental side (including course management) was needed to complete his amateur career and to prepare him properly for the professional game; the services of Butch Harmon were engaged. This relationship lasted until 2004 when Tiger began to work with Hank Haney. The coaches may have changed but the consistent themes throughout have been Tiger’s desire to keep improving and accumulate knowledge about the golf swing and playing the game; consequently, no-one, save perhaps Jack Nicklaus, knows as much about the golf swing as Tiger.

7.8 When the European Tour began its rapid expansion in the late 1970s, few elite Scottish amateurs ever turned professional. They went to university or worked, and aspired to play in the Walker Cup match. Those who played professionally usually made the switch in ranks between the ages of 16 (minimum school leaving age) and 20 (after two or three seasons as a full-time amateur), most failing to reach the European Tour (there was no Challenge or feeder tour until 1986) and settling instead for club professional positions. Slowly, the career path began to change though it was rare indeed for any Scot to complete tertiary education and then play professional golf. Colin Montgomerie’s success should have spawned a new generation of Scots with similar aspirations. It didn’t. Stirling University – recently designated Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence - created an opportunity for talented Scots who wanted to combine further studies with golfing excellence in 1982, when the golf scholarship system began with a single student, Colin Dalgleish, a career amateur and the current GB&I Walker Cup captain. Today, there are 16 students (12 male & 4 female) pursuing the programme and among the alumni is Catriona Matthew, Maria Hjorth, Lynn Kenny and Richie Ramsay. While Stirling’s scholarship programme remains the most expansive

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and successful, every other university in Scotland now operates a golf scholarship system of some description. In an attempt to give talented Scots the option of studying at home and continuing to progress in golf, The R&A supplements the leading scholarship students with additional bursary funding. However, these programmes still fall short of what can be offered to talented student athletes who attend an appropriate U.S. university on a scholarship.

7.9 There are only about 60 Scots playing full-time tournament professional golf, of whom 40 have playing privileges on either the main or feeder tours (see Appendix II). Most have entered the professional arena ill-prepared for the considerable challenges they face as CEO of their own enterprise. At the top of the professional game, there is clear evidence that Scottish golfers are falling behind the mature and dominant golf nations that provide similar development pathways from talent identification to a career in tournament golf. Time will reveal if the new elite development system lays down better foundations and allows the best to fulfill their potential because there is no reason why Scotland’s finest competitors should not be operating on a par, or better, with their peers in, for instance, Ireland or Denmark who, together boast five players in the World top 50.

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8. The transition from elite amateur to professional8.1 Most people involved in professional golf, whether as players, agents, writers,

sponsors or golf industry executives, view the transition period from elite amateur to successful tournament professional as the most important in the development pathway. Even assuming that the relevant player possesses the right technical ability and confidence to score well under competitive conditions, there is a myriad of complications awaiting him or her when the time arrives to make the decision to compete for a living.

8.2 Playing professional golf for a living is extremely challenging on several levels. It can also be highly rewarding, of course. Generally, Scottish golfers fail to understand what really needs to be done to prepare properly to meet and overcome the obstacles of a solitary, hopefully high profile career in which every weakness is publicly magnified; to put in place the steps required to make a successful transition and how to maximize the opportunities as they arise. They lack experience of life in general. Attention to detail is conspicuously absent, there is little aptitude to evolve or be continually educated along the way and few, if any, have the character, confidence or mental strength required to succeed. Consequently, the game that they have probably enjoyed and played brilliantly as elite amateurs (a sine qua non) becomes a job and a struggle for survival in a harsh and highly competitive world that owes them nothing.

8.3 One other critical element, often overlooked in the rush to join the paid ranks, is sensible and independent evaluation of a player’s readiness to leave the considerable safety net of modern elite amateur golf. For those who complete tertiary education, and remain competitive at the highest amateur level, there is an obvious time, shortly after graduation perhaps, to move on. Historically, this was the procedure followed in the United States but Tiger Woods’ (guided by immensely supportive and constructive parents) early departure from Stanford and, more recently, Anthony Kim’s (pushed almost to submission by a single-minded and horrifically over-bearing father) successful transition despite leaving Oklahoma State after his junior year, appears to have given rise to a re-think in this regard in the men’s game. In England, for example, it is the exception rather than the rule for any elite golfer to pursue tertiary education. Championship wins in the women’s game by teenagers is fostering a mind-set and preference for direct entry to the professional game from high school. However, each player matures and evolves at a different rate. In any event, the decision to become a professional golfer, for so long as there remains a clear demarcation between ‘amateur’ and ‘professional’, must not be taken without proper, objective advice that is given by person (or people) who has (have) the player’s best interests in mind.

8.4 Historically, the ultimate goal for either a career amateur or a player headed for the professional game was a Walker Cup or Curtis Cup ‘cap’. That is no

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longer the situation for many young elite players who are more inclined to strike while the going is good and grab whatever opportunities are presented, even if it means forfeiting the unique experience of participation in a Walker Cup or Curtis Cup match. The R&A and LGU have tried to stem the tide by announcing annual ‘GB&I squads’ which give players the sense that they are already being considered for selection. However, the non-playing captains and chair people of selection committees spend more time on persuading youngsters to wait and be available for selection than they do on actual selection. What many of the youngsters often don’t appreciate is that these contests are high profile, they are televised and they do provide a unique forum in which to promote themselves to potential agents and sponsors. Padraig Harrington played in three matches, Colin Montgomerie in two, as did Luke Donald. Catriona Matthew played in three matches. In none of these cases did waiting cause any difficulty moving to the next level. Indeed, the delay ensured they were ready. For Scots on the elite golf development pathway with ambition to play at the top of the game, pausing for a few months to take in an historic contest, like no others, would be worthwhile; though what happens immediately afterwards needs to be considered carefully.

Welshman Rhys Davies, a graduate of East Tennessee University, England’s Danny Willett, who had one year at an American college before dropping out, and Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, who left school at 16, played in the 2007 Walker Cup match (2007) as 22, 19 and 18 year-olds respectively. McIlroy turned professional immediately, and by the beginning of February 2009 had stormed his way to number 16 in the World Ranking. Davies also took the plunge immediately after the 2007 match, though he had also played in 2005 and was at the top of the U.S. college rankings for four years. He missed his tour card for Europe but earned one for the Asian Tour where he finished in the top 60 in 2008 to retain full privileges for 2009. He tried and failed again at the European Tour Q-School in 2008. Willett waited a few months, and not everyone thought his timing was right when he made the switch in May of 2008. However, a few top ten finishes on the European Tour and winning a high placed tour card at the 2008 Q-School appears to have vindicated the timing of his decision. Scotland’s Lloyd Saltman also played in the 2007 Walker Cup match, as a 21 year-old. Two years earlier, aged 19, he finished 15th in The Open Championship and played in the Walker Cup. Many, including Sam Torrance, tried to persuade him to turn professional but he elected to stay amateur. So far, with only restricted playing privileges on the European Challenge Tour to his credit, it appears to have been the wrong decision and seeing the success of his former elite colleagues must be galling.

8.5 For an exceptional few, agents will be queuing up to sign the elite and successful amateur player to a management contract. Those deals may or may not be the right thing for the player to do, but it should, at the very least, in the case of IMG for instance, present the player with a valuable opportunity

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to gain access to a few professional events before a playing card has been earned, to be given professional guidance and to delegate much of the travel, accommodation and logistical arrangements. For the vast majority, however, there will be an alarmingly stressful period after turning professional and before earning playing privileges on a main tour or meaningful feeder tour (assuming, of course that the player has not done the sensible thing by completing the tour school process as an amateur, which the Rules now permit).

8.6 For several years, the Swedish Golf Federation (“SGF”) supported their players through this stage in their career, with considerable success for both men and women. However, not long after Pia Nilsson’s departure as national coach the system ceased and though resurrected on a minor scale in 2005, as of the beginning of 2007 the former Swedish elite amateurs are on their own when they switch ranks. That said, the Swedes are very pro-active preparing their best amateurs for a life in professional golf, even those who attend college in the United States, because of an holistic approach to their continuing education. There is also a continuing and strong collegiate environment, fostered in the days of Nilsson, amongst all of the Swedish players on each of the tours they play. While the SGF have removed transition support from their elite development pathway, France, The Netherlands, Ireland and Denmark have been very active bridging this period with both financial and non-financial support. In February 2009, Golf Australia will begin their ‘rookie professional’ scheme designed to provide support for transitioning professionals during their first three years as professionals. The funding has been provided by a generous benefactor in the private sector. The Royal Canadian Golf Association is also active in trying to raise funds to operate a similar programme for new Canadian professionals who, as amateurs, have been very well supported, but on changing ranks were dropped immediately and only rarely survived the transition.

8.7 The Dutch scheme (see http://www.golfteamholland.nl) has been very successful and as a direct result of focused and targeted support, on a modest budget, of a small group of players (four male and one female) every one of them now has full playing privileges on either the European Tour or the Ladies European Tour.

8.8 The French transitional support system presently covers 24 players, 17 men and 7 women, who qualify by being professional players of five years or less. Nearly Euro 700,000 (£670,000) is made available to cover basic expenses and to pay for five full-time coaches. In addition, the costs of entering qualifying schools for all French players who enter is fully funded to the extent (for 2009 tours) of Euro 50,000 (£48,000). Only five French players earned full playing privileges through the 2009 LPGA (2), European (1) and Ladies European (2) Tour Q-Schools. As of 1 January 2009, there were no French golfers in the top 100 of either the men’s or women’s World Ranking.

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8.9 The Danish Golf Union and former leading administrators and players in Denmark have worked hard in recent years to raise funds from the Danish private sector to prepare their best amateurs for the professional game and to help them through the transition phase. The amount available generally for elite golf development and the transition is believed to be in excess of one million dollars (£700,000). One female player got through the 2009 LET Q-School and one male qualified for the European Tour through the Challenge Tour to join four others already on the European Tour, two of whom are in the top 50 of the World Ranking.

8.10 Since the days of career amateur great Joe Carr, the Golfing Union of Ireland (“GUI”), prompted by Carr, has been quietly pro-active creating opportunities for the country’s leading amateurs to compete internationally, be exposed to best golfing opportunities and people and attend leading U.S. colleges, if they wish to do so. The Irish golf network is strong. Over many years, Ireland has consistently and effectively identified and nurtured high quality amateur talent that has progressed to the top of the men’s game, most recently three-time Major champion Padraig Harrington. Though there is an historic split designation between Northern Ireland and Eire when players turn professional, throughout their amateur careers, they are developed and have allegiance as players under a single flag, that of Ireland. Despite the notable success of a few, visionaries realized that more needed to be done to increase the number of Irish players on the main professional tours. Consequently, The Team Ireland Golf Trust was established in 1999 by the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation specifically to assist Irish golfers, both male and female and covering all of Ireland, in the early stages of their professional careers. In 2008, funding of Euro 227,500 was allocated to 22 players (16 men and 6 women) in amounts ranging from Euro 4,000 to Euro 20,000. The total spend through to end 2008 has amounted to more than Euro 2 million.

8.11 The cost of playing on any of the professional tours is expensive, and more often than not will need to be personally borne during the transition phase. Armed with a Card from Q-School or The Challenge Tour to play the European Tour may seem like a licence to print money, but, assuming access to about 15 events (invariably those in the more remote locations in so far as qualifiers and graduates rank behind the top 115 from the previous season and field sizes in the ‘preferred locations’ are often restricted to 120), a player must factor in spending about £2,500 per week (travel, accommodation, caddie and living expenses) just to be able to compete. Making cuts and winning prize money will obviously ease the burden, as would the raising of sponsorship funding before starting out. That said, it is often the scenario that until a player does ‘something’ as a professional, sponsorship support is difficult to attract.

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8.12 The importance and influence of powerful management agents cannot be over-emphasized in the transition phase. Persuading tournament organizers or title sponsors to use their invitations to include a new and untested young professional can be difficult. For those fortunate enough to sign with one of the more influential management companies, who already have significant players as clients and use them for leverage, invitations can and do happen with regularity. If the opportunity arises to participate pursuant to an invitation, the relevant player must be well-prepared to take full advantage because a finish in the top ten will allow him or her to gain automatic entry to the next following event. Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, in his second professional event (the lucrative Alfred Dunhill Links Trophy), finished in 3rd place, gained automatic entry to the next European Tour event, where he finished 4 th and won so much money in his brief invitation period at the end of 2007 that he managed to avoid Qualifying School altogether, a feat also achieved on the PGA Tour by Tiger Woods in 1996 when he won two tournaments out of his seven permitted starts as a non-tour member. 17 year-old Japanese Ryo Ishikawa, who won a Japan Tour event at the age of only 15, turned professional at 16 and has won again since, has been invited to The Masters Tournament this year. In addition, he will be teeing up in at least three PGA Tour events on sponsor’s invitations, one given personally by Arnold Palmer for his event at Bay Hill. He is very fortunate, but while he is a Japanese teenager playing in the United States he is big news, both at home and in America. For a Japanese golf market desperate for a male star and the Masters Committee and troubled PGA Tour aware that Japan remains one of their most important and lucrative overseas markets for television rights, the benefits run two ways. This is Ishikawa’s ‘transition’ phase. Unusually, it is being conducted when he is still a teenager attending high school; that is special. The same invitation courtesies would not happen at 22 years old.

