24th November 2009 – for immediate release

The Duke's St Andrews is 100th Club to Sign up for the challenge

The National Golf Club Challenge Reaches 100 Clubs – With The Duke's St Andrews

The Duke's St Andrews has become the 100th golf club to sign up for the National Golf Club Challenge, which will take place at golf courses throughout the UK on Saturday, 24th July 2010, in support of Help for Heroes.

With golf clubs entering on a daily basis, the National Golf Club Challenge is on course to become the largest amateur golf event to take place in the UK.

The Challenge, recently featured on the European Tour website, will bring hundreds of golf clubs, and thousands of golfers together on the same weekend as part of a nationwide charity golf event.

"The Kohler Company, owner of The Duke's Course and The Old Course Hotel located in the ‘Home of Golf' St Andrews, is delighted to be supporting a most worthy cause, Help for Heroes, through the National Golf Club Challenge," comments Debbie Taylor, Managing Director of the Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort and Spa.

The Duke's is highly regarded as one of the finest heathland championship courses in the British Isles and a 'must play' course for any golfer. With a spectacular setting above St Andrews, The Duke's offers magnificent panoramic views over the surrounding countryside to the sea. Its style ranks alongside the great inland challenges which demand accuracy and inventive play as well as power golf and, with five separate tee positions at every hole, The Duke's has the flexibility and challenge to appeal to golfers at every level.

Stacey Jeffries, Event Director commented "We are so pleased to have The Duke's St Andrews participate in the National Golf Club Challenge."

"Reaching 100 clubs is a significant mile-stone for the Challenge," Stacey continued, "and having such a renowned club as The Duke's sign up makes it a double celebration. Our aim of course, is to encourage hundreds more golf clubs to get involved."

The National Golf Club Challenge, to be held on 24th and 25th July 2010, will give golfers up and down the country the opportunity to compete for some outstanding prizes – including golfing holidays to Egypt.

The format for the National Golf Club Challenge is very simple; the Challenge will coincide with each participating golf club's monthly stableford event, with each club turning the day into their own charity golf event, raising much needed funds for Help for Heroes.

The competing clubs will submit their aggregate scores from their best scoring 10 players. This will determine the top 6 golf clubs against standard scratch, who will then be invited to compete in the National Final.

The Grand Final, sponsored by YourGolfTravel.com, will be the conclusion of the 2010 National Golf Club Challenge. The two day event – hosted by The Belfry, one of the world's leading golf resorts, and four times host to the Ryder Cup – will be a superb grand final, featuring a practice day, golf clinic, overnight accommodation, the final competition and a gala dinner, including guest speakers and the prize presentations.

For more information on The National Golf Club Challenge, including how to enter your golf club, go to www.nationalgolfclubchallenge.org.uk or www.ngcc2010.com.

For more information on the Help for Heroes charity and the work they do please visit their website: www.helpforheroes.org.uk.

ENDS

Challenge Contacts

Stacey Jeffries, Event Director
Tel: +44 (0)1565 818107
Email: stacey@nationalgolfclubchallenge.org.uk

Matt Leighton, Marketing Director
Tel: +44 (0)1565 818106
Email: matthew@nationalgolfclubchallenge.org.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS

ABOUT THE NATIONAL GOLF CLUB CHALLENGE
www.nationalgolfclubchallenge.org.uk
Every golf club in the United Kingdom and Ireland is invited to enter their club in to The National Golf Club Challenge (to be held on the 24th or 25th July 2010). The aim of the challenge is to find The Help for Heroes National Golf Club Champions 2010. At the same time raising much needed funds and awareness for the excellent Help for Heroes charity as the UK golfing community come together for one day in their support for our injured forces.

ABOUT THE DUKE'S ST ANDREWS
The Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa, a member of The Leading Hotels of the World, has 144 spacious rooms including 35 suites, and borders the 17th 'Road Hole' of the world famous Old Course in St Andrews, the Home of Golf. The hotel has spectacular views across the links courses to the sea, The Grampians and St Andrews.

Kohler Co. acquired the award-winning Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa in October 2004 and has since completed a comprehensive investment programme, which includes new suites by star French designer Jacques Garcia and a brand-new, state-of-the-art conference wing. The Kohler Waters Spa opened in March 2006 and is a member of the prestigious Leading Spas. The Duke's, the newly-landscaped heathland masterpiece, reopened in summer 2006, transformed by American golf course architect Tim Liddy, protégé of Pete Dye, and one of the most talked-about influences in the modern game.

Managing Director, Debbie Taylor, joined the property in September 2007 to spearhead its future development as one of the world's leading golf and spa resorts. As Chairman of the British Hospitality Association Scotland Committee, a Director of the Institute of Hospitality, and a Master Innholder, Debbie places great emphasis on the importance of staff training and development.

Press Information / Images: Helen Heady, Heady PR, on tel: +44 20 8789 0900 or mob: +44 7966 491 509 or email: helen@headypr.co.uk

ABOUT HELP FOR HEROES
www.helpforheroes.org.uk
Help for Heroes was the idea of appeal chairman Bryn Parry and a group of friends and relations. They wanted to help wounded soldiers returning home from combat and came up with several fundraising ideas which led to Help for Heroes being born. The Charity are completely non political and accept wars happen under any government, all they want to do with the help of the British public, is to assist our wounded heroes.