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Contact:
Peter Walton - Chief Executive
International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO)
1 Trafalgar House Grenville Place London NW7 3SA United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0) 20 8906 3377
Fax: +44 (0) 20 8906 8181
Email: pwalton@iagto.com
Website: www.iagto.com
According to Robert Trent Jones Junior, one of the world’s most successful golf course designers, golf and golf tourism brings stability and encourages serious inward investment into the world’s developing nations. Trent Jones Junior, who has designed golf courses in some of the world’s most exotic and sometimes unusual destinations was speaking at the annual global gathering for golf tour operators held at Estoril, Portugal from December 5-9th.
He was presented with an Honorary Award for his outstanding contribution to the development of golf across the world, by members of the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) during their Golf Travel Awards ceremony at the Estoril Casino.
After being presented with the award by 2002 Ryder Cup Captain, Sam Torrance, Trent Jones told the audience about how a solid basis of tourism can bring non-tourism investment to a country.
He said: "If you bring tourism to a country and create golf courses, other corporate investors look at the change brought to non-tourist zones in such places as Moscow and China and they see the lifestyle which tourism attracts which in turn attracts more inward investment from big non golf related companies."
California based Trent Jones has followed in the footsteps of his very famous father Robert Trent Jones Senior and he has been involved in building and amending golf courses in almost every country in the world.
IAGTO members attending the awards, which are a major part of the annual International Golf Travel Market, gave him a standing ovation following his speech at the Estoril Convention Centre. IAGTO's Chief Executive, Peter Walton, cited the following as being the principle reasons for singling out Robert Trent Jones Jr as the recipient of this year's IAGTO Honorary Award:
- The primary consideration of the millions of golfers who take a golf holiday each year is to have the opportunity to play high quality, well maintained golf courses which are enjoyable to play and to walk even when their game is not!
There are of course hundreds of excellent golf course architects the world over, but only a few of these have been able to have an effect on quite so many golf courses as Robert Trent Jones II, whether this be through design or re-modelling.
- More importantly than this, more than any other golf course architect, Robert Trent Jones II designs are synonymous with great golf holiday destinations. The majority of RTJII courses are open to visitors and most are located in destinations popular with golf travellers.
- The designs themselves have a reputation for being fair and enjoyable for the golf traveller, who may only have the opportunity to play each course once or twice. Due consideration is always given to the ease with which the courses can be maintained which is so essential in ensuring that the golf course directors and green keepers can deliver a high quality product to their visiting golfers the year round.
- Robert Trent Jones II has built some of the most spectacular courses anywhere in the world and a number of individual courses have actually been responsible for turning an unknown location into a recognised golf destination.
- Without doubt, the enjoyment that Robert Trent Jones II courses have given to golf travellers and the influence that these courses have had on golf destinations around the world, is second to none and of enormous importance to the global golf tourism industry.
Following the awards, Robert Trent Jones Junior and Sam Torrance joined together for a question and answer session with the audience.
Previous Honorary Award Winners are Gary Player, Seve Ballesteros, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.
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