8.13 Earning a ‘card’ to play on one of the main tour may appear to open the door

to a host of lucrative opportunities for the transitioning professional. Nothing could be further from the truth, and it will be a serious issue trying to plan and prepare properly. The tours operate strict ranking categories, whereby those already ‘inside’ have priority when it comes to playing in tournaments. In other words, the top 125 players from the 2008 PGA Tour money list and tournament winners from the previous two years (if not in the top 125) will rank ahead of every qualifier from both the Nationwide Tour and Final Q-School. Indeed, the Q-School qualifiers rank at the end of the pack. When fields are less than 130, which they often are, the chance of a Q-School graduate even starting is remote. Over the course of a season, however, there will be a few events when several top 125 players and Nationwide Tour graduates will not play, which presents playing opportunities. On average, a Q-School graduate (subject to performance when competing) might expect to play in about 15 tournaments during the season. The same is true in Europe but it is even worse on the LPGA Tour where many events are limited or invitational fields. In Asia, the problem is compounded by the fact that every

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high purse event (except the Singapore Open) is co-sanctioned with the European, Japan and/or Australasian Tours. Often, there are only about 60 places for Asian Tour members. As 60 players are fully exempt from the previous season, and most grab the chance to play in a better quality, high purse event, there is usually only room in the fields for a handful of the top Q-School graduates. For those prepared, hungry and good enough, the few chances they get to play on the main tours will, however, be enough to make a break-through to better status, such that planning a season’s schedule becomes possible. In any event, it is vital that a player in the difficult position of not knowing when or where he or she might be able to start an event is constantly alert to playing opportunities and properly prepared to compete to the best of his or her ability at short notice. Emerging suddenly from a northern-European winter with driving range practice only under their belts is no way to make the most of an opportunity. Arranging a warm-weather base between November and April appears sensible and essential for the ambitious tour player.

Scotland’s Richie Ramsay and Steven O’Hara finished in the top ten on the 2008 Challenge Tour and Callum Macaulay, one of Scotland heroes in the Eisenhower Trophy victory, earned his card for the European Tour through the 2008 Q-School. There are six tournaments on the European Tour between mid-January and mid-March. Only Ramsay (on a sponsor’s invitation arranged by his management company IMG) played in any of the first three events, they are all well down a long waiting list for access to the fourth and it seems unlikely any will play in either of the last two without sponsor invitations, which, for Ramsay is again possible in so far as IMG is part owner and organizer of the Johnnie Walker Classic, a tri-sanctioned event among the European Tour, Asian Tour and Tour of Australasia.

Appendices

I. Elite golf development structure in:

Australia Canada

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Denmark England France Ireland NetherlandsScotland Sweden U.S.A.

II. Scottish professionals on main tours in 2009

III. Aims and Performance Targets of Pathways

IV. Gordon G. Simmonds CV

V. Budget

VI. Sources and bibliography

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Appendix I

Elite golf development structure in:

Australia CanadaDenmark England France Ireland NetherlandsScotland Sweden U.S.A.

Note: All statistics appearing in Appendix 1 have been compiled with reference to the websites of the European Golf Association, the Official World Golf Ranking, the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking, The R&A and GolfWeek and, where possible, with national governing bodies. They are restated by reference to the information available at 31 December 2008, unless otherwise noted. The golfer numbers are slightly misleading in some countries, most certainly Scotland, because they refer only to golf club members. As many people have more than one membership, there is inevitably an element of double counting.

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Australia

Top 100 World Rankings:Professional men 10Professional women 4Amateur men, R&A 4

GolfWeek Scratch Players 5

Performances in major team events in past 10 years:1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Eisenhower n/a 3rd n/a 3rd (tie) n/a 12th (tie) n/a 12th n/a6th

Espirito Santo n/a 10th n/a WON n/a 16th n/a 14th n/a 15th (tie) Nomura Cup* WON n/a WON n/a WON n/a WON n/a WON n/aQueen Sirikit Cup* 3rd WON WON 3rd 3rd 4th 2nd (tie) 4th 5th

4th Southern Cross+ WON n/a WON n/a 2nd n/a WON n/a 3rd (tie)

n/aJC Tailhade# WON - - WON - 2nd (tie) DNP 3rd (tie) WON 2nd World Boys DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP 8th DNP DNP 3rd 3rd Spirit Int. (Men) n/a n/a DNP n/a 4th n/a 7th (tie) n/a 2nd

n/aSpirit Int. (women) n/a n/a DNP n/a 2nd n/a 3rd n/a 10th

n/a

*The Nomura Cup (men) is contested biennially and Queen Sirikit Cup annually both among countries in the Asia-Pacific region. 16 teams usually enter the Nomura Cup, with four players in each team playing 72 holes of stroke play and 14 teams play in the Queen Sirikit Cup, with three players playing 54 holes of stroke play.+Four-man team event played biennially among Australia, Argentina, South Africa and New Zealand; singles and foursomes. # International two-man team event held annually in Argentina over 72 holes of stroke play.

The principal ‘stakeholders’ in elite golf development in Australia are:Australian Institute of Sport (“AIS”) – government funded body established in 1992 responsible for preparation for international competition of elite athletes in a number of sports, including golf. The AIS is the provider of financial, medical, sports science, physical and psychological services from a central location.Golf Australia – the governing body (established in 2006) for men’s and women’s amateur golf in Australia, including operation of national championships and Australian Men’s and Women’s Opens, handicapping, Rules and selection of teams for international competition.State Golf Associations – most powerful/influential (in order) are Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia, with South Australia, Tasmania & Northern Territories lagging some way behind.State ‘Institutes’ – these exist in Victoria (the most significant by far and in existence since 1991), NSW (1997) and Queensland (2001).

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PGA of Australia – the national governing body for about 2,000 teaching professional; in ‘national’ administration, rather than State, since 1984; also administrators of the PGA Tour Australasia which comprises the Von Nida Development Tour and about seven co-sanctioned or exclusive (only 3) open and/or professional tournaments;Various Junior Golf Foundations – these include Stuart Appleby’s in Victoria, Greg Norman’s in Queensland, Graham Marsh’s in WA, Jack Newton’s in NSW

Despite some fundamental and challenging administrative and ‘vision’ issues, there are clear objectives of those involved in elite development at both state and national level in Australia:

(i) Maintain a world class elite golf development infrastructure – coaching, physical and psychological development, facilities & competition;

(ii) Maintain large junior golfer pools and identify the best talent as early as possible;

(iii) Prepare the best talent for a career in golf, either as world class professional golfers or, for those who don’t ‘make it’, as positive ambassadors ‘in’ golf and with alternative and relevant pathways;

(iv) Be a forum for competitiveness, individual and personal assessment and constant and measurable progress;

(iv) Prepare the best elite golfers to fulfill their potential, ‘stand on their own two feet’ and compete successfully on a world stage.

The Victoria Institute of Sport (“VIS”) established the first customized elite golf development programme in Australia in 1991 under the management of Steve Bann and Dale Lynch. The Australian Golf Union (now called ‘Golf Australia’), in collaboration with the Australian Institute of Sport, created the national programme in 1992. Notable early products of the VIS programme include Robert Allenby and Stuart Appleby, with Geoff Ogilvie and Aaron Baddeley following on.

Key elements of the current VIS Programme:State talent identification begins at club level at about age 12 or 13 with a six year pathway thereafter through junior coaching and competition until the VIS takes over the development of the most talented players. VIS is almost exclusively State government funded with a tiny contribution coming from the Victoria Golf Association.

Marty Joyce is the current director of the VIS Golf Programme. As an elite amateur, he tried to qualify for the Victoria Institute of Sport golf program on seven occasions, and always failed. After turning professional aged 25 in 2001, he entered the VIS golf program as a second year ‘apprentice’ professional (which is permitted). After qualifying, he was assistant VIS coach under Denis McDade for four years and in April 2008 he was appointed to the vacant head coach position having already become Victoria State coach in late 2007. The positions of VIS head coach and State head coach are distinct, but are usually held by the same person.

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For golf to be part of the VIS program, Joyce and his team must deliver world top 100 players. There is a conflict with the AIS in so far as golf must be ‘Tier 1’, as determined by the VIS, which, with rare exceptions means national standard competitors. It is possible to leave the VIS and remain part of the State squad. VIS and State squad selection happens at the beginning of each calendar year with support and scheduling geared towards the State Championships each September. Of 20 boys picked for 2008 State squad, six were also in the VIS golf program. Eight boys (including all six in the VIS golf program) were selected for the men’s inter-state championship and six boys for the colts inter-state championship.

Joyce coaches with the objective of making his services obsolete. He is far more concerned about a player’s physical development and ongoing physical maintenance or conditioning once a certain technical competence level has been reached (subject to regular ‘oil changes’). He is adamant that elite players (boys and girls) must get out of their comfort zone as soon as possible and fend for themselves. He is a ‘hands-on’ coach and doesn’t rely on players to submit reports about gym work done, practice sessions completed and support services utilized when scheduled. He places a strong emphasis on players understanding the benefits of proper practice routines and strength and conditioning programs.

VIS elite golf scheme is also known as the ACE Program in which it is compulsory to include a non-golf activity to achieve balance in life during the time of VIS participation, either full-time education or work-base activity. It is highly unlikely for a Victoria golfer to play overseas unless he or she is in the VIS or State squads, with funding being the principal reason. The quality of coaching and competition in Australia keeps players at home until the time is right to go overseas for competition; particularly the VIS program, which is viewed as world-class. That situation and thinking also prevents all but a handful from going to college in the U.S.

For the 2008/09 intake to the VIS Program, 56 applications (50 male and six female) were received from elite State amateurs and trainee professionals. Eight were selected, comprised of six males, five aged between 18 to 20 & one aged 24 and two girls aged 17 & 23.

The VIS program provides competitive elements at every stage, such that the player is encouraged to appreciate the importance of scoring even when playing poorly. Each player is individually ‘case managed’ and psychiatric assessments are an important part of the admission process and ongoing reviews.

AIS/Golf Australia High Performance ProgrammeThe AIS/Golf Australia High Performance Golf Programme is run by Peter Knight, the former head of the New South Wales Institute of Sport elite golf program (1997 to 2006) and NSW State golf coach (1993 to 2006) who was promoted to ‘Director – National Elite Development’ for golf at the Australian Institute of Sport towards the end of 2006 following production of “High Performance Pathway Review” by The

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Australian Sports Commission and amalgamation of the men’s and women’s amateur games under ‘Golf Australia’.

Knight is a strong believer in constantly reviewing all of the components that make players better – mental, physical, technical & competitive. He also works hard on ‘managing expectations’ and teaching the squad members that career support from the AIS is a privilege and not a right, particularly in the area of equipment supply.

The original AIS/Australian Golf Union (“AGU”) elite golf program was residential, with Moonah Links (then owned by the AGU) as the base but was changed to non-residential and occasional ‘camps’ in 2006 by when Moonah Links had been sold to a private enterprise. The AIS/GA leases the facility when required for camps.

In the AIS scheme, targets are linked to funding, though funding support, reviewed annually, is unlikely to be reduced if targets not reached so long as every effort is being made to move elite players along the development path. For period 2008 to 2012, the target is getting one more man and one more woman, who has come through the new AIS program into their respective world top 100. For the period 2013 to 2016, those target numbers increase to 3 male and two female. It should be recognized that Australia already boasts 10 male top 100 players and 7 female.

For 2009, the AIS national squad initially comprises five men and three women. All of these players came through the State squads. There is also a second tier of five men and five women, for whom support is given on a reduced basis. Regular performance reviews are carried out, in addition to in-depth personality analyses. Each player is treated individually. Failure to meet certain targets means removal from the relevant squad. Early in 2008, five players, three men and two women, were removed from the 2007/08 squad. Removal does not preclude return should performances merit it.

Knight is a strong advocate of overseas trips as part of the competition experience for AIS squad members. Subject to available funding, that would include both the UK (Irish, English & Scottish Open Amateurs, Links Trophy and Amateur Championship) and the U.S. for the late June, July and August ‘invitationals’ and U.S. Amateur. Exchange rates – particularly historic strength of the pound - have had an impact in recent years on how many players might be supported for the UK ‘leg’, hence the lower entry numbers for The Amateur Championship and Links Trophy and increased numbers in the U.S. Doubtless, that may change in the summer of 2009.

Once in the AIS program, there is access to any coach the player wants to retain, though costs are limited annually. More often than not, in practice, that results in players staying with their club or state coaches with whom Knight will then liaise directly.

