Now Hungary Gets Golf Aid for New Development Plan
Further surplus revenue in the Ryder Cup European Development Trust continues to play a significant role in ‘spreading the gospel of golf’ in many areas… with HUNGARY the latest to benefit.
An application by UK PGA Fellow Member, Damien MacPherson, on behalf of a body set up to grow the game there, has been accepted with an opening grant for 2009 and a further sum to follow in 2010 ‘depending upon the success of the project’.
MacPherson, who moved to Hungary in 1998, saw news of the RCEDT funding received by Bulgaria and other neighbouring Eastern European countries, realised that Hungary should have similar support, and reacted by carefully setting up an organisation and a visionary national programme to justify it.
Hungary’s successful application could be regarded as one of the role models for such applications.
A national golf foundation was set up by him and colleagues entitled Nemetzi Golf Egylet (NGE). Its function is to establish an appropriate, visionary programme, structured to take golf to the masses for the future.
Among those with him on NGE, to promote and run the scheme, are Sándor Lintner whose background is in radio and television journalism qualifies him to communicate the benefits of the scheme while past Olympian, László Szalma, a former Hungarian long jump champion, is a Hungarian sporting icon.
The Trust Fund, while accepting new schemes into the fold, continues the annual support of grass roots schemes previously inaugurated but requiring more funding to carry on.
Typical of this on-going commitment is the national junior development scheme launched in Ireland to coincide with the staging of the matches at the K Club in 2006. After an initial grant to get the coaching and training programme underway in schools and other establishments for young people it was agreed that annual sums would follow.
