News Digest – 02/11/2007

World Golf Hall of Fame inducts Class of 2007

Golf icons Joe Carr, Hubert Green, Charles Blair Macdonald, Kel Nagle, Se Ri Pak (pictured) and Curtis Strange will become the latest members of the World Golf Hall of Fame, as the class of 2007 holds its Induction Ceremony on November 12. Set to appear and speak at the ceremony are Hall of Famers Jack Nicholas, Greg Norman and Nancy Lopez. The event will be held at World Golf Village in St Augustine, Florida, and is open to the public without admission charge. Complete coverage of the 2007 Induction Ceremony is available at the World Golf Hall of Fame website at www.wgv.com.

Future championship venues revealed

The R&A has announced venues for a series of top amateur events to be played during 2009 and 2010. The West Links at North Berwick Golf Club will host qualifying for the Amateur Championship when the event visits Muirfield in 2010, while the Seniors Open Amateur will be held at Walton Heath the same year. Also in 2010, Kilmarnock Golf Club welcomes the Boys Amateur Championship for the sixth time in the club?s history. In a switch of venues, the R&A awarded the 2009 Boys Home International matches to Hankley Common Golf Club in Surrey. Sunningdale had been selected for the event until the venue was awarded the Senior Open of the same year. The 2010 Boys Home Internationals are scheduled for Southerness Golf Club in Dumfries.

Emergency services play for Chernobyl kids

Golfers from the emergency services and the RAF in the Great Yarmouth area are scheduled to take part in a charity golf tournament in aid of Chernobyl Children Lifeline next year. The event takes place at Dunston Hall Golf Club in Norfolk on April 23. Founded in 1992, Chernobyl Children Lifeline brings children from Belarus living in areas around the former Chernobyl nuclear site to the UK for a month to live in contamination-free areas. The charity also provides dental and eye exams to all participating children. To sponsor a hole for this great cause or for more information on the tournament, visit www.ccll-gtyarmouth.co.uk.

Amateurs allowed to promote national unions in 2008

Revisions to the Rules of Amateur Status to allow leading amateur golfers to assist in the promotion of the game come into effect on January 1 2008.

Rule 6-2 will allow national unions and associations to use the names and likenesses of their top amateur players for promotional purposes. R&A director of rules and equipment standards David Rickman believes these changes will significantly aid in the promotion of the game, saying, ?The hard work put in by so many national bodies to develop the game makes this a sensible and pragmatic approach for the benefit and promotion of amateur golf.?

Monty and Warren up for World Cup

A year after their second-place finish at Mission Hills, Colin Montgomerie and Marc Warren head back to China in late November with every intention of bringing the World Cup trophy home to Scotland. ?We have a great opportunity. Marc?s obviously playing well and I?m getting the ball round, so we could have a good time this year,? said Montgomerie. ?We?re both going there as winners. I?ve won this year in Ireland and Marc won at Gleneagles and I think we?ll go to China as one of the favourites.? In 2006, Monty and Warren were edged out for the title by German duo Bernhard Langer and Marcel Siem in a dramatic sudden-death play-off.

Winter golf package returns to The Grove

The Grove Golf Resort in Hertfordshire ? host to the 2006 World Golf Championships ? has a great winter deal running from December 3 until February 28 next year. The ?Winter Warmer? package includes 18 holes of golf, bacon roll and coffee upon arrival and snacks following your round. The deal is available from Monday to Thursday excluding Bank Holidays. Rates are £99 per person with a maximum of 11 players per group. Telephone 01923 294266 or visit www.thegrove.co.uk to book.

R&A and USGA make revisions to rule book

The R&A and United States Golf Association (USGA) announced revisions to the Rules of Golf which will be effective from January 1 2008. Notable changes include a revision to Rule 12-2, allowing players to lift balls located in bunkers or water hazards for identification purposes, and Rule 19-2 which reduces any penalty incurred by accidental deflection of a ball by either player, partner, caddie or equipment to one stroke in both match and stroke play.