The PGA of Australia, with approximately 2,000 qualified members, of which there are approximately 600 head club professionals, currently has three levels of accredited coach; one, two and three. There is also one additional accreditation,

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“Master Coach”; only Knight and Ian Donnelly in Victoria State have qualified so far (minimum criteria, triple A rated level three coach and member of PGA for not less than 20 years). Knight is currently in consultation with the PGA of Australia about creation of a level four category.

Elite player transition:

With effect from the beginning of 2009, Golf Australia and the AIS are adding a new level of support, one specifically customized for those in transition into the professional game and funded for an initial period of three years by a benefactor in the private sector, the Kinghorn Foundation. The so-called ‘Rookie Programme’, operating during the first three years of transition, will involve six players, four male and two female, all of whom will be members of the AIS golf program. To determine scholarships, Golf Australia conducted two selection camps; one in January for men and one in February for women. The players will be chosen in late February. The support will be a combination of service provision (coaching, psychology, sports science/sports medicine, athlete management and competition support funding), comprising ‘full’ AIS support for the first twelve months, subject to performance, modified support in year two and further modified support in year three. It is hoped to expand the number involved to about ten players in due course.  The benefactor made the decision that he would like to have funds from his Foundation directed toward assisting young professional golfers to attain their golfing goals. This will be done to ensure some funds are available for competition expenses and funds are made available to have a comprehensive plan put in place to develop that player. The plan has a team approach whereby the AIS Coach works with a player’s coach, physiotherapist, psychologist, bio-mechanist, strength & conditioning coach and others to create a template for development and support. Objectives and programme goals are set for the squad members and monitor the performance of the programme. 

The Kinghorn Foundation places the funds into the Australian Sports Foundation (“ASF”) which then disburses the funds as it sees fit.  Coincidentally, the ASF sees fit to use the funds to develop this group of golfers rather than using them otherwise. The Kinghorn Foundation has no official say in how the funds are expended. Unofficially, the benefactor is kept informed, in so far as those administering the scheme view his ongoing support and satisfaction to be of fundamental importance.

 

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CANADA

Top 100 World Rankings:Professional men 2Professional women 0Amateur men, R&A 4

GolfWeek Scratch Players 2

Performances in major team events in past 10 years:1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Eisenhower n/a 10th n/a 31st (tie) n/a 4th (tie) n/a 2nd n/a 9th (tie) Espirito Santo n/a 18th n/a 12th (tie) n/a 2nd (tie) n/a 15th n/a 4th World Boys 3rd 6th 6th 12th 4th 5th 10th 7th 10th DNPSpirit Int. (Men) n/a n/a DNP n/a 13th (tie) n/a 3rd n/a 12th (tie)

n/aSpirit Int. (women) n/a n/a DNP n/a 11th (tie) n/a 18th n/a 2nd (tie)

n/aJ.C. Tailhade+ - - - - 4th 4th (tie) 3rd (tie) 7th 12th DNP

+ Held annually in Argentina involving c. 16 two-man teams from leading golf nations playing 72 holes of stroke play.

Following an amalgamation of the men’s and women’s games in Canada on 1st

January 2005, the sole governing body responsible for administration and development of golf, including elite golf, is the Royal Canadian Golf Association (“RCGA”). The RCGA owns the rights to the Canadian Open, an event on the PGA Tour, and the Canadian Women’s Open, an event on the LPGA Tour. Both usually operate at a surplus. These funds, together with subscription income from golf club members and corporate sponsorship provide the necessary funds for the RCGA golf development programmes, including elite level. The estimated annual budget allocated by RCGA for elite golf development is about C$ 1 million (£580,000).

Key elements of the RCGA systemThe RCGA views their High Performance Program, as it is designated, as a way to stay ahead of the curve with respect to how their best amateur golfers stack up against world class competition. They recently announced a renewed and focused approach at some key initiatives that they believe will best support Canadian players as they strive to become the best amateur golfers in the world. Revealingly, the principal objective of their elite development system is to be one of the top three nations developing amateur golfers, with no mention of world class golfers in the professional ranks, even though the RCGA does include ‘Supporting young pros’ in their shopping list of intended areas of change and it has publicized a fund-raising effort to the general Canadian golf community to assist transitioning elite players (called ‘Support Team Canada’ (http://www.rcga.org/teamcanada/support ), the stated goal is to raise C$100,000 (£58,000).

The RCGA High Performance program has identified the following areas where it hopes to effect positive change:

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National Junior Team ProgramRCGA High Performance Junior CampsNational Amateur Team ProgramSports Science – mental managementSports Science – Strength & ConditioningSports Science – BiomechanicsSports Science - EquipmentSelectionRCGA Training CentresSupporting Young prosMentoring

The participation rate in golf in Canada is the highest anywhere in the world, despite the short season in many parts of the country. Access to clubs and courses is easy and affordable for children and junior golf entry and development are strongly supported by both the RCGA and the PGA of Canada. Talent identification is done when players are about 14 or 15 years old and invitations are extended to join the various junior squads. Each summer, local, regional, state and national junior competitions are held and the RCGA maintains the CN Future Links Junior Orders of Merit for boys and girls that provide the starting point for selection to the National Development Team Program, which was established in 2006.

Selection to the National Amateur Team Program (entering its sixth year of operation) and the National Development Team Program is determined by detailed criteria which is largely transparent and based on results and performance, though there can be some subjectivity when it comes to the final places. The selection happens each November. There are detailed standards for participation. The full-time program for the team members involves full-time coaching, training camps, a full competition schedule (this includes fully funded trips to play in the U.S. and British national championships, as individuals but under the ‘Team Canada’ banner) and support from the RCGA sports science consultants in the areas of mental management, exercise physiology, nutrition, biomechanics, physiotherapy and sports medicine.

The RCGA works to provide the best possible training facilities for selected players in different locations, and to that end has entered into agreements with sports’ facility owners in British Columbia and Alberta, and in Florida and Arizona. Usage by the players is monitored closely.

It is common for talented young Canadian golfers, both male and female, to attend college in the United States, where many have done well and made significant progress in the amateur game.

Making the transition to the main professional tours has proved to be difficult for elite Canadian golfers. While Mike Weir, 2003 Masters champion, Stephen Ames, former

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Players Championship winner and seven women professionals on the LPGA Tour are useful mentors, who should be inspiring the next generation of tournament professionals, few appear to be making much progress beyond the minor tours; several content, or so it seems, to pursue a schedule on the Canadian Tour. No Canadians made it through either PGA Tour or LPGA Tour Q-School at the end of 2008. Results in international amateur team competitions in recent years have also been mixed, with plenty of high finishes but no triumphs.

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DENMARK

Top 100 World Rankings:Professional men 3Professional women 0Amateur men, R&A 0

GolfWeek Scratch Players 0

At 19.2.08:170 courses (132- 18 holes; 26 courses under construction)145,310 players90,879 male42,362 female9,600 junior boys2,469 junior girls

Performances & representation in major team events in past 10 years:1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Eisenhower n/a 7th n/a 21st(tie) n/a 10th(tie) n/a 19th(tie) n/a 19th(tie)Espirito Santo n/a 5th(tie) n/a 15th(tie) n/a DNP n/a DNP n/a 8th Euro Girls - - - DNP 12th 14th 4th 3rd 3rd 5th Euro Boys - - - 8th - 12th 12th 11th WON 5th World Boys* DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP 7th Spirit Int. (Men) n/a n/a DNP n/a 21st n/a DNP n/a DNP

n/aSpirit Int. (women) n/a n/a DNP n/a 6th (tie) n/a DNP n/a DNP

n/aEuro Women 12th n/a 9th n/a 6th n/a 12th n/a DNP 5th Euro Men 7th n/a 13th n/a 15th n/a 14th n/a 6th

11th St. Andrews n/a - n/a none n/a one n/a none n/a noneVagliano - n/a - n/a one n/a none n/a none

n/aJacques Leglise - - - one none one none none two one Ryder Cup none n/a n/a one n/a none n/a none n/a oneSolheim Cup n/a none n/a one one n/a one n/a one n/a

*Played in the inaugural year of the event in 1992 and not again until 2008

Golf in Denmark is administered by the Danish Golf Union (“DGU”) which was established in 1931. There are over 150 affiliated clubs, all of which encourage junior golf development.

On the back of the success of Denmark’s best known professional of the 1990s and early 2000s, Thomas Bjorn, whose pathway to the top of the game was a struggle, the DGU put in place an elite development system about ten years ago, though it is only in the last three to five years that talent identification has been formalized. At four centres across Denmark, 10 times each year, children (and parents) are invited (through golf clubs and schools) to attend sessions run by the DGU and the PGA of Denmark. The system thereafter tried to replicate what had been done in Sweden

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(indeed, the DGU hired former Swedish national coach Peter Chamberlain), but with a much more limited budget, resources and potential talent base.

The identified talent is then provided with financial and non-financial support and guidance, tied to performance and progress that focuses on individual development. The first crop of juniors who have come through this system are now just arriving in the senior amateur ranks, though there is more hope for a group just behind them who are 17 and 18 years old and who have experience of international success in the junior ranks. Indeed, much to the surprise of many in European amateur golf, their boys’ team won the European Boys Team Championship in 2007 and finished third in the Girls Championship. Admittedly, the Boys event was staged on home soil, but if one of their team members that year is a reference point for what might be about to emerge from Denmark to join the five players already on the European Tour (three in the World top 100), Denmark may be looking forward to a world top ten player and/or Major Champion during the next ten years.

His name is Patrick Winther, who was only 15 when the Danes won the European event. He has attended two golf schools in the United States since moving there full time in late 2006 (first at Hank Haney’s International Golf Academy at Hilton Head and now the Gary Gilchrist Golf School near Orlando, Florida. Last November in Florida, when still aged 16, he overwhelmed a very high quality field at the American Junior Golf Association’s flagship event, the Polo Junior Golf Classic; qualifying into match play with a low sub-par 36–hole aggregate and winning five rounds of match play including the final by 7&6. Every round he played well below par, and exuded confidence and quality that belied his youth. He may now be too far removed from the DGU, save for a few summer events he feels obliged to return for at their request, for them to claim him as a ‘product’ of their system, but certainly he got his start in Denmark and only departed at the age of 14 when he and his father, who stays completely in the background, decided the best route in to a top American college, which remains very much part of Winther’s career strategy, would be playing high level competitive junior golf in a warm-weather state of the United States.

The DGU elite development system, which includes helping young professional in the transition period, operates under the ‘Team Denmark’ banner. Funding, in 2008 amounting to about US$1 million, is derived from club members’ subscriptions, government and the private sector. It is hoped by the DGU to double this fund and be able to help more players in the transition phase.

A significant achievement for Denmark and Danish golf was Soren Hansen’s selection for the 2008 European Ryder Cup team, only their second player ever and first since Thomas Bjorn in 2002. Not yet 35, Hansen, a quieter personality than Bjorn, has an opportunity to inspire the next generation of Danish talent.

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ENGLAND

Top 100 World Rankings:Professional men 8Professional women 2Amateur men, R&A 8

GolfWeek Scratch Players 8At 18.6.081,897 courses (1,412 – 18 holes)910,900 players719,036 male; 121,851 female64,700 junior boys; 5,313 junior girls

Performances & representation in major team events in past 10 years1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Eisenhower n/a GBI(2) n/a 7th n/a 8th (tie) n/a 6th(tie) n/a 14th Espirito Santo n/a GBI(2) n/a GBI(1) n/a GBI(1) n/a 11th(tie) n/a 7th Euro Girls - - - 11th 8th 11th WON 11th 10th 2nd Euro Boys WON - - 5th - WON 9th 14th 2nd 3rd World Boys WON 3rd 7th WON 12th DNP 3rd 12th DNP 6th Spirit Int.(men) n/a n/a DNP n/a 13th (tie) n/a 2nd n/a WON n/aSpirit (women) n/a n/a DNP n/a 11th (tie) n/a WON n/a 6th (tie) n/aEuro Women 2nd n/a 3rd n/a 7th n/a 2nd n/a 3rd 4th Euro Men 4th n/a 3rd n/a 2nd n/a WON n/a 4th

2nd Walker Cup six n/a five n/a three n/a five n/a four n/aCurtis Cup n/a four n/a four n/a five n/a three n/a threeSt. Andrews n/a five n/a six n/a five n/a four n/a fiveVagliano - n/a - n/a three n/a three n/a five

n/aJacques Leglise - five - six three three four three five fiveRyder Cup one n/a n/a one n/a four n/a three n/a fiveSolheim Cup n/a three n/a one one n/a three n/a two n/aJ.C. Tailhade+ - WON WON - WON 2nd (tie) 9th WON 2nd 5th

+ Held annually in Argentina involving c. 16 two-man teams from leading golf nations playing 72 holes of stroke play.

