120-strong group of love.golfers gather to witness The Solheim Cup

A community of over 120 new female golfers from across Scotland were brought together at Gleneagles to show their support for the world’s best female golfers from Europe and USA at The Solheim Cup.

The group, all participants of Syngenta-supported women’s coaching initiative love.golf, travelled in from all corners of the country to be part of event. For the majority of them, The Solheim Cup was their first experience of a professional golf tournament.

Among the attendees was Karen Harkins, a love.golfer from West Kilbride. Karen, who is 39 and married with two children, has been part of the programme for over two years. Commenting on her Solheim experience, Karen said “When I first walked into Gleneagles, I could feel the atmosphere, the excitement building and the energy coming from all the fans. I’m fortunate to have attended other golf events too, but none of them are like this. In my mind, this is how golf events should be.”

Head Coach and Founder, Alastair Spink, who accompanied the group, also shared his thoughts on the day: “We are fortunate to have recruited an enthusiastic and committed group of love.golfers, particularly in Scotland, and I think this opportunity and experience at Gleneagles will take their enthusiasm to the next level."

Host venue of The Solheim Cup, Gleneagles, recently announced its support of love.golf, hosting a launch event in August, and soon to be followed up by a series of continuing sessions.

"As part of love.golf's commitments to The R&A Women in Golf Charter, we have pledged to grow and sustain female participation working alongside partners, so the continued impact and legacy at Gleneagles, around Scotland and further afield is of paramount importance to us," added Alastair. 

The event culminated in a grandstand finish, with Europe's Suzann Pettersen holing a birdie putt on the 18th green to clinch a 14.5 - 13.5 victory for Team Europe.

love.golf attendees were supplied tickets to the event by PING, who have also supported the women’s coaching initiative by sending over 80 starter sets to love.golf venues UK-wide for newcomers to the game to use during their sessions.

love.golf is a coaching programme exclusively designed for women, based on market research by Syngenta and academic study by Head Coach and Founder, Alastair Spink.

Golf clubs or venues interested in taking on the love.golf initiative should contact Alastair at alastair@love.golf.

For more information on love.golf visit: www.love.golf