Our Head of Service, Emma Corless, has been involved in a life-changing project in association with the R&A. Read on to find out more about this incredible initiative.
It has been over a year since the devastating attack on Ukraine. Golfbreaks is very proud of our Head of Service, Emma Corless, who as part of a team run by The R&A has been supporting Ukrainian Junior golfers and their families.
Since the breakout of the war, this group has assisted over a dozen Ukrainian families with international relocation, access to education, golf tournaments, and support. As well as providing some golf-focused respite delivered by way of a residential performance development camp in Peebles, Scotland.
This residential coaching camp, which provided participants with new equipment and apparel from PING, included clinics from Ian Muir and Sophie Walker, World Trick Shot Champion Geoff Swain, nutrition and wellbeing coaching, with the addition of competitive play against children from the Stephen Gallacher Foundation.
It was described as “Disneyland for junior golfers”, “life changing”, and “the best day of my life” by the juniors. The project facilitated exceptional experiences including 'meet and greets' with Rory McIlroy, a Sky Sports interview with Nick Dougherty, and Ryan Fox’s winning trophy photos on the Swilcan Bridge at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
The Project Ukraine team are also currently planning a 2023 camp for the junior golfers to continue their golf development during the continued time of unrest for Ukraine. If you would like to support the camp please email Emma on: [email protected]
The team have gone on to source scholarships to international colleges for the teen participants, including placing an elite amateur golfer at Edge College in Portugal. This is in addition to working with local school access, golf club membership, and coaching access across the United Kingdom.
This group continues to fundraise and if anyone can support them to continue providing for the young people it would be greatly appreciated. The project has the hope of repeating the residential golf camp, at least, in 2023, and also raising £170,000 to support this group of aspiring young golfers through education to give them hope at a time when their lives have been turned upside down.
The group came from The R&A’s Women in Golf Leadership Programme and has since gone on to win multiple awards for their efforts in Project Ukraine. These include:
The R&A project group consisted of:
• Emma Corless - Golfbreaks • Joelle Efford – Golf Canada Foundation • Lauren Witherspoon – The R&A • Magdalena Villar – Peruvian Golf Federation • Molly Bullard – Excel Sports Management • Polly Clark – Ladies European Tour • Toni Zverblis – England Golf • Veronika Rastvortseva – formerly Ukraine Golf Federation • Zoe Thacker – Wales Golf
For more information on Project Ukraine please see below:
• https://www.randa.org/articles/young-ukrainian-golfers-make-special-trip-to-the-home-of-golf • https://www.randa.org/en/articles/project-ukraine-launches-gofundme-page
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Head of Customer Service
As the Official Golf Tourism Operator of the PGA TOUR and with over 25 years’ experience, Golfbreaks is one of the world’s longest established and most trusted golf travel companies. We organise golf breaks, holidays and tournament experiences for more than 200,000 golfers annually at over 2,000 resorts and golf courses in the UK, Europe, and further afield.