In England, the English Golf Union (“EGU” – founded in 1924) administers men’s and boy’s golf and the English Ladies Golf Association (“ELGA” – founded as an off-shoot of the Ladies Golf Union in 1952) look after all female golfers. There are more than 1,900 clubs affiliated to the EGU representing over 740,000 golf club members. Elite golf development is also conducted separately, though annual international events, such as the European Young Masters, allow the boys and girls to travel and mix as a single team. Discussions about amalgamation have been held in the recent past and will begin again shortly.

The EGU has always had strong administrators, some more effective than others. However, there has been a consistent theme passed down from the governing authority to clubs, counties and regions, a legacy perhaps from the likes of Gerald

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Micklem and Raymond Oppenheimer that champion golfers need time and encouragement to evolve and the process must begin at the junior level. As a direct result of the influence and vision of Micklem, England produced a rash of outstanding amateur players in the early to mid 1970s who went on to enjoy very successful professional careers; most prominent among them Nick Faldo, Sandy Lyle and Mark James.

During the 1980s and early 1990s, when prize money on The European Tour was escalating, too many rushed to the professional game ill-prepared for the challenge, and failed. High quality English amateur teams could still be fielded (as of 2008, there are about 1,200 scratch golfers in England and 400 of them play to a plus handicap), and English representation in Walker and Curtis Cup matches remained strong but at professional level, as Faldo’s career was ending there was the solitary figure of Lee Westwood holding the cross of St. George aloft in the Ryder Cup matches in 1999 and 2002. Something had to be done to overhaul the elite development pathway; the first task being to recognize that identifying talent that could perform well in the international amateur arena was different to preparing the best of them for a career in the modern world of professional golf.

Coinciding with planning and implementing a new elite development system that would best serve the new goal of producing world class players, came the avalanche of funding into the EGU (and, to a lesser extent, the ELGA) through SportEngland from the UK Lottery. Annual income was now significant and more than sufficient to put in place a properly executed and professionally supported pathway from talent identification to the professional game. The base of operations, designated the National Golf Centre, moved to Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire. Moreover, and by good fortune rather than by design, Paul Casey, Luke Donald, Ian Poulter and Justin Rose all began to perform well as professionals and gave a much needed shot in the arm to English golf in the international arena and inspiration for the next generation.

In essence, the system operates as follows: four squads are selected by the EGU’s High Performance managers (policies for selection at junior and senior squad levels are published on the EGU’s website) at different levels; under 16 (6 players), under 18 (11 players), the A Squad (19 players) and finally the National (or Elite) Squad (15 players) that usually forms the core of the England National team. Different administrators are responsible for each team, accompanied by others with specialized expertise in the key areas of coaching, psychology, physiotherapy, health and fitness and nutrition. There is a Swedish-style holistic approach to the education of, and support given to, each player with the clear objective for him to be the best he can be and, hopefully, in the process become a world class competitor. Each player is tasked with learning how to train, how to prepare and how to compete. Fully funded teams are sent all over the world to play in most major international amateur events. The annual competition schedule is busy, and tries to take full advantage of warm-weather countries during the English winter.

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Given all of the support now available for talented young English amateur golfers, it is unusual for anyone with aspirations to play professionally to pursue education beyond high school. Indeed, of the 34 players in the A Squad and National Squad, only four are in tertiary education; not surprising when National Squad members see the relative success of their country-men in the professional game. More than 40 have full privileges on the European Tour and, most recently, David Horsey, Danny Willett and Chris Wood make quick and smooth transitions. The EGU supports some National Squad members seeking a tour card through the Q-School process but no further. Plans to be involved in the transition have never been implemented, though the EGU is active in counseling elite amateurs about the pitfalls of professional golf.

France

Top 100 World Rankings:Professional men 0Professional women 0Amateur men, R&A 2

GolfWeek Scratch Players 3

563 courses (334 – 18 holes; 30 under construction)396,990 players282,897 male114,093 female29,977 junior boys10,613 junior girls

Performances & representation in major team events in past 10 years1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Eisenhower n/a 13th n/a 2nd n/a 23rd(tie) n/a 9th(tie) n/a 4th(tie)Espirito Santo n/a WON n/a 15th(tie) n/a 18th(tie) n/a 4th n/a 15th(tie)Euro Girls - - - 4th 4th 2nd 7th 4th 6th 9th Euro Boys - - - 3rd - 10th 15th 6th 8th 9th St. Andrews n/a two n/a one n/a none n/a two n/a twoVagliano - n/a - n/a two n/a two n/a one

n/aJacques Leglise none - - one one none none one one oneWorld Boys DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNPSpirit Int.(men) n/a n/a 10th n/a DNP n/a DNP n/a 5th n/aSpirit (women) n/a n/a 12th (tie) n/a DNP n/a DNP n/a 5th n/aEuro Women WON n/a 5th n/a 3rd n/a 3rd n/a 9th 6th Euro Men 3rd n/a 11th n/a 4th n/a 4th n/a 2nd

4th Ryder Cup one n/a n/a none n/a one n/a none n/a noneSolheim Cup n/a one n/a one one n/a one n/a one n/a

Golf in France for both men and women is administered by the French Golf Federation (“FFG”).

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Since 2002, the FFG has endeavoured to operate a fully integrated elite golf development system that facilitates early identification of junior talent, focused nurturing, removal of barriers to progression for the best and pro-active support in the transition from amateur to professional.

In developing elite players, the FFG works on the basic principle that numbers matter. In other words, the participation base at junior entry level must be as large as possible for a meaningful number of elite players to emerge to establish a peer-pressured’ competitive forum from which there will be the best chance of finding ‘champion golfers’.

To that end, the elite development program is divided into four parts all intended to be seamless and in each part adopting the same principles and approach to continued development and improvement:

1. Entry level – since 2005, three times each year at every one of 350 participating golf clubs and golf facilities, FFG supported ‘special days’ are staged when an existing junior golfer is asked to introduce one non-golfing friend to golf; one session free of charge is conducted by the club professional; in consequence, there has been a 10% increase in the number of junior registered golfers; for those continuing after the ‘taster’, access to teaching is provided for two to four hours each week – Wednesday afternoon and Saturday morning – at a cost that varies between Euro 150 and Euro 400 per annum; no membership obligation but most who continue become members.

2. Preparing for competitive golf – The FFG has divided France into 25 golf regions or counties, each with a chairman who is ‘asked’ to follow national guidelines on coaching about twenty-five 10 to 14 year-olds (total of about 600). FFG employs 15 full-time national coaches who split time between coaching elite players and ‘coaching the coaches’ in each of the 25 golf regions with a view to laying solid technical foundations for these talented junior golfers. Additionally, and as a result of a detailed analyses done by the FFG about the ‘way’ in which the world elite win championships, course management guidance forms part of the teaching program.

3. National Training Centres – Of the 600, about 60 (60% boys and 40% girls) are selected at about age 14 (13 is possible but not actively pursued) and offered the opportunity to move to one of seven national golf training centres located in different parts of France and which form part of the French Ministry of Sport Athlete Training Facilities. Selection of these children is based not only on golf ability but also educational references because continuing formal education to age 18 forms part of the training centre schedule. Education is done at schools close to the various centres with special arrangements to accommodate competitive golf commitments. The children live together apart from friends and parents. Excluding time at tournaments, 15-18 hours each week are spent on

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formal golf coaching, and mental and physical development. Subject to performance both in golf competition and the classroom, those selected can stay in the training centres until their 19th or 20th birthday after which support from the FFG continues directly so long as the relevant player is competing at international level in amateur competition. In 2009, 58 players are being supported in this way: 14 girls, 22 boys, 6 elite women and 16 elite men.

4. Transition to professional ranks – The FFG is strongly supportive of leading amateur players during transition from amateur to professional. Nothing was done prior to 1999, but since then support has steadily increased and now comprises three direct elements for (currently) 24 professionals (17 men and 7 women):

(a) General logistical support (e.g. travel, accommodation etc.)(b) Financial support – Euro 3k to Euro 12k for properly receipted

expenses; amount depending upon the tour.(c) Training/coaching – Euro 3k to Euro 6k per annum to cover costs of

continuing coaching. For example, the FFG might pay the fee charged by Bob Torrance on a pre-agreed schedule provided the player covers the coach’s expenses.

Additionally, for the many who struggle to transition for a few years, the FFG has established a domestic tournament circuit of 13 tournaments each with a purse between Euro 40k and Euro 250k. Each of these tournaments is ‘open’ to any professional, whether French or not. A similar domestic circuit is being put together for female professionals and will comprise four or five tournaments. The idea behind this initiative is to keep the players tournament ‘sharp’ and motivated to keep practicing and improving. The circuit costs the FFG Euro 1m per annum.

For 2009, the FFG has budgeted Euros 740,000 for the transitioning and young professional players, broken down as follows:

Coaching program dedicated to 'transitioning' players = Euro 490 000 plus expenses of Euro 60,000 to cover costs of 5 full-time coaches;

Up to Euro 140,000 to cover expenses for the professional players (less than 5 years on a professional tour);

Entry costs of the qualifying school of several tours (ET, LET, PGA, LPGA) = Euro 50 000

Other features of the French elite development system:(a) So that the club professionals are fully engaged, the FFG arranges four ‘golf

development’ conferences each year in each of four territories (essentially six regions comprise one territory) at which club pros and tournament pros meet,

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discuss experiences and try to resolve issues. Club pros are also encouraged to accompany national coach to the main overseas amateur events to which French players are sent. Expenses are paid by the FFG. 15 availed themselves of the opportunity in 2007.

(b) Alexandre Kaleka and Victor Dubisson, two of the three elite golfers now receiving special support, are products of the formal development system described above. The third member of the elite men’s triumvirate, Benjamin Hebert, current European Individual Amateur champion, came into French elite amateur golf from Tahiti in 2006 and was never part of the system. The FFG is willing to accommodate such a rare talent notwithstanding his success is more opportunistic, from the FFG’s perspective, rather than designed.

(c) Gregory Bourdy, who turned professional in 2003, is an early product of the ‘system’ and, after three years of struggle, now has full privileges on the European Tour.

(d) The FFG is concerned about managing a system that will maximize numbers of French players in the top 100 of the men’s and women’s World Rankings but are reconciled to the fact that they cannot determine whether a player hovers quietly at number 70 or progresses to the top ten. That ‘x’ factor is a combination of personal motivation, work ethic, priorities in life and ultimate objectives. One of their top players, a European Tour stalwart called Raphael Jacquelin, is a case in point. Aged 35 and thought to possess the ability to go ‘all the way’ he is now happily married with three children and living in Switzerland, playing and plundering the European Tour only to maintain a very comfortable lifestyle.

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IRELAND

Top 100 World Rankings:Professional men 5Professional women noneAmateur men, R&A 1

GolfWeek Scratch Players 2At 19.2.08414 courses (290 – 18 hole)289,120 players: 192,000 male; 60,120 female37,000 juniors (no available split numbers between boys and girls)

Performances & representation in major team events in past 10 years1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Eisenhower n/a GBI (0) n/a 28th n/a 17th(tie) n/a 9th(tie) n/a 22nd Espirito Santo n/a GBI (2) n/a GBI(0) n/a GBI(0) n/a 23rd(tie) n/a 24th Euro Girls - - - DNP DNP DNP 14th 16th 12th 8th Euro Boys - - - 9th - 7th 5th 9th 10th 7th World Boys 12th DNP 8th DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNPSpirit Int. (men) n/a n/a DNP n/a DNP n/a DNP n/a DNP

n/aSpirit (women) n/a n/a DNP n/a DNP n/a DNP n/a DNP n/aEuro Women 8th n/a 10th n/a 9th n/a 6th n/a 10th 15th Euro Men 6th n/a 2nd n/a 6th n/a 9th n/a WON

WON Walker Cup one n/a two n/a two n/a one n/a two n/aCurtis Cup n/a one n/a one n/a one n/a four n/a noneSt. Andrews n/a one n/a none n/a none n/a one n/a twoVagliano - n/a - n/a one n/a three n/a one

n/aJacques Leglise - one - two three two one two one twoRyder Cup* two n/a n/a three n/a three n/a three n/a twoSolheim Cup n/a none n/a none none n/a none n/a none n/a

*Includes both Eire & N. Ireland players

The men’s amateur game in Ireland is run by the Golfing Union of Ireland (“GUI” - established in 1892) and the Irish Ladies Golf Union (“ILGU” - 1893) administers the women’s amateur game. Ireland is one of only three golf nations still operating two distinct governing bodies for the men’s and women’s games, though the cooperation between them and with the Irish section of the PGA appears to be strong, constructive and productive. The GUI is based at the National Academy at Carton House, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, an initiative of the GUI with considerable advisory input from Ireland’s leading golf professionals including Padraig Harrington, Paul McGinley and Darren Clarke. It is open to all and provides a high quality base for implementation of elite development initiatives at junior and senior levels, for both male and female golfers.

