As top junior athletes from around the globe converge upon Nanjing, China for the second edition of the Summer Youth Olympic Games, the Gary Player-designed Nanjing Zhongshan International Golf Club will provide the stage for the first ever golf event to be played in the Games.
The Gary Player Signature Course will see 64 youth Olympians from 32 countries tee-off to compete for their country in a 54-hole stroke play tournament. The world’s top junior golfers aged 15 to 18 will then take part in the mixed gender team event set to take place from August 24 to 26.
The addition of golf to the Youth Olympics, as well as its inclusion in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games after a 110 year absence, mark exciting steps in global golf development.
“I, like so many others, am looking forward to the return of golf in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, but I could not be more thrilled that the future superstars of the game are able to compete for their home countries in golf’s first appearance in the Youth Olympic Games,” said golf icon Gary Player. “I visited our Signature Course at Nanjing Zhongshan International Golf Club last year, and I have no doubt that it will be a terrific venue. I wish all those competing the best of luck.”
As golf grows across China, hopes are that the sport will continue to gain momentum following these 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympics and the Rio 2016 Games. While the long-awaited return of golf draws closer, success in the Nanjing Summer Youth Olympics is sure to pave the way for the sustained inclusion of golf in future games.
The 27-hole Nanjing Zhongshan International Golf Club, which opened for play in 2005, previously hosted to China’s 10th National Games and several China Tour events including the IGC Open and Sofitel Golf Championship. Other Gary Player Design courses in China hosting professional or high profile amateur events include Suzhou Jinji Lake International Golf Club and Kau Sai Chau.
About Gary Player Design
Widely recognized as the world’s most successful golf course architectural firm, Gary Player Design established by Marc Player in 1983 has completed over 325 championship courses spanning the globe. With an ever-increasing number of courses stretching across five continents and encompassing more than 35 countries, the firm is renowned for its select and ecological approach to design.
Magazines such as Golf Asia, Travel & Leisure, Golf Digest, Golf Week, Golf World Worldwide Golf, and The Complete Golfer have consistently listed Gary Player courses among the top places to play. Travel & Leisure Golf named Leopard Creek in South Africa one of the top ten Best International Courses; Geneva National was referred to by Golfweek as the best course you can play in America; and Golf, Inc. named BlackSeaRama in Bulgaria the 2010 International Development of the Year. Awards and accolades such as these are numerous, and for good reason. Gary Player Design doesn’t simply design the course and walk away; they also provide the consulting services that will guide a newly established project through the implementation steps necessary to ensure success. The results are premier golf courses & resorts that provide golfers with a unique style of luxury, the challenge of risk versus reward, and a truly memorable experience.
Although Gary Player’s golfing expertise influences every project, Gary Player Design offers three tiers of golf course design service; Black Knight Design™, Player Design™, and Gary Player Signature Design™. On Signature Design projects, Mr. Player is involved in every phase of design and development. With over 50 years of professional golf experience, Player, The World’s Most Traveled Athlete™ has visited and studied most of the great golf courses of the world so he understands that the design of a course takes both vision and respect for existing conditions. His design philosophy, and also that of The Player Group, is to create challenging yet playable courses that enhance the existing resources and retain the natural beauty of the land. Environmental sensitivity is a cornerstone of Gary Player’s passion for golf course design.
Gary Player, often referred to as the Black Knight, is one of the century’s greatest golfers and one of the original inductees into the World Golf Hall of Fame. He is one of only five golfers to ever win the Grand Slam on the PGA Tour and the only golfer to win the Grand Slam on both the regular and Champions Tour. Over the course of his career, Player participated in 438 Tour events, placed in the top 25 in 281 of them, and won 165 worldwide tournaments. Player, whose career earnings exceed $15 million, is a legend in his own time. Currently serving as The Global Ambassador to the World Golf Hall of Fame, he has been a three-time President’s Cup Captain and is ranked by Golf Digest as one of the top ten all-time golf greats. Player’s iconic status in sport adds immeasurable marketing value to all golf course design assignments he accepts. His legacy will most certainly ensure Gary Player’s Design success for many years to come.
Contact:
Gary Player Group
Grace Vine, 864-477-2720
grace@garyplayer.com
