Golf Victoria is pleased to advise all clubs, Districts and the Victorian Golf League of its endorsement of the 2017 Longest Day of Golf to be held on Monday 18 December.
The Longest Day of Golf is an endurance golf challenge that tests skill, strength and stamina. The challenge is to successfully complete four rounds of golf between dawn and dusk on a single day in December and raise funds for skin cancer research.
Golf Victoria and the Cancer Council Victoria encourage all Victorian clubs to promote this unique event to club members and support those players who join in this challenging 72-hole golf marathon.
All funds raised for the 2017 Longest Day of Golf event will fund a skin cancer research study investigating immunotherapy for more effective cancer treatment that is based at Monash University. Research in this area could lead to breakthroughs in the treatment of tumors including melanoma with $200,000 needed this year to fund this vital research project.
Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. Over 750,000 Australians are treated for skin cancer each year – over 2,000 people every day. This is particularly relevant to golf with it naturally being an outdoor sport.
The nationhas some of the highest levels of UV radiation in the world – strong enough in Victoria to cause sunburn in as little as 11 minutes on a fine summer day. The good news is that the use of good sun protection will significantly cut your risk of skin cancer at any age and certainly all golfers need to consistently wear hats, appropriate clothing and apply sun cream when enjoying the sport.
To participate in the 2017 Longest Day of Golf, a minimum of two players need access to four tee times across the day to complete the 72-holes. Stableford is the competition format to help ensure all four rounds can be completed during daylight hours.
Beginning at dawn, players can compete in pairs and aim to complete each round in less than three hours to complete the challenge. While Monday 18 December is the nominated date for this year’s Longest Day of Golf, it’s fine for the challenge to be played on a more convenient day anytime in the two weeks leading up to Christmas.
To register your club or team for the Longest Day of Golf visit:
www.cancervic.org.au/LongestDay
Once registered, clubs or individual players can easily set up a fundraising webpage and email the link out to family, friends or colleagues seeking sponsorship for participating in the Longest Day of Golf. All sponsorship donations are tax deductible. Sponsorship could be amounts for:
· each hole played;
· each par or birdie made;
· scoring achievements;
· general donations.
As part of the Challenge, Cancer Council Victoria and Golf Victoria are offering various prizes including recognition to the Melbourne member club and country Victorian club which raise the greatest amount of funds. Each club will receive a perpetual trophy and allocated three positions in the 2018 Oates Vic Open Pro-Am to be played at 13th Beach on Tuesday 30 January.
The Longest Day of Golf event was initiated by Andrew Buxton, Managing Director of MAB Corporation who had previously taken on the challenge of playing multiple rounds of golf with members of his club and raising funds for charity. In 2013, the idea was taken to the Cancer Council Victoria and the Longest Day of Golf became a formal fundraising event.
For further golf queries in relation to the 2017 Longest Day of Golf can be directed to the GV Office. All registration and fundraising enquiries can be directed to Claire Hunter,Community Engagement & Special Events Coordinator at Cancer Council Victoria on9514 6508 or email to claire.hunter@cancervic.org.au