If you are a fan of the game of golf you’d have realized that the every Pro-Am tournament or Challenge attracts hordes of crowds and many sponsors. Each tournament has multiple golf sponsors who utilize this opportunity to market their products/services and create brand awareness about it. There are many big players in this arena making it an interesting and exciting marketing study.

Some of the top golf sponsors include financial institutions, large cap companies, and well as some of the old regular sponsors such as watch companies, white goods companies etc. Let’s take a look at who is fighting whom for sponsorship results form a well-thought of, expensive and perhaps, effective marketing initiative.

The first name that comes to mind as a top golf sponsor is HSBC Bank. HSBC has several sponsorships and it’s portfolio of professional golf tournaments include:

o HSBC World Match Play – UK

o HSBC Women’s World Match Play – USA

o Champions – China

If you follow the pattern of HSBC’s sponsorship, you’ll find that the financial institution has a top to bottom approach to golf sponsorships and is clearly evident because it supports golf tournaments at the bottom levels in both US and China.

Another major and top golf sponsor is The Citigroup Private Bank. Recently it signed a 3-year contract to become the new presenting sponsor for The Tavistock Cup. Tavistock Group is a private investment company that owns two of the finest golf clubs in the word, namely Isleworth and Lake Nona and this competition is organized between the pro golf members of Iselworth Golf and Country Club as well as Lake Nona Golf and Country Club.

On the other side of the globe, in China, the 3rd Annual JA China Golf Classic tournament, which took place at Pine Valley Golf Resort and Country Club witness sponsorship from 15 leading Chinese companies and organizations such as E&Y China, Microsoft China, GE China and The St. Regis Beijing. Some of the top Chinese media companies that participated include BusinessWeek/China, Chinese WSJ.com and Sina.com. The JA China Classic is a philanthropic event and all the proceeds from this event are used to encourage more and more Chinese business leaders to support the cause of education in order to prepare future business leaders in China. The theme of the JA Golf Classic is “Developing Future Entrepreneurs with Social Responsibility”.

Also, HP is set to sponsor the CompTIA Charity Golf Classic Tournament. The CompTIA Educational Foundation has announced that Hewlett-Packard Company has become the lead sponsor for the Second Annual Creating Futures Charity Golf Classic. “Creating Futures” event will be a benefit program which is being organized for nurturing IT industry career opportunities. The Creating Futures Charity Golf Classic is going to be played on August 4 at one of the best public golf courses in the Greater Orlando region, the Falcon’s Fire Golf Club. The CompTIA Education Foundation provides career opportunities to those groups whose interests have not been represented in the IT Industry such as veterans switching over from the military; disabled individuals; youth at-risk; and dislocated workers.

Golf short game practice can dramatically improve your skills from 100 yards and closer. By doing so, you will find that you are able to save good scores from almost any situation. This is a luxury that everyone would love to have. With golf short game practice, it is a luxury everyone actually can have.

In golf, practice makes perfect. This is something that you need to beat into your brain if you really want to become a better golfer. Consider this, nearly 70% of shots taken during your round will be from inside of 150 yards. This little fact is something that most people do not realize. And when people decide to go to the practice range to hit some balls, they usually end up hitting a majority of their shots with drivers and other long irons. Everyone is so fascinated with the long drive, when your real scoring opportunities come from green side shots.

Golf practice drills will help you fine tune this aspect of your game, and you will find that you are shooting lower scores on a regular basis. Here are some golf short game practice tips that can help you polish that area of your game;

-Use a firm and gentle grip to improve your green side play. All to many players think that golf is merely a grip it and rip it sport. That could not be further from the truth. Use a firm grip with your hands, and a gentle, loose feeling in your arms.

-Use proper mechanics. The fastest way to lower your scores on the course is through golf short game practice, and that includes working on mechanics. You will find that it is nearly impossible to hit consistent short shots with poor mechanics. There are plenty of great resources that can show you how to use proper mechanics around the greens, it is up to you to practice and implement them into your game.

-Putt, Putt, Putt – If you work on your putting on a regular basis, you will find that 3 putts are a thing of the past. So many people leave strokes on the table because of their inability to 2 putt from a long distance.

Golf short game practice is an instrumental part of becoming a better golfer. The main thing to remember is that positive results will come with quality practice. I have seen many players improve their green side skills so dramatically that they lowered their handicaps by up to 6 strokes in just a few short weeks. You can do the same with consistent practice, and the right training resources.