Crown Golf Targets 4 Million Unwanted Golf Bags In Amnesty

• Crown Golf appeals for golfers to surrender unwanted golf bags
• Amnesty runs from Thurs 12th June to Sun 28th September 2014
• 25 Crown Golf venues across the UK are drop-off points
• Amnesty also applies to unwanted golf clubs
• Photos wanted of unwanted golf bags & clubs
• Special Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BagAmnesty
• Golfers can donate items in period spanning U.S Open to Ryder Cup 2014
• Donations will be redistributed in UK and rest of world by The Golf Trust
• Grenada trip prize for two people supplied by Jason Roberts Foundation
• Callaway Golf bag voucher for all who donate

BRACKNELL, BERKS, UK .. Got an old golf bag in your garage, or some golf clubs which you will never use again? Here’s how to put them to good use.

Crown Golf, the UK’s leading golf club owner / operator, today announces an Amnesty – starting on June 12th 2014 – for the millions of unwanted golf bags and clubs lying neglected in golfers’ garages across the country.

With its ‘Free Bag’ campaign for the Freedom Play flexible membership rolling out across England – in which a character named Bag is shown as being neglected in a garage – Crown Golf has set up its 25 golf clubs as drop-off points to receive donations of surplus golf equipment from all members of the public, irrespective of whether they are golfers or not.

All items donated during the Crown Golf Bag & Equipment Amnesty 2014 will be shipped to a warehouse set up by golfing charity The Golf Trust, for re-distribution to golfers with physical and mental disabilities in conjunction with organisations such as Special Olympics GB and the Disabled Golf Society. The Golf Trust will also involve the donated goods in its outreach work in inner-city projects within the UK, and will also send them to countries such as Grenada and India where it is helping to grow the game.

One lucky participant (1) at a Crown Golf club will win a trip for two people to the Caribbean island of Grenada in autumn 2014, thanks to the Jason Roberts Foundation. But the trip will not only be a sunshine break – the pair will also be actively involved in the distribution of Bag Amnesty items to the island’s schools and parishes, and will also have the opportunity to play on Grenada’s only golf course, interacting with schoolchildren as they enjoy their newly-supplied golf equipment.

And everyone who donates a golf bag or golf club (2) during the Amnesty will receive a voucher courtesy of Callaway Golf, giving £20 off their next Callaway golf bag if bought from a Crown Golf pro shop during the Amnesty period.

The Crown Golf Bag & Equipment Amnesty 2014 opens on Thursday 12th June, and closes on Sunday 28th September.

In golfing language, that’s from the U.S Open to The Ryder Cup.

Most golfers will admit to having at least one old, unwanted golf bag lying neglected in the garage, plus several old golf clubs which will never be needed again.

With over 4 million regular golfers in the UK, there’s a “golf bag mountain” which the Crown Golf Bag Amnesty is setting out to reduce.

“With the Bag Amnesty, we are setting out to liberate abandoned golf bags and clubs from garages, stair cupboards, storage rooms and garden sheds across the UK” said Stephen Towers, Chief Operating Officer at Crown Golf.

“Our Freedom Play flexible membership is helping people to rediscover their love of golf, and by encouraging them to recycle their old golf bags and clubs at the same time, they are also helping the sport to grow into new areas.

“This initiative will genuinely help large numbers of people young and old, around the world, who do not have golf equipment of their own. I hope that many thousands of golfers and members of the public respond by each bringing in an item or two”.

Cae Menai-Davis, co-founder of The Golf Trust, said: “Please respond to this call to action! We are ready to receive and re-distribute as many golf bags and clubs as people can throw at us. So come on, be generous, and have a good clear-out – we can certainly put everything to good use in our various projects.

“And thanks to the Jason Roberts Foundation, which is dedicated to providing opportunities for young people both in the Caribbean and the UK to take part in sports, we’re looking forward to taking a Crown Golf prize-winner plus a friend on an unforgettable trip over to Grenada, to see for themselves the effect this generosity will have in the schools and parishes over there”.

Guy Riggott, Director of Operations at Crown Golf, is the man with the task of organising the Amnesty. “The Bag Amnesty 2014 takes in three of golf’s Majors, and you could say that this is our own Major this year. We all have our sleeves rolled up, and will be ready to start taking in people’s old bags and clubs when Justin Rose starts his defence of the U.S Open in June. It will be a logistical challenge, especially if the public really takes it to its heart, but we want a big response from golfers everywhere and we are delighted that we found the perfect partners in The Golf Trust, the Jason Roberts Foundation and Callaway Golf”.

Golfers who successfully root out their old golf bags and clubs should take them to their nearest Crown Golf pro shop (3) (see www.crown-golf.co.uk for full addresses), where they will receive their Callaway Golf bag voucher in return by way of thanks.