Elite Development pathway

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Junior Golf Ireland (JGI) is the body that oversees development of grassroots junior golf in Ireland for the governing bodies. It is a partnership between the GUI, the ILGU and the Irish region of the PGA. Based at the PGA National at Kildare, the work is led by the Director of Development implemented by its regional development officers and overseen by a voluntary committee comprised of its partner organizations. It provides a collaborative entry point for elite young players and exposure to a system that works in the best interests of the developing player. Junior golf is strong at club level and there is affordable access to the game for anyone (male or female) who wants to play. Inter-club, county and provincial competition is plentiful and well-organized for juniors, and prepares them well for senior golf. Ireland has a strong amateur golf heritage and a history of nurturing exceptionally talented young players, and therefore age is no impediment to access to higher levels of competition. Ronan Rafferty was only 17 when he played in the 1981 Walker Cup match, already a veteran of two Home International campaigns at senior level. More recently, Rory McIlroy and the McGuire twins, Leona and Lisa have re-written the record books in terms of accomplishments at a young age.

PanelsAnnually, the GUI names a squad of about 16 elite players (called a ‘Panel’) and from which Irish international teams are likely to be selected. Players on the Panel receive extensive financial and non-financial support. The ILGU also selects a Panel, comprised of about 14 elite players, and again these players are given extensive financial and non-financial support for the year (for 2009, financial support for female elite players alone amounts to Euro 74,800 with as much as Euro 7,000 going to each of eight players). Funding sources for these initiatives include the Irish Sports Council. The allocations are used to defray expenses to compete in tournaments in Ireland and overseas and for coaching and equipment. The GUI and ILGU enter teams and individuals for most major international events around the world, and encourage its leading players, wherever possible, to pursue tertiary education on scholarships either in the United States (where the Irish golf network is considerable) or in Ireland. Padraig Harrington permitted the establishment of a golf scholarship scheme funded with a Euro 2 million donation from JP McManus at the National University of Ireland at Maynooth, close to the GUI’s National Golf Centre. At the time of the launch in April 2008, he gave a clinic for juniors at Carton House and observed: “It is important to have strong alternatives for young Irish players to tempt them to stay [in Ireland] rather than undertake scholarships in the United States. I believe a lot in the system and if guys want to stay at home and study, it’s wonderful they have an opportunity to do so. I think the problem with the US is that most people tend to be attracted to colleges in the south because of winter golf, but that means they end up playing golf 12 months of the year and risk burn-out. If they’re going to go to the States, I believe it is better to go to a more northern-based college where at least you will have a winter break.”

Two successive victories in the European Amateur Team Championships and the 2008 Home Internationals should be a sign of a pipeline of Irish talent coming through, but revealingly, only one player (Shane Lowry) is currently ranked in the World Amateur Ranking top 100 which suggests, as is often the case with Irish teams,

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that esprit de corps rather than individual talent probably plays a bigger part in their success.

Rookie Professional schemeThe Team Ireland Golf Trust was established in 1999 by the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation to assist Irish golfers, both male and female, in the early stages of their professional careers. While Irish golfers have consistently performed with distinction in international tour events, the realization is that Ireland does not have a sufficient number of young tour cardholders eventually to succeed the established professional players.

The Team Ireland Golf Trust Committee was established to oversee the operations of the Trust Scheme and to consider applications received under the Scheme. The Trust Committee consists of a representative each from the Minister of Arts, Sports and Tourism, the Irish Sports Council, Failte Ireland, the Irish PGA, the GUI, the ILGU and the private sector. The objective of the Scheme is to support golfers who have the potential and programme to become established players on the main international tours, such as the European Tour, the PGA Tour, the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour. The Team Ireland Golf Trust is designed to provide support, both financial and non-financial, to selected young professional golfers to help them realize their potential to perform successfully at international level. Golfers who are being supported by the Trust will be expected to show and maintain a reasonable level of progression in their performances on an annual basis. Thus level of progress will determine future funding decisions by the Trust. Michael Hoey, a direct contemporary of Graeme McDowell, turned professional in 2001 but took eight years to break through to the European. Throughout the long process, he demonstrated enough application and progress to retain support from the Trust.

In an initiative which commenced in 2006, Golf Trust golfers have access to the GUI’s National Academy facilities at Carton House, including:

unlimited use of golf balls on the range use of short game area and reserved grass tee use of the indoor/outdoor training rooms which are equipped with the

most modern swing analysis video equipment (subject to availability) access to putting green use of the synthetic putting green

Golfers on the Scheme also have access to the sports science and medicine network already provided by the Irish Sports Council to high performance athletes on the Irish International Carding scheme. Access to these services is administered by the National Coaching and Training Centre in Limerick.

Effective from 2008, coaching support is also provided though Brendan McDaid, resident professional at Rathsallagh Golf Club in C. Wicklow. He has devised an elite

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development programme which includes an intensive group training week, tournament preparation, qualifying school preparation and individual tuition. McDaid also liaises with the players’ personal coaches to ensure full involvement in the programme, monitor and evaluate the players’ progress and provide technical input to the work of the Committee.

In 2008, the Trust provided funding to 22 players (16 men and 6 women) of Euro 227,500, in amounts ranging from Euro 4,000 to Euro 20,000. The total amount spent since its creation in 1999 has been in excess of Euro 2 million. At the beginning of 2009, Ireland has 11 players with full playing privileges on the European Tour, five of whom are in the top 100 of the World Ranking, and three (Padraig Harrington, Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell) in the top 50. The strong influence of successful mentoring in Ireland should not be underestimated. Talented golfing children have always had easy access to the country’s leading players who, without any need to publicize, have been ready and willing to put something back into the game.

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NETHERLANDS

Top 100 World Rankings:Professional men noneProfessional women noneAmateur men, R&A 4

GolfWeek Scratch Players 5

At 18.6.08154 courses (99 – 18 holes; 7 under construction)303,000 players191,000 male97,500 female10,000 junior boys4,500 junior girls

Performances & representation in major team events in past 10 years1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Eisenhower n/a 11th n/a 13th n/a 12th(tie) n/a WON n/a 7th(tie)Espirito Santo n/a 8th(tie) n/a 19th n/a 13th n/a 11th(tie) n/a 8th(tie)Euro Girls - - - 6th 10th 15th 16th 8th 2nd 3rd Euro Boys - - - 13th - 9th WON 5th 4th 11th World Boys DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP 8th DNP DNPSpirit Int. (men) n/a n/a 18th n/a 11th (tie) n/a 15th n/a 15th (tie)

n/aSpirit (women) n/a n/a 17th n/a 4th n/a 14th n/a 13th n/aEuro Women 4th n/a 11th n/a 11th n/a 10th n/a 13th 2nd Euro Men 10th n/a 12th n/a 5th n/a 10th n/a 10th

9th St. Andrews n/a none n/a none n/a none n/a one n/a twoVagliano - n/a one n/a one n/a none n/a none

n/aJacques Leglise - none - none one one two one one noneRyder Cup none n/a n/a none n/a none n/a none n/a noneSolheim Cup n/a none n/a one none n/a none n/a none n/aJ.C. Tailhade+ - - - - - - WON 2nd 7th WON

+ Held annually in Argentina involving c. 16 two-man teams from leading golf nations playing 72 holes of stroke play.

The governing authority for golf in The Netherlands, including elite golf development, is Nederlandse Golf Federatie (“NGF”). While the growth of the game in The Netherlands has been dramatic in the past 15 years, most of the game’s newcomers are adults. Attracting youngsters to a game that for years was perceived as highly elitist and the preserve of parents and grand-parents has been a challenge. The development of more accessible facilities, both golf courses and practice ranges, has helped to create a lower entry level age and by virtue of that new accessibility the NGF has been able to begin their elite development programme in the form of talent identification at about the age of ten. At any one time, there are about 300 children

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between the ages of 10 and 14 on the NGF’s radar and receiving some kind of entry level support and guidance at their local clubs.

From the age of about 14, players begin to be selected for the national squads. For boys, there are three teams (2009 numbers in brackets): Team B (22 players), Youth Team (9 players) and National Team (13 players). For girls, there are also three teams, but smaller: Team B (12), Youth Team (5) and National Team (7).

In support is a team of 15 people, five of whom are technical coaches, four physical coaches, three mental coaches, two senior advisers and a Player Development coach.

The budget for elite golf development is small and therefore the spend allocation is targeted and related to performance. While there is a list of tournaments to which Dutch team members will be sent each year in an official capacity, should a player with to enter an event not on the approved calendar, he or she can do so but cover the cost up front. Reimbursement is then available based upon performance, with, usually, full reimbursement for a top ten place in an event considered by the NGF elite performance coaches to be of some significance.

Besides victory in the European Boys Team Championship and the Juan Carlos Tailhade in 2005 and the extraordinary success in the 2006 Eisenhower Trophy in South Africa, when Joost Luiten was six under par for the last five holes enabling the Dutch team to grab victory from a distraught Canadian team (with Wil Besseling also taking individual honours), a Dutch golfer, Reinier Saxton won the 2008 (British) Amateur Championship at Turnberry, only the second Dutch golfer ever to do so (Rolf Muntz was the first in 1990).

Recognizing that investment in talent cannot simply cease when the elite golfer ends his or her amateur career, the NGF has allocated a small budget annually to help a select group of their best former amateurs through the early stage of their professional careers. Golf Team Holland currently supports five players, four men and one woman, and during its operation every one of the five players has achieved full playing privileges of their respective main tours, so that the men will play the 2009 season on the European Tour and the woman on the Ladies European Tour. Luiten, a member of Golf Team Holland, is an interesting story about the importance in professional sport of grabbing one chance with both hands. At the 2006 European Tour Q-School, he failed to get any kind of card. He started his professional career in 2007 on the EPD Tour based in Germany, where he finished second twice in four starts. Confidence high, he received an invitation to play in a Challenge Tour event where, with a 72nd hole birdie, he finished 10th, just good enough to give him a start the following week. At that event he placed third; he won the next event and eventually finished the season in sixth place on the Challenge Tour, thus securing a place on the 2008 European Tour. Injured half way through the season, he still placed 125th and has a medical extension for the first eleven events in which plays in 2009.

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SCOTLAND

Top 100 World Rankings:Professional men noneProfessional women 1Amateur men, R&A 2

GolfWeek Scratch Players 6

575 courses (432 - 18 holes)c. 255,000 players195,363 male; 31,818 female 24,941 junior male; 3,032 junior female

Performances & appearances in major team events in past 10 years1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Eisenhower n/a GBI (1) n/a 21st (tie) n/a 31st n/a 6th(tie) n/a WONEspirito Santo n/a GBI (0) n/a GBI (1) n/a GBI(1) n/a 19th n/a 11th(tie)Euro Girls - - - DNP DNP 14th 8th 6th 13th 17th Euro Boys - WON - 6th - 5th 6th 2nd 5th 12th World Boys 9th DNP 10th DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP 12th DNPSpirit Int. (men) n/a n/a DNP n/a 13th (tie) n/a 18th (tie) n/a 18th (tie)

n/aSpirit (women) n/a n/a DNP n/a 15th n/a 16th n/a 22nd n/aEuro Women 13th n/a 4th n/a 10th n/a 9th n/a 11th 7th Euro Men 9th n/a WON n/a 9th n/a 5th n/a 3rd

5th Walker Cup three n/a two n/a three n/a two n/a one n/aCurtis Cup n/a one n/a two n/a one n/a none n/a fourSt. Andrews n/a two n/a two n/a three n/a two n/a twoVagliano - n/a - n/a four n/a three n/a one

n/aJacques Leglise - three - none two three two two three oneRyder Cup three n/a n/a one n/a one n/a one n/a noneSolheim Cup n/a one n/a one three n/a one n/a one n/aJ.C. Tailhade+ - - - - 2nd 4th (tie) 10th DNP DNP 10th

+ Held annually in Argentina involving c. 16 two-man teams from leading golf nations playing 72 holes of stroke play.

In Scotland, the Scottish Golf Union (“SGU” – established 1920) administers the game for men and for boys and the Scottish Ladies Golf Association (“SLGA” – established 1904) takes care of the golfing affairs of women and girls. Discussions about amalgamation are ongoing. Meanwhile, in 2007, pursuant to a mission designed ‘To enable Players to fulfil their potential and make Scotland a World Power in golf, the SGU, the SLGA and The Professional Golfers’ Association in partnership with sportscotland, collaborated to produce Pathways, the Performance and Coaching Plan within the broader and more far-reaching ‘One Plan for Golf’ in Scotland. Also committing to Pathways as stakeholders, which includes delivery on certain aspects and commitment of resources, are the Scottish Institute of Sport, the Area Institutes of Sport and Scottish University Sport.

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Historically, elite golfers in Scotland materialized onto the national stage, not because of any grand design or state of the art practice facilities but through the general accessibility and affordability of the game at club level for junior players, a few pro-active volunteer county conveners, obliging parents, peer pressure and competition, long summer nights and because (in the case of the males) they weren’t good enough to be signed to an ‘S’ form by one of the leading football clubs by the age of 16.

