Container with golf ball donations travels around the world
The DP World Tour is giving golf balls a second life as part of its “Second Life Golf Ball Container“ fundraising campaign. The organizer of professional golf tournament series collects unused golf balls in a shipping container at its events and donates them to various projects to promote golf. The container with golf ball donations will also travel around the world in the 2023 season.
The initiative, which the namesake tour sponsor and international port operator DP World says will serve a “growth of golf around the world,” was first launched in 2022. Following donations from golf professionals and with the help of balls handed in by fans and supporters, the shipping container was filled to the top at the DP World Tour Championship season finale at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai. Over 130,000 golf balls have been collected at DP World tournaments in 2022.
Donation for five projects
Some of the golf balls were distributed to the South African Disabled Golf Association (SADGA) and the European Disabled Golf Association (EDGA). Both organizations advocate for golfers with disabilities and for inclusion. In addition, projects were supported in Kenya, India and the United Arab Emirates.
“At the South African Disabled Golf Association, we’ve been desperate for golf balls,” says Lily Reich, SADGA’s operations manager, “So it’s incredible that DP World can help alleviate this financial pressure with this fantastic initiative. Golf has provided many of our members with a second life in the sport that aligns beautifully with DP World’s vision.”
Asia premiere
The container has also been in use during the current season and was shipped to Asia for the first time at the end of April. At the Korea Championship at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in Incheon, South Korea, the container continued to be filled with the white balls. Here, new, used or unused golf balls could be donated by spectators during special contests in the fan zone.
Container on two German tournaments
Following the event in Asia, the container went on tour again towards Europe. This is also where the shipping container will be placed during the German tournaments on the DP World Tour.
Both with the Porsche European Open (June 2 to 5) at the Green Eagle Golf Courses on the outskirts of Hamburg as well as at the BMW International Open (June 23-26) at Golfclub München Eichenried, fans can donate their golf balls on site before the container then travels again and finally returns to its place of origin in Dubai at the end of the season at the DP World Tour Championship.
