News
Southam got off to a great
start, completing the
Faldo Course at Lough
Erne in under three
hours. The take-off from
Northern Ireland was
delayed by two hours
because of poor weather
conditions, however,
time was made-up
at Gleneagles where
Southam played 18 holes
at Gleneagles in under
two hours. The helicopter
pilots were able to swiftly
transport Southam down
to Celtic Manor for the
Welsh leg of the challenge,
where 18 holes on the
Roman Road course were
completed in just over
two hours.
However, because of
the time lost earlier in
the day, the final leg,
originally due to be played
at The London Club, was
switched to the Manor
House Hotel & Golf Club,
in Wiltshire, which saved
the day by being a lastminute replacement for
the England leg – saving
around an hour of flight
time – and enabling
Southam to complete the
challenge within 18 hours.
Since 1991, Sparks has
raised more than £27m
through fundraising
initiatives used for
pioneering children’s
medical research, and
Southam is aiming to add
£50,000 to the funds with
ISSUE 3
The County Zone SOUTH EAST
this challenge. He said: “I
was a little nervous but
extremely excited about
the challenge – I have
thought about doing it for
a long time.
“With the support of
Royal & Awesome, and
the four host courses, the
challenge is a dream come
true – but to make a real
difference to Sparks, an
extremely worthwhile
cause, is what it is all
about.”
The Awesome Golf
Challenge requires
participants to organise
a team of two to four
players to play a minimum
of 72 holes on a given day
this summer – with Royal
& Awesome rewarding
teams who raise a
minimum £400 for the
charity with a free pair
of trousers for each team
member.
Players should play a
minimum of four rounds
on one or more courses,
and, whether the golfers
score well or play quickly,
there will be a challenge
for everyone.
• To make a donation,
please visit www.
justgiving.com/owneremail/pleasesponsor/
Roger-Southam1
• To register for the Spark
Golf Challenge, visit
www.sparks.org.uk/golf
Burhill Golf is
Eco Champion
Burhill Golf Club
has earned the
internationallyacclaimed sustainability
eco-label, GEO Certified.
The milestone marks
the halfway point for
owners the BGL Golf
group in its campaign
to become the
world’s first multi-site
operator to achieve the
distinction at each of its
venues – an ambition
the company aims to
achieve by 2015.
BGL Golf, operates ten
venues across the UK,
including Abbey Hill
Golf Centre, Milton
Keynes, Birchwood Park
Golf Centre, Dartford,
Hoebridge Golf Centre,
Woking and Redbourn
Golf Club, St Albans,
which achieved GEO
Certified in 2013.
GEO Certified recognises
golf businesses
which demonstrate
an operational
commitment to the
three core principles of
sustainability – planet,
people and profit. The
international eco-label
is the global benchmark
for sustainability in golf
businesses.
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