Wales Golf to run 2020 golf festival weekend

Wales Golf is to launch a new festival weekend this year with five separate events open for new, junior and disabled golfers.

The inaugural Wales Golf Festival will take place from June 19 to 21 at Parc Golf Club between Cardiff and Newport as a celebration of inclusive and competitive golf.

“The launch of the Wales Golf Festival is a very exciting addition to our championship and events schedule,” said Wales Golf director of development Hannah McAllister.

“A huge amount of work goes into helping people of all circumstances get into our sport and this will surely prove to be a great celebration of that work.

“Parc Golf Club is such a wonderful supporter of Wales Golf and the schemes we promote, so it is fitting that the launch of this event will be at this venue.”

The festival will tee off with an event for golfers with disabilities, open to men and women of affiliated clubs and schemes of Wales Golf.

There will then be a ‘South Wales Summer Swing’ event; open to all players who have taken part in the New2Golf scheme in the past three years. Day two will feature a mixed gender medal, trialling the new World Handicap System.

This will be followed by a GolfSixes-style event with an introduction into adult players for Wales. The festival will be concluded on the final day with an event from the Ping Welsh Junior Tour.

The Ping Welsh tour itself will remain with the same format. There will also be a new venue at Milford Haven Golf Club for players in west Wales. The 2020 Ping Welsh Junior Tour will once again offer six regional events prior to a grand final for golfers under the age of 14.

The finals of one of the oldest golf events in Wales, the Welsh Ladies Team Championships, will be reduced to a two-day, weekend event with regional qualifying rounds, following consultation with competitors and captains at this year’s event.

From next season, the Welsh Open Strokeplay will be played over four days. That will mean an increased number of players will be able to make the cut and give an experience closer to that which would be experienced in professional tournaments.

The Under 21 Championship at Llandudno Maesdu Golf Club in May will be a mixed gender Championship.
The aim is to make the event more competitive and cost effective for the modern era.

“It is with real hope that these changes are a positive move for this Championship,” explains Richard Dixon, chief executive of Wales Golf.

“We have seen significant decline in entry numbers in recent years and we feel this revised format gives greater opportunity for clubs to compete in what is a highlight in our championship season.”