Showing posts with label Expands. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Expands. Show all posts

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Caddy For A Cure Expands Its Charitable Giving

Coral Springs, FL (November 16, 2010) - Caddy For A Cure, Inc., the non-profit program that offers golf fans a chance to be inside the ropes for a day to caddy for the world's best golfers during official tournament weeks, is honored to announce a recent addition to its charitable giving. Beginning in 2011, Caddy For A Cure will be making donations to Birdies for the Brave (www.birdiesforthebrave.com), an initiative proudly supported by the PGA TOUR that raises funds and awareness for military homefront charities that provide programs and services to meet the specialized needs of service members and their families.

The Caddy For A Cure program offers its caddy opportunities from its website www.caddyforacure.com, where interested parties bid on the opportunity to caddy for a specific player and tournament. The auction winner spends the day with the player and their TOUR caddy on the driving range, putting green and golf course, watching each shot first-hand and experiencing the excitement of being part of a professional golf event. Caddy participation is fully tax deductible as allowed by law and 100% of auction proceeds are directed to charities, including the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund, Birdies for the Brave, and charities selected by each tournament, each participating player and each Tour.

Birdies for the Brave was created in 2005 by Phil and Amy Mickelson to support soldiers wounded in combat. Since then, the PGA TOUR has helped expand the program to include military appreciation activities during TOUR tournaments, including Birdies for the Brave military hospitality suites, military appreciation celebrations, and the opportunity for military members and their dependents to enjoy the tournament free of charge. Additionally, rehabilitative programs including the unique Adopt-A-Wounded Warrior program and fundraising efforts are conducted at the TOUR's TPC Network of clubs - an effort that has raised more than $5.2 million for military homefront charities that are supported by TOUR players.

"It continues to amaze and humble me that our program we dreamed about 10 years ago as a way to help fight the horrible disease of Fanconi anemia and to support our U.S. military is alive and thriving," said Russ Holden, Caddy For A Cure founder and veteran PGA TOUR caddy. "Through this great game of golf, we have been able to partner with many outstanding military organizations including the Navy Blue Angels Foundation, and support warriors on various levels. Contributing to Birdies for the Brave as one of our core charities is a perfect fit for us in that it touches multiple needs of our U.S. military men and women. We look forward to offering 'caddy' days inside the ropes for members of our military who have so bravely served our country."

Stephen Kupcha, a former Navy SEAL who spearheads the TOUR's community and military outreach initiatives, added, "It is so great to be able to tie together the Caddy For A Cure component and the fundraising efforts already supported by PGA TOUR players. Most of the TOUR players who support Birdies for the Brave have participated in the Caddy For A Cure initiative, including Phil Mickelson, Rory Sabbatini, Jerry Kelly, Boo Weekley and Corey Pavin. It's a natural partnership and truly demonstrates that professional golf is more than just a group of incredibly talented players; it's a team of caring individuals driven to touch lives, give back and make a difference."

For more information, please visit caddyforacure.com or call 954-341-4600. Also, please visit our sponsors, Boo Weekley Apparel at www.booweekley.com, Sharpie pens at www.sharpie.com SpeedGel at www.speedgel.com and VedaloHD Sunglasses at www.vedalohd.com.


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Friday, November 19, 2010

GolfNow.com Expands Into Ireland, U.K.

Golf Channel Takes Online Tee-Times 'Across the Pond' With Ireland and UK Joining its GolfNow.com Platform ORLANDO, Fla. (Nov. 16, 2010) - Golf Channel today announced that its industry-leading tee-time business,GolfNow.com, will expand further internationally in 2011 with top golf destinations Ireland and the United Kingdom leading the way.

GolfNow, currently working with more than 2,400 partner golf courses that have booked more than 4 million rounds in the United States and Canada in 2010 so far, will make its Ireland and U.K. service available to both inbound travelers from North America, as well as golfers within their own borders. With an initial focus on golf courses in Ireland and Northern Ireland, Golf Channel plans to integrate and promote the top courses in these destinations to its vast on-air and online audience.

To manage the new initiative, Golf Channel has identified a new strategic partner in the Ireland and U.K. market, Carr Golf Travel. A worldwide leader in golf travel, Carr Golf has been welcoming golfers to Ireland and Scotland for more than 60 years. Carr's primary responsibilities will include developing relationships with golf courses to activate them on the GolfNow platform, while working with those courses to deliver pricing and offers that resonate with consumers.

In addition, Golf Channel also has executed a strategic interface agreement with BRS Golf, the U.K.'s number-one tee sheet provider, in an effort to make the entry into the European market as efficient as possible for participating courses. BRS Golf has more than 460 golf clubs currently using its management system.

"We couldn't have added a more reputable, golf-focused company like Carr Golf to help launch GolfNow in this new arena," said Gene Pizzolato, chief operating officer, Golf Channel New Media Ventures. "And with BRS, we've picked the right technology partner to accelerate our success by providing us with the ability to directly connect to the tee-time inventory of over 460 of Europe's best golf courses.

"We're excited about GolfNow's entry into Ireland and the U.K. as a great start to build momentum internationally, and to let the industry know that our presence there is just the first in a series of steps to expand even further around the world."

"As the regional market leader in golf course management and golf travel, Carr Golf is excited about the impact this will have on the entire golf sector," said Marty Carr, chief executive officer for Carr Golf. "It also fits in perfectly with our strategy for driving revenue and complements current consumer trends."

"This is a great opportunity for the Irish Golf Industry to benefit from the marketing power of the Golf Channel," said Dr. Brian Smith, director of BRS Golf. "We recommend customers that want to increase revenue to give us a try. Both systems will be fully integrated, so there will be no double bookings and no management overhead. Golf courses will be in complete control of which tee times are available to be sold."

GolfNow.com is the Internet's largest and most comprehensive online tee time booking service, offering access to more than 2,400 golf courses in 45 U.S. States and Canada. Through easy-to-implement solutions, GolfNow.comhelps golf courses sell more rounds, increase revenues and, in turn, helps grow the game.

About GolfNow.com
Golf Channel's GolfNow.com is managed and operated by GolfChannel.com, which ranks as a top golf destination on the Internet. Golfnow.com is the Internet's largest and most comprehensive online tee time booking service, offering users the ability to book tee times at more than 2,400 courses nationwide at any time of day. The tee time service is part of Golf Channel's inventive online platform, a combination of sites designed to be the ultimate one-stop personal golf concierge service to help the recreational player enjoy every aspect of golf from getting the most up-to-the-minute golf news from around the world to help with how to play, where to play and what to play. Golf Channel's digital platform also serves golfers in the areas of travel and events - highlighted by the Golf Channel Am Tour, the largest amateur tour in the country with more than 800 tournaments in 60+ local chapters nationwide, providing casual players with a professionally-run golf tournament experience and access to play at some of the greatest and most challenging courses in their hometowns - and access to GolfChannel.com's features and breaking news, a library of more than 2,500 instructional online videos, extensive product reviews, and tips from the most-trusted equipment experts.


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