As part of the UBS Hong Kong Open community outreach programme, over 150 kids between the age of 8 and 11 from four schools in the New Territories were invited by the Hong Kong Golf Association to the Tuen Mun Golf Centre to participate in an introductory golf clinic led by the 2010 UBS Hong Kong Open Champion Ian Poulter, and Chinese rising star Dou Ze-cheng.
Samuel Lam, 10, said: “I really enjoyed the clinic today. I had not tried golf before, and I found it a lot harder than I thought it was going to be as the clubs were really heavy. It was really fun though and I got to meet a few professional golfers. I usually play badminton but after today, I definitely want to try golf again.’
Englishman Poulter added: “Great clinic today. It is very exciting for me too because I was once that age and to see so many kids here today, it is amazing. Golf is a great game and it teaches you an awful lot, life lessons, honesty, integrity, so it’s great.”
In addition to today’s workshop in Tuen Mun, there will be hosted visits to the UBS Hong Kong Open for schools from the Hong Kong Golf Club’s after-school programme on Thursday, and on Friday, some of the star players this week will support golf clinics for the Hong Kong Special Olympics Golf team and the Hong Kong Blind Sports Federation.
Title sponsor UBS is once again making outreach the centerpiece of its sponsorship, with over 100 students from three local schools to be hosted at the championship on Thursday and Friday. The schools are all affiliated with the UBS supported Hong Kong Council of Early Childhood Education Services (CECES) programme.
5,000 tickets to the Open have been distributed to over 30 community groups covering non-governmental organizations, ethnic minority groups, and health and wellness and youth related charities. New for 2016, all visitors can enjoy complimentary entry to the tournament on both Thursday and Friday, while visitors under the age of 21 can attend for free across all four days.
The 2016 UBS Hong Kong Open community outreach programme align with its objective to grow the game of golf in the broader community with the support of the Mega Events Fund (“MEF”).