Foshan Open gives back in more ways than one
2014-10-25 17:00:26

The majestic clubhouse at Foshan GC (pic by Rchard Castka) 

This might only be the second instalment of the Foshan Open but the tournament is already making waves both on and off the golf course.

After an impressive debut 12 months ago, the US$350,000 event already boasts a bigger infrastructure than in its debut, but the positive affect it is having on the local community and the surrounding area is also much more evident.

The great and good of the European Challenge Tour have been glowing in their praise of the impressive links at Foshan Golf Club, yet the staff remain intent on continuing to improve the test offered up by the 7,148 yard par 72 layout, something they will continue to take counsel on this week.

Their focus is not just on themselves though, and they have also treated the tournament as a perfect opportunity to embrace the local community and introduce people to the game who might not otherwise get a chance.

“For anyone who was over here last year, you’re aware that it is a slightly bigger set up,” said Keith Hardman, General Manager of the host venue this week. “We have also added in a couple of other features, including the European Challenge Tour Foshan Open Canton International Festival, while we are also celebrating the official one year anniversary of Foshan Golf Club.

“We didn’t only want to entertain people who come to tournaments anyway, but we wanted to bring people who didn’t know much about golf to come into the community and be exposed to golf.

“Right now in China having a positive aspect to this kind of event that brings the community together for golf and to enjoy the fresh air, the community aspect and the Cantonese culture, is a very, very good thing to have around golf

“As for the tournament, we are very happy that the Tour and the players are very pleased with the greens, we are thrilled about that. We are going to continue to collect comments from the players, the tour and the CGA on how we can make things better on the course.

“Tony Cashmore, our course designer, has also flown in to chat with the players and watch them play the course. He will also talk to the Tour to see if there are some tweaks we can do for next year.”

“We have also got many more volunteers this year. Last time we had 150, now we have well over 400, and all told around the community we have 2,000 people working to bring this event together, so it is quite an army out there.

“It has also been nice to see the Chinese players do well too. We enjoy welcoming the international players here, but we also like to see the locals near the top, which will help bring more interest to the event.”

With community and the quality of the golf course at the forefront of their minds, the Foshan Open is sure to flourish for many years to come – but they have not stopped there.

Events such as this, with the number of people visiting, can sometimes have a negative effect on the environment, but Foshan Golf Club have done their utmost to improve their influence on the surrounding area.

“Last year we received our GEO certification from the Golf Environment Organisation, who have a partnership with The European Tour called Green Drive, which has certain protocols they suggest you do,” explained Hardman. “The big one was eliminating many of the plastic bottles we were using by going to refillable water containers, and by doing that we believe we have saved about 15,000 bottles per tournament.

“We’ve also just finished overhauling the hot water system in the clubhouse. Previously it was all gas, and now it is all supplied by a combination of solar and heat pump.

“We have also upped our recycling efforts, with containers around the golf course, which will not only recycle but teach people about its importance.”

This week’s event has also made every effort to give back.

Not only has the Foshan Open contributed to numerous local charities in the build up to the event, but they have also placed junior golf at the forefront of their efforts, all of which has made for another exemplary edition of this ever-growing tournament.

“We have linked up with several charities this year, and leading up to the tournament we had several events that all had a charity aspect, and we were able to make a significant contribution to these organisations as a result.

“Lastly, we have strengthened our support of junior golf programmes, and the three amateurs playing this week qualified from an event held last month. They have also become part of our junior team, so this will become a training base for them, and through the year with the Foshan Golf Association we have held more junior competitions, and we look forward to giving more opportunities to juniors in the future.”