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THE R&A ANNOUNCES SUPPORT OF THE GREG NORMAN FOUNDATION |
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10 May 2010, St Andrews, Scotland: The R&A has announced its support of the Greg Norman Foundation. It becomes the fifth initiative headed by an Open Champion, on the fifth continent, to be financially assisted by The R&A.
The Foundation, headed by the two-time Open Champion, endeavours to make professional golf tuition available and affordable for the children of Queensland. Since 1988, it has seen tour winners like Adam Scott and Karrie Webb come through its ranks. It has been awarded an initial grant of £10,000 for 2010.
“As a two-time Open Champion, I am delighted that The R&A have given funding to the Greg Norman Golf Foundation to assist with its programmes for boys and girls throughout Queensland, Australia,” said Norman.
“The Foundation conducts four to six week golf programmes in schools, runs junior tournaments over six, nine and 18 holes, conducts sports expos, runs golf clinics, visits indigenous communities and assists disabled players.
“Thousands of young boys and girls are introduced to the wonderful game of golf each year. I am very appreciative of the assistance given by The R&A, which will allow the Foundation to continue the good work being carried out on a daily basis,” he added.
In addition to the Greg Norman Foundation, Arnold Palmer’s Palmer Cup Match, the Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation and the Paul Lawrie Junior Foundation have all been awarded significant sums to assist with their work in the USA, South Africa and Scotland, respectively. The R&A has also supported Sir Nick Faldo’s Faldo Series programme since its inception in the late 1990s.
The Faldo Series identifies and nurtures the next generation of golfing talent through over 30 tournaments in the UK, Europe, South America, the Middle East and Asia that attract over 5,000 young golfers each year. The programme has already produced several successful Tour players including Rory McIlroy, Melissa Reid, Nick Dougherty and Marc Warren.
Arnold Palmer’s international collegiate match between students representing Europe and the USA, the Palmer Cup, receives financial assistance from The R&A and, in return, the leading male golfer at The R&A’s Foundation Scholars Tournament earns a place on the European team.
The Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation, which The R&A has supported since 2009, was founded with the goal of identifying talented young South Africans from families of limited resources and providing them with educational and golfing opportunities. Charl Schwartzel, currently 2nd in the European Tour’s Race to Dubai, is a graduate.
Closer to the Home of Golf, 1999 Open Champion Paul Lawrie plays an active role in junior golf development in his native north east Scotland through the work of his Foundation, which has benefited almost 11,000 young men and women since 2001. The R&A has provided the Foundation with annual grants since 2005.
“Our golf development activity is funded by revenues generated by The Open Championship, so it is fitting that we support the work of our Past Champions who are eager to give back to the game,” explained Director of Golf Development Duncan Weir. “We’re delighted to be able to provide funding for these programmes which, through the enthusiasm and profile of players like Arnold Palmer, Nick Faldo, Greg Norman, Ernie Els and Paul Lawrie, are making real differences to children’s lives.”
Using funds generated by The Open Championship, The R&A promotes golf development, Rules education and best practice for sustainable golf course management throughout the world. Emphasis is placed on both the encouragement of junior golf and the development of the game in emerging golfing nations. More than £6,000,000 was distributed in 2009 |
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Rossa Introduces Corza Ghost |
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Unique new putter specially designed with input from putting master Dave Stockton
CARLSBAD, Calif. (April 26, 2010) - TaylorMade Golf, maker of Rossa® putters, has unveiled Corza Ghost, a mallet specially designed to be exceptionally easy to aim, and exceptionally easy to use to roll the ball down your intended line. It was designed with significant input from the hottest putting instructor in the world, Rossa Tour Staff professional Dave Stockton.
"We started with the intention of designing a putter that's easier to aim than any other," said Bill Price, Rossa senior director. "That led us to experiment with a white finish. We consulted Dr. Steven A. Hitzeman, a professor at the Indiana School of Optometry and he felt we were onto something."
