FootJoy continues to experience success at all levels of the game following the recent announcement that over 1,400 junior golfers took part in the first series of official qualifying events for England Golf’ 2012 National Skills Challenge.

The innovative event, sponsored by FJ, provides budding young golfers with a fun platform upon which to improve their golfing skills by practicing putting, chipping, pitching, bunker play and the long-game.

FootJoy has been the official sponsor of the event since 2010, and in that time it has gone from strength-to-strength as golf clubs have taken to the initiative, having seen it as a great way of encouraging youngsters to play the game. As an avid supporter of junior golf, the market-leading brand provides an array of products and prizes for all the players at the Regional and National Finals.

Russell Lawes, FootJoy’s European Marketing Manager is delighted to once again be supporting the initiative, “Grass roots golf is immensely important and we are committed to supporting the stars of tomorrow. This is a fantastic initiative that provides a fun and easy way for junior golfers to improve all aspects of their game in an enjoyable and relaxed environment. We look forward to building on the success of previous year’s events, and we wish all involved every success.”

The signs for future development are very encouraging as a staggering 760 clubs and more than 6000 juniors have registered for the National Skills Challenge. Clubs can choose whether to take part in the official challenge events or to run their own club challenge, or to simply incorporate the activities in their own junior coaching schedules.

“The National Skills Challenge is a fun way to encourage juniors to practice and develop their skills,” commented Richard Flint, England Golf Development Manager. “We are absolutely delighted to have the continued support and sponsorship from FootJoy, their commitment to the challenge helps to attract outstanding young golfer’s year on year.”

The deadline for the second round of qualifying events to be played is Sunday 15th July. The best players from the two events will then be eligible to qualify for the four Regional Finals in August, where they will compete for a place in National Final in September.

For more information on the National Skills Challenge, including details on how to register, please visit www.getintogolf.org/skills