Despite that haphazard situation, Scotland managed to produce countless top class amateur players and several fairly competent professionals, good enough certainly to hold their own in major amateur and professional championships and other international competition, make Walker Cup, Curtis Cup, Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup teams and, in the singular case of Paul Lawrie, win a Major Championship.

But the era of Tiger Woods had already arrived. Other countries were beginning to make significant progress in the area of elite development, which had a structure and were nationally instigated and managed. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the SGU had tried and failed to operate a national training centre at Drumoig. The idea was commendable, but execution was poor. A new era dawned, however, when the SGU was restructured into a corporate model in 2002 and a more professional approach to its operations introduced that ultimately resulted in a far healthier financial position with the resources, capability and visionto establish a proper elite golf development system. The end product, after much deliberation amongst the various stakeholders in Scottish Golf, is Pathways and it is the plan contained in that document that is now being executed.

There are four main aims of Pathways:1. To create a culture of success in Scottish Golf;2. To provide excellent preparation for teams and individuals competing for Scotland;3. To establish high quality structures and programmes which link clearly and

effectively (including programmes designed to develop players as individuals); and

4. To maximize the resources available by working in partnership and delivering results.

As it does everywhere else in the world, Pathways includes talent identification. However, where Scotland differs from most is the operation of the ClubGolf scheme at the entry level. This initiative now ensures, through collaboration with schools and golf clubs throughout Scotland, that every child in the country will be introduced to the game by the age of nine (if their parents have not already done so) and have an opportunity to follow up at their nearest golf club. The follow-up rate is not yet known, but it is hoped that the participation and talent base will expand as a consequence and give more choice to national coaches at the talent identification stage which occurs at age 13 or 14.

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Once selected for coaching under the national scheme, players are divided into six geographic areas for ongoing coaching with an approved high performance coach and, when appropriate, given access to support services such as practice facilities, fitness facilities, mental conditioning and physiotherapy. That structure essentially operates until such time as the player progresses to the stage of admission to one of the national squads, which, in 2009, (for males) comprise the U/18A squad – 8 players, U/18B squad – 8 players, Development squad – 10 players and the Elite squad – 17 players. The SLGA follow a similar course of action though the number of players in their 2009 squads has not yet been published.

In order to deliver Pathways a full-time High Performance Manager has been appointed, with a primary function to plan development of all Performance and coaching related initiatives. He is also required to communicate with all interested parties. In addition, the PGA, too often left in the dark yet a very important spoke in the Pathways implementation wheel, have appointed a strategic head of golf development for Scotland with a general remit to work closely with all relevant parties, not only with regard to elite golf development but the growth of golf generally in Scotland.

Alongside Pathways, Stirling University, alone amongst the Scottish universities offering some form of golf scholarship, is already recognized as offering a world class golf scholarship programme for its students. Besides a high quality education and state of the art support services, each student who earns a golf scholarship is entitled to three weeks of overseas training camps and competition each winter. Its system produced an Amateur Championship winner (Gordon Sherry in 1995) and U.S. Amateur Champion (Richie Ramsay in 2006). Catriona Matthew and Lynn Kenny were also golf scholarship beneficiaries at Stirling. Currently, there are 12 males and four females matriculated, but, as yet, no formal tie into the SGU’s elite golf development programme under Pathways. Stirling University tries to coordinate student competitions in line with SGU competitive programmes to avoid clashes. However, there is still some way to go with regard to collaboration on identifying players, utilizing resources and supporting players in a coordinated way. Somewhat surprisingly, St. Andrews University has not elevated its golf scholarship scheme much beyond basic funding through a grant from The R&A, and certainly not leveraged the cache of the St. Andrews name to attract world class talent. In recent years, The R&A, through its general university Bursary Scheme, has also made funding available for qualifying golf scholarship students at all Scottish universities, primarily to try to give some of the best Scottish amateurs additional support and the option of staying and studying in Scotland.

As yet, there is no transitional support for elite amateur players making the move into the professional game. When or should funding permit, it is planned to extend Pathways to include support for a group of rookie professionals in transition much along the lines of that already operating in The Netherlands and about to begin in Australia. A private enterprise in Scotland called ‘Fusion’, backed by Iain Stoddard of Bounce Management and Dougie Donnelly, Golf Channel commentator and former

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Chairman of Scottish Institute of Sport, has tried (so far unsuccessfully) to put together a fund to help young professionals in transition.

Amongst several other stated aims, Pathways hopes to have a minimum of two players in each of the 2011 European Solheim Cup and 2012 Ryder Cup teams, and certainly, at least two players in the 2014 Ryder Cup team when the contest is staged at Gleneagles in Scotland. If Catriona Matthew returns fit, healthy and hungry for more success after the birth of her second child in May of 2009, Scotland may have one representative in the 2011 Solheim Cup team. Otherwise, it is unlikely in the absence of Janice Moodie resurrecting her career or Vikki Laing and Lynn Kenny suddenly dominating the LET in 2010. On the men’s side, given the need to be in the top 50 of the World Ranking to gain entry to the Major Championships and other significant world ranking events, the chance of any Scot being in a position to make the European Ryder Cup team in any of the next three contests (2010, 2012 and 2014) is remote. The simple reason is methods of selection. The European Ryder Cup team is picked by reference to both the World Ranking and the European Tour Money List. The five places open to those who make it based on the World Ranking require them to be in the top 50, at least. The next five, taken from the Money List, will probably all be placed in the top fifteen at the time of selection. As all Majors and the three (soon, probably, four should the HSBC Champions Tournament be added as expected) World Golf Championship events are included in the European Tour Money List, and those are the highest paying events, not to play in them immediately sets those excluded at a severe disadvantage. The Pathways target on World Ranking is to have only three players in the World top 100. This appears to be a questionable strategy if seeking a minimum of two in the Ryder Cup team at the same time; unless, of course, Scots are captain’s picks at the relevant time. No doubt, Colin Montgomerie would love to see Scots play in his Ryder Cup next year, but he is too committed to winning to be influenced by emotion. Should any Scots be in contention, they will need to be close to the top 50 of the World Ranking or, at the very least, have won a significant event or two close to the time of selection. An interesting observation by 19 year-old Rory McIlroy, who took less than 15 months to break into the World Ranking top 50, may put the Ryder Cup goal into context. “I view the Ryder Cup as a bonus for playing well throughout the year”, said the youngster after his first round 64 in the Dubai Desert Classic at the end of January 2009. It’s not a goal. It’s not really a target, but if you play well enough, you’re going to get on the team.”

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SWEDEN

Top 100 World Rankings:Professional men 7Professional women 7Amateur men, R&A 5

GolfWeek Scratch Players 2

462 courses (282 – 18 holes)532,944 players314,718 male145,278 female55,484 junior male17,464 junior girls

Swedish performances & representation in major team events between 1990 and 2008 (during and after the Pia Nilsson years)

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998Eisenhower WON n/a 5th n/a 3rd n/a 2nd n/a 6th Espirito Santo 9th n/a 5th n/a 3rd n/a 6th(tie) n/a 9th Euro Girls n/a 2nd n/a 5th n/a WON n/a 5th

n/aEuro Boys 5th WON 3rd WON 2nd 2nd 2nd 3rd

10th World Boys n/a n/a 2nd 2nd 4th 2nd 7th 5th 9th Euro Women n/a 2nd n/a 4th n/a 7th n/a WON n/aEuro Men n/a 13th n/a 4th n/a 3rd n/a 4th

n/aRyder Cup n/a none n/a one n/a one n/a two n/aSolheim Cup two n/a three n/a four n/a four n/a six

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008Eisenhower n/a 4th n/a 11th(tie) n/a 3rd n/a 12th(tie) n/a 3rd Espirito Santo n/a 4th n/a 8th (tie) n/a WON n/a 2nd n/a WONEuro Girls 8th WON 2nd 2nd 2nd WON 2nd 5th WON WONEuro Boys 4th 7th WON 2nd 3rd 8th 3rd 3rd 7th WONWorld Boys DNP DNP DNP 2nd 11th DNP DNP 2nd WON 2nd Spirit Int. (men) n/a n/a DNP n/a 8th (tie) n/a DNP n/a 17th

n/aSpirit (women) n/a n/a DNP n/a 17th n/a DNP n/a 15th (tie) n/aEuro Women 5th n/a WON n/a 2nd n/a 4th n/a 2nd WONEuro Men 13th n/a 8th n/a 3rd n/a 13th n/a 7th

7th St. Andrews n/a none n/a one n/a none n/a none n/a twoVagliano - n/a - n/a none n/a one n/a three

n/aJacques Leglise - two - two none none two two none oneRyder Cup two n/a n/a two n/a none n/a two n/a twoSolheim Cup n/a six n/a five three n/a four n/a four n/a

Also of note in 2008, Robert Karlsson won the European Tour Money List (first Swede to do so) and he and Henrik Stenson both ended the year in the World Ranking top 10 as did Annika Sorenstam (now retired) and Helen Alfredsson in the Women’s World Ranking.

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All amateur golf in Sweden is administered by the Swedish Golf Federation (“SGF”). Golf is one of 68 sports under the government’s sports’ authority banner. In recent years, the country’s golf population has been reducing. As most of the SGF’s funding is derived from golf club members, each of whom pays an annual levy in addition to a subscription, there has been less money available for elite golf development. The government contributes a modest amount only to elite golf development (this may change if golf is admitted to the Olympics). Consequently, the SGF no longer provides any support for players in transition from elite amateur to the professional game, except for coaches attending a limited number of professional tour events in order to keep in touch with the Swedish players.

After ‘transitional’ funding support by the SGF was stopped in 2001, there was a later attempt in 2005 to introduce a scaled down support scheme. Called ‘Futures Team’, five ‘rookie’ professionals were supported over a period of two years. That ceased at the beginning of 2007. From 1997, the PGA of Sweden, through its ‘PGA Future Fund’ has provided financial support in the transitional period for anywhere from three to six players. Past recipients of this award include Henrik Stenson and Carl Pettersson in 2001, an important break-through year for both. Three have been named for 2009 (Kr75,000/£6,300 each), including Anna Nordqvist, arguably the finest product of the Swedish elite development system since Annika Sorenstam. There is also a private sector initiative called ‘Hello Sweden Team’ that currently includes 13 players (11 male and two female). Rather than a transitional support scheme, it is designed for corporate Sweden to align with certain players under a group name and to have access to the players for promotional activities and customer entertainment. That said, three of the current group are still in the transitional phase and for them the financial support is significant. There is no synergy, but perhaps should be, between Hello Sweden, PGA of Sweden and the SGF.

For the time being, the SGF’s elite golf development system is focused exclusively on the amateur game, and in particular:

1. Entry level – There are 21 districts in the ‘Golf Sweden’ set-up, and in every one junior golf development is strongly encouraged, initially through the volunteer coach system followed by modestly priced access to club professionals. There is a history of excellent communication between the SGF and the PGA of Sweden, particularly at elite level, and the current elite development administrators (all of whom are members of the PGA of Sweden) work hard to maintain that trust. Moreover, it is inexpensive to play golf in Sweden as a child, so course access happens early and often. The SGF elite development staff (of about five people) works closely with club professionals and club volunteers to make sure, as far as possible, that any talented child has the opportunity to fulfil their potential. The usual age for entry, after screening, into the elite development system is 14, though the door is always open to early or late developers.

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2. Preparing for competitive golf – Once identified, the child becomes part of a programme that endeavours to give individual responsibility to the player as early as possible. There is no ongoing national squad, as such, because every player at every level is encouraged to be based at home and build a local support system, rather than rely upon national resources. The Skandia Junior Tour, similar to the American Junior Golf Association, provides a well-organized and national competition schedule for progression as an elite player. There are seven events at each level: district, regional, national and elite, with a transparent ranking system operating alongside to ensure that the most successful can make swift progress through the levels. The ranking lists are updated every Monday following a tournament. Results count, handicapping is irrelevant. From 2010, the SGF, recognizing possible problems with access for some talented children, are promoting ‘team entry’ from clubs into the Skandia Tour events, whereby volunteers will transport groups of children. Not only is this seen as necessary to help on costs, it is also viewed as good for morale. The SGF elite staff has a goal – to involve as many children as possible for as long as possible playing as well they possibly can.

3. National level – While there are two national training venues, at which children can be part of a more specialized school/golf environment, it is by no means the only way to make progress as a player in Sweden in the view of the SGF, nor does attendance at the newly created university level golf program. Indeed, the SGF strongly encourages their best young players to consider university/college in the United States, not least for the opportunity to perfect their English, and work closely with them to make sure that the establishment ‘fits the person’. The SGF also understands how difficult it can be to adjust to the U.S. college system and the SGF accommodates this in terms of ongoing support and counseling either directly or through their well-established U.S. network. When a player reaches the stage of possible national selection, camps are held at different locations throughout Sweden and in Spain (during winter months) final selection is based on performance at the camps together with all other available data and knowledge. Players participating under the Swedish flag in any event anywhere in the world will be fully funded. There is a mentoring system, when the SGF makes it possible for young players to meet and spend quality time with tour players at the national camps, though much of the communication channel in this regard is left to individual coaches, some of whom have very close connections to current tour players. The SGF’s head coach attends European Tour and Ladies European Tour events regularly, with all of his costs being met by the SGF. This allows the SGF to remain in close contact with the current leading professionals and those starting out even though they are not in a position to invest in the young professionals.

