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Foremost Golf looks to the future F
oremost Golf reaches a major milestone in October when it celebrates its 30th birthday at its annual awards dinner at
Golf Show 2014 in Harrogate. It was established back in October 1984
when 26 PGA professionals formed a buying group operating out of a single room office in Burnham Beeches, but it has since diversified considerably and its membership has grown to almost 1,000 spread across all four of the home countries. “A lot of water has passed under the bridge
since Foremost Golf was established back in October 1984,” confirmed founder member and current CEO, Paul Hedges. “A few years before about a dozen
professionals in the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire area had formed a loose alliance to leverage better deals from the major manufacturers. It proved very successful but we soon realised we needed a more formalised structure and that’s when Foremost Golf was formed with the help of Swedish consultant, Jo Annemark. “Tony Buckner, who at the time was the
professional at Flackwell Heath, near High Wycombe, became the group’s first Chairman. Kim Thomas, then the pro at Stoke Poges (now Stoke Park), was enlisted as managing director and I took on the job as Financial Director before becoming MD in 1990.” “Former Ryder Cup player and Captain,
Bernard Gallacher, was one of our founder members and I’m delighted to say three of our other founder members are still actively involved with the group today,” added Hedges. “Steve Porter was at Hartley Whitley Golf Club when the group was established but moved to North Hants where he recently handed over the reins to his son, George. Clive Dell was at Ascot Golf Club and is now the professional at Oakdale GC in Harrogate, while Tony Rees was and still is (aſter more
asco, the specialist golf glove manufacturer, has introduced a new pair of gloves designed to help golfers keep
than 50 years) the professional at Oxford City Golf Club.” It was the first group of its kind to utilise a
centralised invoicing system and the first to launch both its own magazine and Trade Show. Foremost was also the first organisation to
establish its own Golf Club Buying Group, set up in order to protect its members by helping its member clubs to operate more efficiently at a time when many were under more financial pressure than ever before. It has also been thriving and currently has just under 400 member clubs. Despite difficult trading conditions, Hedges
is confident Foremost Golf can continue to prosper in the decades ahead. “I am more optimistic now than I was a
few years ago,” he admitted. “Many people were saying that the Internet might put us out of business but, unlike many other groups, we have learned to embrace the Internet and it has become one of our biggest assets. “Fortunately, amongst our members, we
have some of the best and most dynamic PGA professionals who are rising to the modern challenges and ensuring a successful future for both themselves and Foremost,” he added. “There will always be a place for quality
PGA professionals provided they are prepared to work hard, adapt to changing market conditions and deliver what the clubs and the golfers need. “That’s what we have been doing for the
last 30 years and there’s no reason why we can’t do the same for the next 30 years and beyond.”
www.foremostgolf.com
Keeping warm this Winter with Kasco K
their hands warm and maintain performance in the coldest of conditions this winter. The new Kasco Winter Fit
gloves feature a special Heat-Tex material across the knuckles and back of the hand – an innovation that helps to maintain warmth and increase blood flow for the duration of a round. The synthetic material in the palm area of the gloves also provides a strong grip in wet or dry conditions. “We know from customer feedback that golfers seek gloves that not only keep their hands warm
4 SGBGOLF
the Winter Fit gloves also have an elasticated velcro wrist strap designed to minimise the amount of heat escaping from the glove, as well as offering a better fit.
www.brandfusionltd.co.uk
out on the course, but can also be used to swing the club and hit shots as they would during the summer months,” says Matthew Hazelden, head of sales for Kasco in Europe. “The playing-nature of the Winter Fit also means that golfers don’t have to remove the gloves between shots and so they help speed up play during those desperately colder days.” In addition to the warming Heat-Tex material,
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