Committing golf

What is the World Corporate Golf Challenge? And why is Waterways Ireland sponsoring it?

Or is it?

Google found about ten mentions of an event called the “Irish qualifier” for the “Waterways Ireland World Corporate Golf Challenge” including this one from the NI Chamber of Commerce, which you might expect to have better things to do with its time. However, despite what some sites suggest, I suspect that (unless it has lost its penkas completely) WI is sponsoring only the “Irish qualifier” and not the entire worldwide event. WI’s website search engine returns no relevant information.

The World Corporate Golf Challenge (I’m already reaching for the sickbag) doesn’t seem to have heard of Ireland (or of Waterways Ireland), although it lists Northern Ireland as a participating country. So is this an “Irish qualifier” or a “Northern Irish qualifier”?

The WCGC, whose website tells us where the 2010 final will take place,  seems to work by licensing organisations to run local competitions. The Northern Ireland licence is held by Lough Erne Resort, where the 2012 “Irish qualifier” will be held on 25 September; it has delegated the organising of the event to Posnett Golf, which will have a special offer but doesn’t yet know what it is. The resort was placed in administration in May 2011 and may now be for sale.

But why is WI sponsoring this event? It’s just going to attract a pack of Nigels and Patricks who, on a Tuesday, should have their feet under their desks saving the Northern Ireland economy. And all of them have already, I suspect, heard of Lough Erne, and of golf, so I don’t see what WI expects to gain from this.

Incidentally, have you ever noticed that golf is essentially a less exciting variant of Eeyore’s game?

But Eeyore wasn’t listening. He was taking the balloon out, and putting it back again, as happy as could be ….