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The Swedish elite golf development system is admired the world over and certainly it has produced extraordinary success over a long period of time. Since 1990, Sweden has won every major international team event, at least once, with the only notable exception being the men’s European Amateur Team Championship. More than 35 Swedish professionals hold full playing privileges on the main tours for men and women and several of those are ranked in the top 100 of the World Rankings, including two in the top ten. However, and this is an interesting lacuna, no Swedish male golfer has ever won a Major Championship and in the women’s game only Annika Sorenstam has won a Major Championship in the last 15 years. Clearly, the SGF has been extremely successful preparing their most talented young golfers for a career in golf and to be able to compete at the highest level, but none, with the exception of Annika, has emerged as a winner of championships. There is another very good crop of talent coming into the professional game, and, perhaps, one or more of them will possess the ‘x-factor’ that will allow them to go all the way.

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United States of America

Top 100 World Rankings:Professional men 31Professional women 23Amateur men, R&A 48

GolfWeek Scratch Players 46

Courses: 15,970 (11,555 open to the public)Players: c. 29 million (aged six and upwards, of which about 20% are under 18)

Numbers as at 31 December 2007 and sourced from National Golf Foundation

Performances in major team events in past 10 years1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Eisenhower n/a WON n/a WON n/a WON n/a 3rd n/a 2nd Espirito Santo n/a 17th n/a 5th n/a 2nd (tie) n/a 9th n/a 3rd World Boys 2nd WON 3rd 4th 4th WON WON 5th 7th (tie) 5th Spirit Int. (men) n/a n/a 2nd (tie) n/a WON n/a 4th (tie) n/a 2nd (tie)

n/aSpirit (women) n/a n/a 4th n/a WON n/a 4th n/a 2nd (tie) n/aWalker Cup LOST n/a LOST n/a LOST n/a WON n/a WON n/aCurtis Cup n/a WON n/a WON n/a WON n/a WON n/a WONRyder Cup WON n/a n/a LOST n/a LOST n/a LOST n/a WONSolheim Cup n/a LOST n/a WON LOST n/a WON n/a WON n/a

The governing body for golf in the United States is The United States Golf Association (“The USGA”). Besides responsibility for administering The Rules of Golf and The USGA Handicap System, operating The Green Committee (research and guidance about golf course maintenance), preserving the history of the game through the Library and Museum Committee, conducting research into technology through the Test & Research Center, team selection for international team events (including The Walker Cup, The Curtis Cup and The World Amateur Team Championships for the Eisenhower and Espirito Santo trophies), The USGA also conducts 13 annual national championships, including The U.S. Open, The U.S. Women’s Open, The U.S. Amateur, The U.S. Women’s Amateur, The U.S. Junior Amateur and The U.S. Girls’ Amateur. Apart from running national championships, the USGA does not assume any responsibility for or involve itself in elite golf development.

While the national governing body may not be directly responsible for elite golf development in the United States, there is no shortage of world class resources able to fill the void and which, properly researched and managed, present a pathway from entry level to the professional tours.

Tiger Woods was the product of excellent parenting, first and foremost. He and his parents also took full advantage of the playing, coaching and training opportunities that presented themselves. There was no master-plan, as such, but Earl Woods,

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Tiger’s father, knew early in the process that he had responsibility for someone special and he viewed his primary role as laying solid and constructive foundations that would allow the champion in the making to fulfill his immense potential. Tiger’s extraordinary self-belief, desire, commitment and talent took care of the rest. However, primarily as a consequence of the speed with which Tiger transited from elite amateur to Masters Champion and beyond, a school of thought evolved that early specialization in the game and utilization of support structures was not only desirable but essential. Historically, good teaching professionals had fulfilled the role of technical, psychological and physical guru to leading players; these duties were now split, and with ‘parents from hell’ leaving no stone unturned to ensure their child would be the next Tiger Woods or Pak Se Ri (the Korean catalyst for the Asian explosion in the women’s game) several other aspects (not all good) of preparing a child for championship golf took root.

Today, the pathway for a talented golfing child in the United States might follow these steps and engage the following resources and/or involve participation in these competitive arenas:

1. Aged 7 to 10, entry level First Tee/parents/clubs/PGA of America2. Aged 7 to 14, early competition & coaching US Kids’ Golf/PGA of America3. Aged 12 to 18, serious competition & intensive coaching AJGA/Leadbetter/Gilchrist/ Haney/Harmon4. Aged 18 to 22, college golf NCAA5. Aged 18 and beyond, professional tours Leadbetter/Pia Nilsson/Harmon/Dr. Bob Rotella

According to Golf Digest, there are approximately 250,000 golfers at competition level in American high schools. About 15,000 (half of whom do so on some form of scholarship) of these will go on to play college golf at the more than 750 tertiary education establishments that offer men’s golf programs and 500 that offer women’s golf programs. No more than 1% of these will ever play on the PGA Tour or the LPGA Tour.

If the route to the professional game is so difficult, it is perhaps understandable, once the decision has been taken (and here David Leadbetter is quite clear that while parents often want to live their dream through the child, the process and goals must be the child’s dream, no-one else’s) to go down that path for every possible and affordable potential facilitator to be explored. But the cost can be prohibitive. More often than not in the U.S., the investment made in the child’s progression as a competitive athlete is focused on earning a college scholarship. However, when the preparatory investment nowadays to get the child to the competitive level required to attract a college scholarship at the ‘right’ school far exceeds the value of the scholarship itself, there is a growing minority who take the view that a more balanced and less specialized rearing process may make more sense and should the child suddenly blossom at the right time, perform well in important competitions and catch the eye of a college recruiter, the scholarship may yet be possible.

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Indeed, when recruiters at leading colleges take into account far more than simply golf statistics, the well balanced, mature and individualistic child with personal ambition is likely to be preferred to the ‘range rat’ with parental and psychological baggage who is unable to function as an individual and will, in any event, use the NCAA system for a year or two at most before rushing to fulfill their parents’ dream on a professional golf tour. This outcome can have adverse consequences for the relevant college in so far as the NCAA is empowered to apply a penalty of reduction in that college’s future scholarship numbers.

All that said, the availability of world class resources, albeit at a price, in the United States is second to none; it is hard to fault all-year round golf on great golf courses with the best practice and training facilities combined with well-organized competition at the highest standard. There may be Golf Digest ranked coaches on a personal aggrandizement mission or eager to put their name and reputation on the next absurd infomercial technique or device, that may or may not be in the best interests of their pupils or golfers generally, but the ‘can do’ attitude they enthuse in such a positive way and pass on is an invaluable component in the American golfing product who usually emerges as confident and capable. The David Leadbetter Golf Academy in Bradenton, Florida does not try to hide the fact that it is primarily a commercial operation designed to maximize profit for its owners, IMG. Most of the 200 pupils pay the full fees. That there is a potentially constructive by-product for the right child, personally driven to succeed and presented with all of the tools necessary to accelerate the process, to be given a scholarship to attend, does more than enough to maintain Leadbetter’s reputation at the development stage; it also ensures a steady stream of full-paying mediocrity to keep the dream of these few alive.

Elite golf development in the United States is too fragmented for any particular route to be described as a ‘system’. Admittedly, finding a good coach early in the process is probably easier to do there than anywhere else. Moreover, the level of competition at junior level is world class and well organized. The AJGA national tournament network provides a very useful reference point for an ambitious player to measure their progress at any particular age. No doubt, it has also become, after 30 years of continuous operation and a membership of over 5,000 at any one time, the preferred forum for college coaches to recruit. This is a point picked up by parents of talented children around the world. The field of 156 (78 boys and 78 girls) at the Polo Junior Golf Classic in Florida in November 2008 contained children from 15 different countries.

Given all of the available resources and early specialization in golf, there is growing concern about the following matters, all of which are magnified in the fiercely competitive environment that prevails in the United States:

1. Managing expectations – when everything is given too early, there is an almost certain clash between rights and privileges;

2. Individuality – the professional game is a self-employed business, and anyone aspiring to play on tour must learn to stand on their own two feet and have a

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personally understood plan that has built in contingencies and flexibility. Emerging unprepared from a fully supported system can have serious and long-term consequences. Of the 2008 college graduates trying to reach either the 2009 PGA Tour or LPGA Tour through Q-School, only Webb Simpson, Derek Fathauer and Stacy Lewis made it.

3. Playing ability – with modern technology, thousands of children are learning how to hit the golf ball better and more consistently than ever before at an earlier age, but many emerge from the range cocoon and really don’t know how to play golf which can only be learned and discovered by actually playing the game on real golf courses.

4. Coaches – many coaches never see their players play the game on a golf course, such is their time commitment pursuing business interests and teaching other players.

5. Fun – elite golf development has become such big business and the pressures imposed so early on in the process that most players have little or no perspective about enjoying the game. When golf isn’t fun, it’s a job, and like any job it will be depressing from time to time. Unlike a normal job, however, when the salary will keep coming in each month, regardless of emotional outlook, golf doesn’t pay when the player is not performing. That simply exacerbates the problem. If there is one thing that Tiger Woods and Annika Sorenstam have been at pains to stress to anyone willing to listen it is that for them ‘golf is fun, always has been and always will be.’

There are now 12 Americans in the World Ranking top 50, dropped from 31 in 1986. No American woman has won the LPGA Tour money list since 1993. Cause for concern, perhaps, that whatever is happening in elite golf development for Americans in the United States is not succeeding. On the other hand, the American hand of welcome has enabled anyone anywhere with the resources, knowledge, drive and commitment to exploit their abundance of high quality expertise, top class facilities and competition. The barriers can’t be erected now.

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APPENDIX II

Scottish Professionals on Main Tours in 2009

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The 40 Scots on the major golf tours @ January 2009 - FULL PLAYING PRIVILEGES unless noted

PGA Tour (1) European (13) Nationwide Challenge (13) Asian (3) Canadian LPGA (3) LET (7) Futures

Martin Laird (26) Paul Lawrie (40) None Andrew Macarthur(29)

Simon Yates (38) None

Catriona Matthew (39)** Catriona Matthew (39) Vikki Laing (27)

Colin Montgomerie(45) Greg Hutcheon(35) Janice Moodie (35) Janice Moodie (35)Stephen Gallacher(34) Mhairi McKay (33)** Lynn Kenny (28)

Gary Orr(41) Lloyd Saltman(23)** Ross Bain(33)** Clare Queen(25)

Alastair Forsyth(32) Craig Lee(31)**Simon Dunn(30)** Michele Thomson (20)

Marc Warren (26) Peter Whiteford** Pamela Feggans (26)

Richie Ramsay(25) Graham Gordon(28)** Krystle Caithness(20)

Steven O'Hara(28) Andrew Oldcorn(47)** Vikki Laing (27)

Scott Drummond(34)* George Murray (25)**

Andrew Coltart(38) Scott Jamieson (25)** Jenna Wilson(24)**

David Drysdale(33)Raymond Russell (35)**

Chris Doak(31) Eric Ramsay(29)**

Callum Macaulay(25) Alan McLean(38)**

Euan Little(32)**

Bold type indicates participation in a Major Championship in the past five years**Limited schedule; Mahri McKay taking most of year off for birth of child. Catriona Matthew's second child due in May, which will also impact her 2009 playing schedule. McLean & Drysdale both also full privilege members of The Sunshine Tour.

* last year of 5 year exemption by virtue of winning 2004 PGA Championship

Note: There are also 13 Scots playing the EuroPro Tour. Other full-time tournament professionals are Jamie McLeary, David Patrick, Raymond Russell and Scott Henderson

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APPENDIX III

Aims & Performance Targets of Pathways

A. The four main Aims of Pathways (as stated therein and now reproduced fully) are

1. To create a culture of success in Scottish Golf2. To provide excellent preparation for teams and individuals competing for

Scotland3. To establish high quality structures and programmes which link clearly and

effectively4. To maximize the resources available by working in partnership and

delivering results.

