“We have ten seconds to catch our breath. Then we debrief, plan and work on other events we are involved in,” said Gaye Wolfson, general manager of the event team at Richemont, the luxury goods company that owns Alfred Dunhill, along with Cartier, Montblanc and Chloé.
Describing the immediate aftermath of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, Wolfson, in her role heading the team which implements the event, says: “We always see what we want to do differently as the event is happening – we are constantly learning. Our over-riding objective is to make it better every year.”
More than 23,000 people descended on three of Scotland’s links golf courses to watch the final day of the championship in October. Unique on the European Tour, the championship is staged with professionals playing alongside celebrities and amateur golfers.
As well as professionals such as Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood and Paul Lawrie, the four-day tournament featured actors Andy Garcia, Hugh Grant, Jamie Dornan, musician Ronan Keating and sportsmen Sir Ian Botham and Sir Steve Redgrave teeing off at St Andrews Old Course, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie.
VisitScotland has credited the competition, which came to a dramatic end when Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen claimed the top prize, with helping raise the profile of golf among less traditional audiences and promoting Scotland as a leading golfing destination.
The championship also marked the end of a spectacular summer of golf in Scotland, which included the 144th Open at St Andrews, the Scottish Open at Gullane and the RICOH’s Women’s British Open at Trump Turnberry. For Wolfson, the challenge is to “create, organise and deliver a memorable experience for all our professionals, amateur guests and the public.”
She added: “We also work closely with our TV partners, Sky Sports in the UK, the Golf Channel in the US and some 50 other broadcasters around the world, to convey the uniqueness and special atmosphere to the television audience – we want to make our event stand out against the other events on the golf calendar.
“The smiling faces of all the players tell us all has gone well and that’s what makes it worthwhile for all of us working behind the scenes. When we see tweets from both our amateurs and our pros saying this is the best week of the year for them it’s great, very rewarding.”
The company has a deep connection with Scotland: “We were fortunate to have worked with the Alfred Dunhill Cup before the first Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, so had 16 years of experience in St Andrews to help us.
“But, you may recall the first year had many challenges with the weather and we ended up playing an extra day like this year’s Open – a very challenging start for us. This year by comparison was a dream – best weather ever. Fingers crossed for 2016!”
The connection goes far deeper than just the annual spectacle of celebrities, golf pros and amateurs competing: “The big focus for us over the 15 years of the tournament and the 30-plus years of being in Scotland has been to work with the surrounding communities, towns and companies. And we now have many excellent relationships in place which we are committed to building on.”
Wolfson said that one of the most rewarding aspects is the charity element of the championship. Since it started in 2001, millions of pounds have been raised for a variety of beneficiaries. The Alfred Dunhill Links Foundation was founded in 2011 as the official charity of the event and funds are allocated to local and international charities and a variety of benevolent organisations.
A particular focus of the foundation is young golfers and it currently supports youngsters to play golf in South Africa and Scotland. There is also a very close connection with St Andrews, including support of a charity that helps with renovation of historic areas of the town and the funding of scholarships at the University of St Andrews.
“It’s great to see how all the players connect with our charity work and want to do what they can to help. And this is going to get bigger over the years to come,” said Wolfson. “This has to be one of the most exciting things about the championship.”
