Green Drive at British Masters focuses on fun factor
Fun plus sport – with these two ingredients, the DP World Tour‘s new Green Drive tree planting campaign kicks off on June 29 at the Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo at The Belfry in England. Here, the tenth hole of the course is the center of interest, a par 4 with water in front of the green, which is attacked by many players with the drive. For every ball that hits the green, 100 trees will be planted in collaboration with One Tree Planted, including in the Forest of Mercia in the English West Midlands. A large grandstand will be built around the tenth green, creating a stadium atmosphere.
Communicating sustainability to fans
The interesting thing about the Green Drive project is the fact that this is the first time that the DP World Tour has tried to communicate the topic of sustainability to fans in a casual and relaxed way. After a successful green drive, passing the water hazard in front of the green, the player still receives a T-shirt cannon with which he shoots sustainably produced T-shirts into the fan community. The Green Drive campaign is part of the profit tour’s attempt to halve the DP World Tour’s CO₂ footprint by 2030 and set it at zero by 2040. This also takes into account the mobility of fans, which to date has always proved to be the biggest CO₂ polluter when it comes to CO₂ reporting from golf tournaments.
“We must find innovative ways to bring our fans along with us in this journey and encourage them to choose cleaner ways to watch live golf – be that through choosing greener transport options, recycling when on site, or eating sustainably produced food,” notes Keith Pelley, CEO of the DP World Tour .
At the Betford British Masters, the green drive on hole 10 is not the only action that draws attention to the issue of sustainability. At the Green Drive Simulator, golf fans can try out the swing themselves. The two-pound entry fee will go to Prostate Cancer UK, and gifts for participants will be donated by Oceantee. For the Nearest-to-The-Pin, you get a Callaway Driver. And: On July 1, the three best players from the simulator challenge also get to play the tenth hole live. Anyone who then hits the green again with the drive will be provided with Callaway balls free of charge for a year.
The Green Drive campaign in The Belfry is not the only one of its kind this year. It will also be held at the Scottish Open in July and at other tournaments thereafter.