1. To create a culture of success in Scottish Golf* To promote Scottish winners as role models* To reward success with continued support

2. To provide excellent preparation for teams and individuals competing for Scotland

* To plan a schedule for each season and for each player including training & competition

* To identify priorities clearly within each schedule* To identify, recruit, retain and develop the best possible coaches* To establish a programme of ongoing development for coaches involved* To identify new coaches working or aspiring to work at performance level* To align the player pathway and the competitive golf programme in

Scotland offering appropriate competition at all stages

3. To establish high quality structures and programmes which link clearly and effectively

* To develop the player pathways further to produce an ongoing supply of talent

* To design selection processes, at each stage, which are clear, open and fair

* To provide world class coaching programmes delivered by world class coaches who lead the programmes

* To integrate fully all relevant support services into programmes* To develop and publicise a comprehensive talent identification system* To design all prgrammes to develop players as individuals

4. To maximize the resources available by working in partnership and delivering results

* To engage stakeholders through regular dialogue* To monitor and evaluate programmes and ensure feedback is used to

enhance programmes

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B. Performance Targets

The performance targets developed to support the four main aims of Pathways are as follows:

Event/Work Area Target by 30 September 2012

Ryder Cup Minimum of two players in 2012 European TeamSolheim Cup Minimum of two players in 2011 European TeamWorld Amateur Golf Ranking (R&A) 20 players in top 200, 10 in top 100, 5 in top 50World Amateur Golf Ranking (Women) 10 players in top 100, 5 in top 50Official World Golf Ranking 3 in world top 100, 7 in European top 100Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking 3in world top 100, 7 in European top 100Walker Cup (Men GB&I) minimum of two players in 2009 & 2011 teamsSt. Andrews Trophy (Men GB&I) minimum of two players in 2010 & 2012 teamsCurtis Cup (Women GB&I) minimum of two players in 2010 & 2012 teamsVagliano Trophy (Women GB&I) minimum of two players in 2009 & 2011 teamsCommonwealth Tournament (Women GB&I) minimum of one player in each teamEisenhower Trophy win by 2012+, at least top ten in 2010 & 2012Espirito Santo Trophy win by 2012, at least top ten in 2010 & 2012European Men’s Team Championship win by 2012, at least top flight place each yearEuropean Ladies Team Championship win by 2012, at least top flight place each yearHome Internationals (Men & Women) four wins out of ten over five yearsCoaching Have identified and filled the gap between

coaches required and in place to create a world class coaching system internationally recognized.

Coaching Have a comprehensive and individual programme of development in place for all coaches to reach their full potential and work at the highest levels.

Coaching Have Scottish coaches recognized worldwide as leaders in the fields of innovation and development.

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*to be confirmed once these rankings are operational+won in 2008

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Appendix IV

Gordon G. Simmonds C.V.

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Gordon G. Simmonds, LLB DLP

OverviewI am a Scots and English lawyer by qualification and early professional

experience, which included over five years with Clifford Chance in London. Since 1995, and relocation with my wife to Asia, I have pursued a number of activities as a self-employed entrepreneur. Until mid-2007, most of these activities were sports marketing focused, including golf. I possess in-depth knowledge and understanding of amateur and professional golf world-wide, both historic and current. Since July 2007, I have also carried on business as a partner level head-hunter in the international legal market.

Work Experience

* Entrepreneur, Asia 1995 to dateFounder and managing director of GGS International, a legal search & recruitment business focused on partner level hires in and into Asia (from 2007) and provider of golf consultancy services Recognized expert and consultant (clients include The R&A, IMG, Credit

Suisse, LoneStar (Pacific Golf Management – owner of more than 100 golf facilities in Japan), Heineken, ABN-AMRO Bank, Nestle, HSBC) on the business of golfKeynote speaker on golf in Asia-Pacific at the 2005 World Golf Conference in St. Andrews organized by The R&ACommissioned report to General Committee of The R&A re golf in Asia-Pacific, 2003Writer and publisher of The Amateur Golfer (quarterly newsletter on world amateur

golf)

Published writer on golf history, Rules, championships and players in various publications in Asia, Europe and U.S.A. of over one million wordsAuthor and publisher of “A History of Scottish Universities Golfing Society, 1906 to 2006”; 65,000 words; limited edition of 250 copies Author of The Walker Cup, Golf’s Finest Contest (two editions; second edition commissioned by The R&A and The USGA) Creator, owner and editor of www.walkercuphistory.com Creator, writer and executive producer of a 13-programme television series – ALL A-Round Golf; broadcast in over twenty countries, including China, Japan, Korea, Sweden and France (www.thegolfdvd.com)Founder (1998) and operator (until 2001) of The Hanoi Golf Club (non-course owning club for senior government officials in Vietnam that began from ‘standing start’ (none had ever played golf) with a training academy); still operating and thriving with over 150 members and celebrated its 10th

anniversary in May 2008.

* Group Legal Counsel, U.K. 1993 to 1995- TJH Group (Trevor Hemmings’ private group of companies)

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* Corporate finance lawyer, U.K. 1988 to 1993- Clifford Chance , London

Qualifications- Admitted as Solicitor in the Supreme Court of England & Wales, 1991- Admitted as Solicitor in Scotland, 1985- Current Member of the Law Society of England (non-practicing)

International residential and business experience- September 1983 to December 1987 – Edinburgh, UK- January 1988 to January 1995 – London, U.K. - January 1995 to June 1998 – Hanoi, Vietnam - August 1998 to June 2003 – Singapore - August 2003 to June 2005 – Tokyo, Japan - August 2005 to December 2008 - Manila, The Philippines & Singapore- January 2009 to date – Dubai, UAE

Early career/education1985 to 1987 (December) Corporate lawyer, Dorman Jeffrey & Co., Edinburgh1983 to 1985 Legal Traineeship, Balfour & Manson, SSC, Edinburgh1979 to 1983 LLB (Law), 1982 – University of Aberdeen

DLP (post graduate law), 1983 – University of Aberdeen

Interests/achievementsTravel; reading social, economic, sport & business history; family.Sport generally; played competitively at county/regional/national level through school and/or university at golf, rugby, football, squash, badminton, swimming, track & field and cricket.Vice-President of Aberdeen University Sports Union (1982-1983); member of the University “Field Committee”, governing body for sport at Aberdeen (including all financial planning).

Golf specific‘Category One’ handicap golfer continuously from 1976 to 2008 – lowest 1, current 5 (exact 4.6);Fife Schools Individual Champion, 1978 (twice) and 1979;Member of Fife Boys, Youths and Senior Teams, 1977 to 1984;Member of Aberdeen University (five-man) Team - British Universities Champions (1981, 1982 & 1983), runners-up, 1980 and (ten-man Team) Scottish Universities Champions (1983);“Full Blue”, University of Aberdeen (Golf – 1983); Captain of The Scottish Universities Golf Team (vs English Universities at Prestwick in 1983);Member of Gullane GC Team, 1983 to 1987 (E. Lothian Winter League & County Cup);Semi-final, Evening Times Scottish Foursomes’ Championship, 1984; Club Champion, Woking GC, 1992 and member of Woking GC Team, 1989 to 1995;Member of Woking GC Committee, 1993 to 1995;Organizer of team match tours to the United States on five occasions, 1992 to 2008;Hon Secretary, Scottish Universities Golf Club (undergraduates), 1983 to 1985; Hon Sec., Scottish Universities Golfing Society, 1985 to 1987 (played over 100 matches, 1982 to 2007);Scored 80% (threshold for refereeing in The Open) in The R&A’s Rules of Golf Exam, 2005.

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Member of The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews (elected, 1998), Royal County Down GC (1994), Woking GC (1989), Gullane GC (1982), Crieff GC (2005), London Solicitors GS (1988), Scottish Universities GS (1982), Scottish & Queens Universities GS (1994 – founder and tour organiser in 1996, 2000, 2004 & 2008) and Founding Member of The Dinner Match Society (Boston, 2001). Past member of Loch Lomond GC, Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society, Royal Aberdeen GC (student member) & Dunfermline GC (junior).

Appendix V

Budget

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The estimated total annual budget (including an element of contingency) for proper execution of the ‘No Limits’ scheme is c.£350,000, on the assumption there will be six participants at any one time. The budget will be used to fund the following:Player allocation,

TravelAccommodationSubsistenceCoachesFacilities’ access costs (includes playing opportunities)Competition entriesExperience enhancement initiativesEquipmentMentor expenses

Winning Scotland Foundation Programme Administration

Project manager Salary & expenses

Assistant Salary & expenses

Any agreed competition and travel schedule should not prevent a player competing in other ‘high quality’ events which appears to make sense in the overall development strategy and where they pay their own way upfront. As an incentive, in such cases, the player might be reimbursed, say, 50% of entry, travel and accommodation for a top 20 finish, 75% for top 10 and complete reimbursement for winning. No expenses should be incurred unless part of pre-agreed plan.

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Appendix VI

Sources

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This report is based primarily on the Author’s extensive independent research, experience in knowledge of the game of golf and interviews with people involved in elite golf development on varying levels; as parents, current players, former champions, industry executives, coaches, commentators and administrators (see below). The interviews were conducted (at the Author’s suggestion) on a not-for-attribution basis – that is, I could use the information provided but without quoting directly or identifying the source. In addition, there were numerous conversations with other unidentified people though on a less formal basis.

Jim Ahern Acushnet Company, USANick Arnold Acushnet Company, AustraliaPierre Bechmann past member of Rules, Championship & General Committees, The R&AJames Bunch former U.S. golf scholarship holderStephen Burnett Assistant Director of Coaching, English Golf Union Chris Cannon full-time elite amateur player and former Wake Forest golf scholarship

holder

David Cannon the world’s leading golf photographer and father of Chris Amy Carriere mother of Mario Clemens, golf scholarship holder to UCLATerry Casey father of Paul Casey, leading professional playerKevin Collins golf coach at David Leadbetter Golf AcademyScott Cope Acushnet Company, AustraliaColin Dalgleish former Walker Cup player and current Walker Cup captain Peter Dawson Chief Executive, The R&A Group of CompaniesKitrina Douglas PhD in Philosophy & former Ladies European Tour player David Garland senior executive, European TourMartin Gilbert founder and CEO of Aberdeen Asset ManagementTomaz Gornik father of Tim Gornik, Slovenia Amateur champion and student at Gary Gilchrist

Golf Academy (formerly at Hank Haney’s International Junior Golf Academy)

Hamish Grey CEO, Scottish Golf UnionAdam Hunter High Performance Coach, Scottish Golf Union & short game

coach to -Paul Lawrie 1999 Open Champion and member of The European Tour

Kathryn Imrie (nee Marshall); former Curtis Cup player and member of LPGA Tour 1994 to 2007

Patrik Jonsson high performance coach, Swedish Golf FederationMarty Joyce Director, Victoria Institute of Sport Golf Program & State Head CoachNeil Kilgour Performance Manager, Scottish Golf UnionErik de Kinderen Head coach, Dutch Golf Federation Gillian Kirkwood former Chairman, LGUPeter Knight Director of Australian Institute of Sport Golf ProgramDavid Leadbetter founder of David Leadbetter Golf AcademyPetra Lindstrom high performance coach & administrator, Swedish Golf Federation

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Peter Linstrop high performance coach & administrator, Swedish Golf Federation Vikki Laing former Curtis Cup player, member of Duramed Futures Tour

(2007&2008), Ladies European Tour 2009Shona Malcolm Chairman, Scottish Ladies Golf AssociationCatriona Matthew former Curtis Cup player, Solheim Cup player and member of

LPGA Tour since 1995Mark McCumber former PGA Tour player and father of Tyler McCumber, U.S.

college ‘freshman’ on golf scholarship, September 2009Denis McDade former Director, Victoria Institute of Sport Golf Program (2001 to 2007)Peter McEvoy Chairman, R&A Boys Selection Committee and former Walker

Cup player, captain and selectorBreeda McGuire mother of 14 year-old twins Leona (Irish Women’s champion,

2008) and Lisa (Irish Girls champion, 2008)Gerry McIlroy father of Rory McIlroy, European Tour memberMaureen McKenna mother of Fraser McKenna, runner-up in British Boys Championship, 2008

Andrew Morgan former President, European Golf AssociationTim Morrison Golf Foundation contributor & captain, Prestwick Golf ClubChristophe Muniesa CEO, French Golf Federation Judy Murray Director, tennis development LTA & mother of Andy and JamiePia Nilsson founder of Vision54 & former coach to Swedish national teamsJorgen Pagh Danish Golf UnionColin Pearson golf development manager, PGA Scotland regionMartin Petterson high performance coach, Swedish Golf Federation Nick Price 3-times Major Championship winnerFred Ridley past President, USGABrook Salmon Acushnet Company, Australia Michael Sharpe father of Oscar Sharpe, member of England’s under 18 squadRon Sirak managing editor of Golf World and senior editor Golf DigestChristine Sparks English Ladies Golf Association coachShawn Spieth father of Jordan Spieth, semi-finalist US Junior Amateur, 2008Mark Steinberg head of golf division, IMGBrendan Taylor head of European Golf Division, Wasserstein Media GroupAllan Thomson former Scottish InternationalDominic Wall Director, Asia-Pacific, The R&AGraham Watson father of Sally Watson, Curtis Cup player and Stanford University, 2009Jeff Whitsett father of Cory Whisett, US Junior Amateur champion, 2007Patrick Winther leading Danish junior and winner of Polo Junior Golf Classic, 2008Chris Yoder assistant coach, Wake Forest University Men’s Golf

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