The Contrast of White Against Dark Makes Aiming Easier"Corza Ghost's white putterhead stands out so clearly against its background - the putting surface - because of the high contrast between white and green," said Dr. Hitzeman, who is also a past president of the Indiana Optometric Association and a past chairman of the American Optometric Association's Sports Vision Section. "That high contrast maximizes stimulation to the retina and highlights the head's shape and features. The contrast would be lower if the putter were black or gray because these colors are closer in luminance to the color of the putting green than white. White creates the biggest difference in luminance, hence maximizing contrast and promoting focus. Many golfers use the leading edge of the putter as part of their alignment strategy (by positioning the edge perpendicular to the imagined target line). So, this high contrast for the leading edge gives the golfer the best chance of squaring up the putterface at address. Also, the lines on the top of the putter are painted black to achieve maximum contrast against the white surface of the putter. All of these high-contrast alignment elements give the golfer the best possible chance of accurately aiming the putter."
To make it even easier to aim the Corza Ghost, Rossa engineers put three black alignment lines on the crown and a circular hole in the back of the putterhead, giving you different options to focus on to lock in your aim. "You can focus on the topline to aim Ghost," said Bret Wahl, senior director of iron, wedge and putter development, "or you can focus on the alignment lines to visually connect the circular hole and your ball to lock in your aim. The point is that you've got options, each one highly effective."
Because Corza Ghost's putterhead is white, its three alignment options are easier to focus on and use, according to Dr. Hitzeman. "The Corza Ghost putter's three alignment elements all have high contrast against their backgrounds. This high contrast maximizes stimulation to the retina, which helps the golfer to focus and use these aiming features effectively."
Eliminating "Hot Spots""Hot Spots" are reflections of direct sunlight from the top of the putter into the golfer's eye, and distract the player's attention from the task at hand, which is to focus on the putterhead, the alignment system, and aiming the putter squarely down the target-line.
"When I started playing on tour in the 1960s, I used a silver mallet," said Stockton. "Nicks and marks would form on the crown from normal use. They lit up when sunlight hit them at address, which I found extremely distracting, so much that I would have the crown sandblasted frequently to erase the hot spots. Because when you look down at the putter you don't want anything disturbing your focus, which should be on the putterhead and the features of it that you use to align the putterface squarely down the target-line."
The Corza Ghost's white finish helps keep hot spots from standing out, allowing you to focus your attention on seeing the whole form of the putterhead and the alignment system, so you can aim without distraction.
Large, Solid-Feeling, High-MOI MalletBeing a mallet, Corza Ghost's high-MOI head is extremely stable on off-center hits and feels extremely solid at impact. Its three alignment lines on the crown function not only to help aim the face accurately, but also to frame the ball in the middle of the face, which promotes solid, center-face contact on every stroke.
AGSI®+ to Promote Better RollCorza Ghost also has the advantage of Rossa's renowned and tour-proven AGSI®+ (Anti-skid Groove System Insert) Technology. AGSI+ features 14 polymer-filled grooves in the face that "hold" the ball briefly at impact to promote forwardspin for a smoother roll and more accurate results. The AGSI+ insert, in concert with the putterhead's extremely high MOI, also delivers superior consistency in forward roll on off-center hits, something not shown in tests of other popular putters.
Two More Ghost Models in the PipelineCorza Ghost is scheduled to appear at retail starting in June, at a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $159. Two more Ghost models - a blade and a mid-mallet - also with white finish and black alignment lines, are scheduled to become available in July.
About Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc. dba TaylorMade-adidas Golf Company
TaylorMade Golf has led the golf industry's technological revolution since the company was founded in 1979. TaylorMade metalwoods, irons and putters have been used to win hundreds of professional golf tournaments around the world. In 1998, TaylorMade became a wholly owned subsidiary of the adidas Group. adidas Golf creates high-performance, technology-infused golf apparel and footwear worn by hundreds of professional golfers around the world. Ashworth, which became a brand of the TaylorMade-adidas Golf Company in 2008, creates relaxed, lifestyle-oriented golf apparel synonymous with authenticity and quality. Learn more about TaylorMade-adidas Golf and its brands at (866) 530-TMAG (8624) or
www.taylormadegolf.com,
www.adidasgolf.com,
www.ashworthgolf.com, and
www.tmag.com.