• Facebook Page address: https://www.facebook.com/BagAmnesty
• Address for golfers' own photos of their unwanted bags and clubs: bag@crown-golf.co.uk

For information about Crown Golf Freedom Play Membership, visit www.freedomplay.co.uk.

Ends.

(3)Drop-off points for the Crown Golf Bag & Equipment Amnesty 2014 are:

• 9 of Herts Golf Course, Rickmansworth, Herts WD3 1JS
• Addington Court Golf Centre, Croydon, Surrey CR0 9AA
• Batchworth Park Golf Club, Rickmansworth, Herts WD3 1JS
• Blue Mountain Golf & Conference Centre, Binfield, Berks RG42 4EX
• Cams Hall Estate Golf Club, Fareham, Hants PO16 8UP
• Chesfield Downs Golf & Country Club, Stevenage, Herts SG4 7EQ
• Eccleston Park Golf Club, Prescot, Merseyside L35 4PG
• Hampton Court Palace Golf Club, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey KT1 4AD
• Merrist Wood Golf Club, Guildford, Surrey GU3 3PB
• Milford Golf Club, Godalming, Surrey GU8 5HS
• Mill Green Golf Club, Welwyn Garden City, Herts AL7 4TY
• Oak Park Golf Club, Farnham, Surrey GU10 5PB
• Paultons Golf Centre, Romsey, Hants S)51 6AN
• Pine Ridge Golf Club, Camberley, Surrey GU16 9NX
• Pyrford Golf Club, Pyrford, Surrey GU22 8XR
• Sherfield Oaks Golf Club, Hook, Hants RG27 0HB
• South Essex Golf Centre, Brentwood, Essex CM13 3LW
• South Winchester Golf Club, Winchester, Hants SO22 5QX
• Sunbury Golf Centre, Shepperton, Middlesex TW17 8QA
• Stapleford Abbotts Golf Club, Stapleford Abbotts, Essex RM4 iJU
• St Mellion International Resort, Saltash, Cornwall PL12 6SD
• The Bristol Golf Club, Almonsbury, Bristol BS10 7TP
• The Hertfordshire Golf & Country Club, Broxbourne, Herts EN10 7PY
• Traditions Golf Course, Pyrford, Surrey GU22 8UE
• Wickham Park Golf Club, Fareham, Hants PO17 5PJ
  

CONTACT CROWN GOLF: 01344 200200, Hannah Baker, h.baker@crown-golf.co.uk

www.crown-golf.co.ukg

The award-winning Crown Golf group has 25 UK golf facilities and 38 golf courses in its portfolio. With pride in customer service and innovation, Crown Golf (established in 1994) aims to provide an outstanding golf experience for its members and visitors, tailor-made to suit the lifestyles and needs of a wide range of golfers. The company’s flagship is the European Tour venue St Mellion International Resort, home to The Nicklaus Signature Course – the first in the UK to be designed by 18-time Major-winner Jack Nicklaus.

www.thegolftrust.com

The Golf Trust was created to highlight and develop the inclusive values of golf. We feel that anyone and everyone should have the opportunity to play the sport regardless of circumstance. We seek to remove the barriers to participation so that everyone can play the sport we love. Our work is predominately outreach focused, taking the sport to inner city communities and places one may not usually associate golf with. The ComGolf project has worked tirelessly in London and the South East coaching over 10,000 people since September 2011. We've teamed up with organisations that share our aims to deliver fun community based projects with educational, health and technical performance outcomes.

www.freedomplay.co.uk

Of the estimated 4 million golfers in the UK, less than 1.5 million are members of a club. Crown Golf has created Freedom Play as a new way of joining a golf club, to encourage more golfers to take that step. In Freedom Play, golfers pay a low annual subscription and get credits which they exchange for rounds of golf. Play at busy times and you use more credits: play when it’s quiet, and your credits go further. Freedom Play membership is available at 18 Crown Golf clubs across the UK – see the website for locations.

www.jasonrobertsfoundation.com

The Foundation was established by Grenada international and Premier League footballer Jason Roberts, to provide opportunities for children and young people to participate in sports and cultural activities in the UK and in the Caribbean; to encourage young people in the UK and in Caribbean to participate in structured sporting activity, which will contribute to improving health and fitness, self esteem, confidence and social inclusion; to provide opportunities for young people to participate in learning programmes, which will enhance educational achievement; to develop a Sports Academy in Caribbean, which is accessible to children and young people across the island; and to work in partnership with key public, private and voluntary sector partners to deliver high quality provision.

www.callawaygolf.com

Through an unwavering commitment to innovation, Callaway Golf Company (NYSE:ELY) creates products and services designed to make every golfer a better golfer. Callaway Golf Company manufactures and sells golf clubs and golf balls, and sells golf apparel, footwear and accessories, under the Callaway Golf® and Odyssey® brands in more than 110 countries worldwide. For more information please visit our website at www.callawaygolf.com.