Ryder Cup 2014: Golf classes for Perth pensioners

The Ryder Cup will be held at Gleneagles in September. Picture: Neil Hanna

The care home tour is one of a series of initiatives announced today by Perth and Kinross Council, Ryder Cup Europe and Gleneagles Hotel.

School competitions with prizes for the best use of Ryder Cup resources are also planned, along with prizes for businesses and golf clubs who engage the local community in the run-up to the biennial clash between Europe and the USA.

Councillor Ian Miller, the leader of Perth and Kinross Council, said: “With the 2014 Ryder Cup taking place in Scotland for the first time in 40 years, there’s everything to play for.

“We want everybody to feel part of this special event and, thanks to the generosity of Ryder Cup Europe and Gleneagles Hotel, we are able to offer some fantastic prizes to those groups and individuals who really take pride in Perth and Kinross.”

Richard Hills, European Ryder Cup Director, said: “The Ryder Cup embodies all that is good about the spirit of the game of golf and these community competitions are the perfect way for community spirit in Perth and Kinross to be engendered too.

“At the same time, I am confident that everyone will rejoice in the fact that this – the 40th staging of The Ryder Cup – will leave behind it its own legacy across Scotland through the work done by the Clubgolf programme in addition to the Ryder Cup Educational Resource – both in the on-line school curriculum and through the bursary scheme for secondary education.”

A council spokeswoman said: “Schools will be invited to compete for £500 for school funds by showing how they have used the Ryder Cup Educational Resource, how they have used golf within the curriculum and how they have chosen to celebrate the event taking place in Perth and Kinross this year.

“Businesses will also be encouraged to show their pride by taking part in a competition for the best commercial business or shop display on the 2014 Ryder Cup theme, with £250 towards a team building or celebration event up for grabs.”

She added: “There is a special prize for the greatest contribution by a golf club in Perth and Kinross to the legacy aims of the 2014 Ryder Cup. Golf clubs will be asked to show how they have helped to make golf accessible and sustainable, with a prize of £500 for the club’s kitty and a round of golf for eight people at the PGA Centenary Course.

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