Imaginative ‘Old and New’ golf event hailed as success by participants
Ian Gaunt, Assistant Director of Sport at St Andrews University, staged a superb finish to win the first hickory-only PowerPlay Golf event held at Kingarrock Golf Club on 4th June.
David Anderson (Kingarrock) and Peter McEvoy OBE (PowerPlay Golf) at the inaugural PowerPlay Golf Kingarrock Hickory Cup golf event, on Friday 4th June 2010, at the Kingarrock golf course in Cupar, near St Andrews in Scotland.
Gaunt, who played professional football for Walsall FC, scored an amazing 22 Stableford points over the last 4 holes to total 29 points in winning the 9-hole ‘PowerPlay Golf Kingarrock Hickory Cup’ tournament. His spectacular finish, which included three successful PowerPlays, edged Neil Paton, Head Pro at St Andrews Old Course Hotel, and 13 year-old Douglas McEvoy, son of PowerPlay Golf founder Peter McEvoy, into joint second place on 25 points apiece.
All entry fees for the event were divided between two Scottish charities: Erskine House, and The Bill McLaren Foundation.
Heralded as a meeting of the old and the new, 40 golfers played golf’s new global ‘two flag’, risk-and-reward format using hickory-shafted clubs around the beautiful Kingarrock course at Cupar, near St Andrews.
Kingarrock only allows hickories to be played and provides golfers with an experience of how golf was played in the past – and the juxtaposition of golf’s newest global format with equipment from eighty years ago certainly impressed winner Gaunt.
“I loved the experience”, said Gaunt. “It took me a few holes to get the hang of it but once I got into my stride I used my PowerPlays well and had a very exciting finish. It was a great concept to combine the two ideas”.
Neil Paton agreed “As a teaching pro I think that players will learn a lot by playing hickories: it’s great fun, the smaller sweet spot requires a more accurate strike, and you need a more disciplined golf swing. By adding PowerPlay Golf’s extra demands on course management and decision-making, Kingarrock created a fascinating test of golf”.
Kingarrock Hickory Golf owner David Anderson said: “When I ran the idea to stage a PowerPlay Golf event at Kingarrock past Peter, he immediately saw its potential, and the reactions we received from those who played vindicated our decision to combine these two elements at different ends of golf’s historical time line. We certainly hope to stage more PowerPlay Golf events here in the future”.
PowerPlay Golf co-founder and ex Walker Cup Captain Peter McEvoy OBE said: “Just like on the golf course, where you need to combine imagination with playing skill, those of us involved in running the game must also think creatively – if we are to ensure that the game continues to grow and adapt to the demands of modern life.
“Our two-flag format is now in 29 countries, and has gained countless devotees at almost 400 Official venues – but Kingarrock is unique in the world of golf, and I am delighted that our inaugural PowerPlay Golf Kingarrock Hickory Cup was such a success”.
ABOUT POWERPLAY GOLF®
In PowerPlay Golf®, a 9-hole format which takes half the time of a normal round of golf, golfers choose to aim for one of two flags on the green – a White Flag and a Black Flag. Players score extra points for birdies or better when playing to the Black (or ‘PowerPlay’) Flag, thereby creating extra pressure. Golfers can go online after their game, registering to earn PowerPlay Golf® Dollars, climbing World Rankings and competing in user-generated PowerPlay Golf® Leagues both locally and around the world. The format is known for its ‘risk and reward’ ethos, and for the levels of excitement which it creates. PowerPlay Golf®’s made-for-TV ‘PowerPlay Shootout’ format, which offers a complete golf tournament in less than two and a half hours, offers global broadcasters the opportunity to televise golf in a more compressed time-frame, thus increasing golfing TV audiences.
The Kingarrock Golf Course opened for the first time in over 70 years on the 28th June 2008. The course closes for Winter on the 1st November and opens again each year on the first Saturday in April. The 9-hole, 2,022 yard course is available to visitors 7 days a week, weather permitting. All players are provided with original hickory clubs, an original canvas and leather bag, together with balls and tees that represent the early 20th century golfing experience. The size of the hole remains four and a half inches and the thrill of competition is as great as ever.
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