Junior Golf is the clear winner of the cancelled 2020
Taskers Trophy Inter-Club Golf Competitions
The 2020 Taskers Trophy Competitions were cancelled this year due to the Coronavirus restrictions. However, this has not stopped the competitions aim to support junior golf in your county with 112 teams donating their entry fee to their county’s junior golf development, plus sponsor Taskers UK adding £1,200 to the junior funding.
This means an incredible £7,000 is going directly to grassroots junior golf in the participating counties at a time when golf is facing one of the most unprecedented periods for participation and growth funding.
The Sponsor
Taskers UK, Hydraulic Specialists in Sheffield, has generously granted an additional donation of £1,200 meaning an extra £100 has been allocated to each participating County Golf organisation for the
development of their junior golf.
Generosity
The generosity of the teams who had entered the competition to find it wasn’t possible to compete this year contributed to the funding of junior golf development. Each participating team was given a choice to donate, in full or part, their entry fee to their county’s junior golf development or apply for a refund.
An astonishing number of teams, 112 out of 195 which entered agreed to donate, to sustain the competitions annual aim, of ‘Supporting Junior Golf in Your County’.
The funding goes directly to Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire & Rutland, Sheffield / South Yorkshire, Staffordshire, Lincolnshire and Lancashire, County Golf Unions & Associations for the development of Junior Golf. The amount donated is determined by the choice of the teams’ clubs in each county area.
All county golf organisations have been informed of their funding and are in the process of applying for the funding and when granted their plans and reports will be published online at http://www.interclub.org.uk/supportingjunior-golf
Mike Crawford, Sponsor Taskers UK
“We must safeguard the future of golf at this time and we must continue to provide support to junior golf development at a grassroots level. I know the participating county’s welcome this funding and I thank those teams who made it possible by donating their entry fee without competing in the competitions this year. To show added appreciation for the challenges this year I’m pleased to announce that Taskers UK can top up this contribution to junior golf by £1,200 this adding over 17% more to the funding going directly to the County organisations junior golf development.”
The organising committee
Faced with a difficult decision in cancelling the 2020 competitions in which 195 teams had entered and been drawn to play their first-round in March. The coronavirus lockdown followed by the restrictive way golf was opened up initially was incompatible with a 7 player team Inter-Club format and ensuring the safety of all players.
In cancelling the committee worked in partnership with sponsor Taskers UK to ensure the aim to ‘Support Junior Golf in Your County’ along with the future of the competition was secure.
In their cancellation approach teams were given a clear choice as to how their entry fee was used to support junior golf or return in a refund.
In 2019
100% of the competing teams’ entry fee was donated to support junior golf, and we wanted to ensure we didn’t impact a vital funding source this 21-year-old competition has become to Junior Golf.
With this donation, the Taskers Trophy competitions aim has been achieved without the competitions being played thanks to the generosity of the teams and sponsor Taskers UK.
Mike Crawford, concluded
“With your clubs continued support and with Taskers UK’s sponsorship we are continuing with our aim to support junior golf in your county into 2021 and beyond. I hope to be able to share many of the junior golf success stories which will develop as a result of this funding and clubs’ participation in the Taskers Trophy Inter-Club.
Last year I was overwhelmed to hear one of many examples from the participating counties; The Sheffield Golf Union shared that the funding from this competition has been a part of the foundations for Junior golf success for Ben Schmidt who won the English U18 Boys’ Open Amateur Stroke Play for the Carris Trophy and the then
16-year-old also became the youngest-ever winner of the Brabazon Trophy in 2019.This is a true reflection of a superb achievement showing the impact this competition has for Junior Golf. In addition to the past effect, it has had on the early development of players of Alex Fitzpatrick who joined the Walker Cup team in 2019, his brother Matt Fitzpatrick the US Amateur Champion 2019, and the 2016 Masters Champion Danny Willett.
All of this funding ensures we have the players and champions of tomorrow for the growth of the game of golf in the participating Counties.”
The organising committee is planning for entry into the 2021 competition to open later in the year. Plans are being made to ensure the competition can run safely alongside any government restrictions which may be in place in the future.
The Taskers Trophy comprises of 2 Competitions and 3 Trophies;
For Men aged over 50 the Taskers Trophy and for those teams knocked out in the first round the Taskers Plate. For Women aged over 50 the Ian Burtoft Trophy. When these plans are finalised they will be shared and entry opened for the 2021
competitions.
