Hope Island, Gold Coast, Queensland (10am, 11 July 2018):

Rapid Golf: Welcoming a fitness-conscious youth to Golf courses everywhere.

Pre-Event Press Conference Details:

Wednesday, 18 July 2018 @ 10am

Attendees: Dawn Fraser, Karen Lunn, Tracey-Lea Tiley, Matt Burgess.

Links Hope Island

Main Event: “Australian Rapid Golf Championships”

Friday, 20 July 2018 @ 3pm followed by Afterparty @ 5:30pm

Links Hope Island

Event Details:

●      Players: 10 male and 10 female are being invited to compete.

●      Men and women will compete against each other for the national crown of “2018 Australian Rapid Golf Champion”.

●      Rapid Golf celebrates absolute gender equality - male and female players use the same tee, rotating male to female playing order, men compete with women, one ranking, one champion.

●      The Event has been officially sanctioned by the ALPG (Australian Ladies Professional Golf) under a “Specialty Event Sanction” (see below for details)

●      An Afterparty will follow at Links Hope Island for all spectators, players, friends, media and local club members.

●      Various biometric data is collected from players using market-leading technology athlete tracking and data analytics technology.

●      Discussions are currently happening around Australia and NZ to ensure people who want to play Rapid Golf can compare their scores with the rest of the Rapid Golf community and with the support of their local golf club.

●      Social leagues (e.g. affiliated with gyms), schools and university groups will be set up as affiliates with local golf clubs to play Rapid Golf around the country.

●      Rapid Golf actively welcomes technology and equipment innovators so they can finally apply their ideas in a competitive golf environment.

●      A highlights show will be produced from the Event for distribution.

Links to Content to use in news and editorial:

Playing Rapid Golf at the Event: https://youtu.be/1o_96QW65ZE

Examples of Playing Rapid Golf in Competition and Socially: https://youtu.be/w1Cr8mnzWiw

Dropbox to photos, press release, video content that may only be used for news purposes relating to the 2018 Australian Rapid Golf Championships: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/sezjakb9v5wlgqb/AABv4_jqqdi34tL858JfiC7Ta?dl=0

Background on Rapid Golf and Event:

The #1 item on the agenda of every Golf club and administrator around the world is how to address the issue of a rapidly ageing Golf membership. More than a third (38%) of Golf members in Australia are over 65 years old (Source: AusPlay data released on 16 Nov 2017 by the Australian Sports Commission). We need to start offering solutions, not just repeatedly identifying this issue as if that is progress.

“Rapid Golf aims to open golf course doors to the fitness-conscious. It is clear that there is a desire from young Australians to be challenged wholistically, both physically and mentally by their sport or recreation. Combining the incredible fresh-air assets golf courses offer, the physical challenge of running and the mental discipline to play great golf shots and Rapid Golf is the answer!” states Matt Burgess, founder of Rapid Golf: www.rapid.golf.

“The Australian Rapid Golf Championships is the first competitive event for the sport anywhere in the world.”

“Rather than shy away, Rapid Golf encourages and welcomes innovation of technology and equipment in Golf. Rapid Golf uses market-leading technology from its partners to ensure we collect data from athletes like no other Golf event ever has before.”

The Rules:

Click here for the very simple rules of Rapid Golf: http://rapid.golf/how-to-play/

A first for the Technology Involved!

The Australian Rapid Golf Championships will utilise the latest market-leading athlete tracking and data analytics technology to collect performance data from each player’s round. Each player will wear a tracking device to track the player’s time, speed, acceleration, distance travelled and overall exertion providing more information about Golf players than ever before in competition. The use of such groundbreaking technology will be a cornerstone of how Rapid Golf tracks performance, player wellbeing, determines winners and engages viewers over event broadcast in the future.

Karen Lunn, CEO of the Australian Ladies Professional Golf (ALPG):

“Rapid Golf presents an exciting new direction for our game by providing a combination of fitness and golf rolled into one course friendly product. At ALPG we are always looking to explore quality innovative opportunities and the Australian Rapid Golf Championships presents us with exactly that. We are focused on ensuring that not only our members but all women golfers have access to quality events and ideas for growing their engagement in sport, in addition to playing our part in attracting new players to the game of Golf generally.”

The Event has received a “Specialty Sanction” by ALPG.

What is an ALPG “Specialty Sanction”?

Karen Lunn: “The specialty sanction is a concept we have developed to ensure ideas like Rapid Golf can apply for support from the ALPG on the basis the idea is something we feel progresses the ALPG mission to better our game for female golfers in Australia.”

Links Hope Island also see the significant long-term benefits of supporting Rapid Golf:

Tracey-Lea Tiley, General Manager of Links Hope Island:

“Links Hope Island prides itself on innovation and proactively searching for new and exciting ways to grow the game. Rapid Golf presents a sustainable solution that we think will attract millennials through fitness and social networking well after the Australian Rapid Golf Championships are held at Links on July 20. If we are going to talk the talk, then we hold ourselves accountable to walk the walk, or run the run in this case, by actively supporting ideas like Rapid Golf.”

About Rapid Golf

Founded by Matt Burgess from Evolve Sports Group, Rapid Golf was started in Los Angeles playing social rounds of golf while talking to those golfers who already “run the course” and wanting something more physical from the game. This will be the first time we will see Rapid Golf brought to a competitive arena. Burgess has been a sports attorney within action sport for 12 years, the last 3 of which have been working in Los Angeles with the World Surf League.

“Running on a golf course is as old as the golf courses themselves. There is someone at almost every golf course who wants more of a physical challenge to their Golf experience. Rapid Golf aims to bring this energetic community together using technology and cooperation from forward-thinking golf courses like Links Hope Island” says Burgess. “These running golfers have not had anywhere to compete in a way that respects the golf courses and Rapid Golf invites them to now compete against others whether they run early or late in the day, whether they live on different sides of the globe or are chasing each other up the same fairway. Rapid Golf is working with golf courses around the world to ensure it is as easy as possible for people to pick up the sticks and run real quick!”

About ALPG:

Formed in 1972, the ALPG is a member-based organisation that is the sanctioning body for women’s professional golf in Australia and New Zealand. ALPG is an enthusiastic and passionate organisation which has a long and proud history of expanding and improving career opportunities for women professional golfers. The ALPG Tour is recognised by the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings as one of the seven major women’s professional tours in the world.

About Links Hope Island:

Located on the Gold Coast just 20 minutes from Surfers Paradise and 40 minutes from the Brisbane CBD, Links Hope Island Golf Course is the centrepiece of Hope Island Resort. With its 5-Star facilities and consistent rankings as one of Australia’s top ten resort courses, Links Hope Island Golf Course is the ultimate destination for corporate and social golf, functions and events.

Links Hope Island Golf Course welcomes visitors and there are plenty of opportunities for Public, Corporate and Social Golf Packages to be arranged through the Club. We look forward to welcoming you to the Club and having you experience the facilities and service Links Hope Island is renowned for.

More Information and Media Contact:

So we can respond as quickly as possible, please submit any media inquiry here: http://rapid.golf/media-enquiries/

We endeavour to respond immediately to any media inquiry.