A Sprinkling of Soul Across the Greater Bay
2019-10-01 11:09:36
Opportunities to be part of the build up to the Foshan Open and, for some, actually play in the prestigious October event were being offered right across the Greater Bay Area golfing community, covering juniors, ladies, adult amateurs and pros. With a "9+2" charity Challenge running through to raise funds for the Caring for the Community program, actions gained enthusiastic reaction at the Foshan Open's host venue, Foshan Golf Club.
July—Guangdong Junior Golf Open: Boys Under 19 Champion Lin Jiahao qualify for the Foshan Open. Girls Under 19 Champion, Jiaxi, and both the Boys and Girls Under 13 Champions, Rong Zecheng and Zhang Mijia qualify for the Pro-Junior.
August—New World China Friendship Tournament: The Top 3 players Liang Jiekun, Xiao Weidong and Xu Zhigang qualify for the Pro-Am. RMB22,000 charity money was rasied.
July to September—Shiwan Yubingshao Ladies' Open, consisting 2 qualifiers and 1 grand final, attracted lady golfers throughout the Greater Bay. Top 3 finalists Yin Shuangshuang, Zhao Yufei and He Huilian qualify for Pro-Am.
Early September—Golf Liquor 2019 Southern China Golf Club Members’ Ranking Tournament Grand Final: Liang Jiekun stood out from 77 members from more than 20 golf clubs and qualify for the Foshan Open. RMB8,000 charity money was raised.
Late September—Zhang Zihong repeated his victory in the 2019 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Tournament and again qualify for the Foshan Open.
Linda Liao, Executive General Manager of Foshan Golf Club explains what prompted the event to create the offers.
“When Foshan Open first started it was a really wonderful sight with its elegant hospitality marquees and large spectator village set in beautiful natural, green surroundings. But we soon realized that, while appearance plays an important part, the event only really comes alive with a host of other underlying factors that gel with the public, enabling them to find a common connection and from which they then develop a strong communal spirit. We feel that the Foshan Open is well down the path to achieving that. You could say it's found its soul. Now we feel we have something good to share with the rest of the Greater Bay Area community and hopefully bring us closer together.”
When addressing the question of which factors made people "buy into" and want to be part of the Foshan Open, Ms Liao said, "One example is our program of inclusiveness for youngsters, ladies and for families." We're constantly nurturing young local talent and providing opportunities for them to develop and that led to the idea of creating the now hugely popular Foshan Open Pro—Junior Tournament and Beat the Pro. Not only the youngsters love it but also the pros give it rave reviews! "
"This year, a creative approach—Ladies' Day will be inaugurated on Friday, October 25th with a series activities presented by our sponsors, to make ladies feel love and the positivity of golf and the Foshan Open. "
"Every month our 'Last Friday' event for local families features, among other things, an outdoor movie and a fun chance to have a try at golf. It's a very relaxed environment where families can mingle and form friendships. It's great to see that it's become a special little community within the overall Foshan Open community. Also there is the now well established Golf Fun Day that encourages people to walk around the golf course learning about nature and an outdoor healthy lifestyle. At times there can be hundreds taking the walk together and again this has developed its own special communal spirit. Linked to that is our major environmental program which has, judging by the crowds who attend, created a lot of awareness of the vital value of the environment and why we should take care of it. Indications are that Foshan Open will become the first tournament in China to be certified by the internationally recognized Golf Environment Organization.”
Additionally, with some of the world's leading golfing talent from up to 30 countries and regions worldwide coming to compete and also television being beamed worldwide, it's felt that Foshan Open's international perspective could also help add to the attraction of the Greater Bay area for young entrepreneurs.
"The great thing about the Foshan Open is that it reflects what Foshan city is all about—a city that's not only been trading for centuries but also has a reputation as a city that has connected and created friendships worldwide through the centuries," says Julian Small, General Manager, Foshan Golf Club. "Foshan Open reflects that soul of the city and so can help further emphasize the city's key international attributes in attracting young entrepreneurial talent to the exciting potential collective strengths of the Greater Bay. I think that, with all we've got here, the Foshan Open is an ideal portal to the Greater Bay Area initiative. Look through us and you'll see Foshan city and plenty of reasons why the Greater Bay can be the world's next great metropolis. "
