FIPPA Newsletter - October 2006.
Welcome to this edition of the FIPPA Newsletter.
Martin Whitelaw, Catalonia, FIPPA Board Member.
Martin Whitelaw- recently retired as director in Solius, is Catalonia’s representative on the Board of the new International Federation and as assessor to the FCPP, offered his opinions about Pitch & Putt to the magazine Par 54.
We reproduce the article with permission of Par 54...
When you had the idea to open your Pitch & Putt in Solius did you imagine it would be the beginning of something important leading to an international federation?
Back then I had no idea that P&P could be so popular, not only in Catalonia, but also internationally. The founding of global organisation was beyond my wildest dreams.
Even before curious neighbours and others arrived to play while I was still finishing constructing the last few greens, I was convinced that I had to develop a new market for a new sport. Back in 1989 I did not expect the members of the reputable local golf clubs to play regularly on my humble course. It was pretty obvious to me; one cannot build a golf course, even a mediocre one on six hectares of land. My only option was to claim to have a reasonably decent Pitch & Putt course and attract people who had perhaps never played golf. From the very beginning I had hoped that others would follow my example and build other such courses and thus ensure that the game became popular. ‘Variety is the spice of life’ my Dad used to say, and Pitch & Putt players like to have a choice of venue, otherwise they will get fed up playing the same course all the time.
After more than ten years what is your perspective of this development?
I would never have thought that in such a short time we would have here in Catalonia as many regular Pitch & Putt players as in Ireland where the game has its roots going back 70 years. The Association of a number of courses has evidently satisfied a demand that the Federation of conventional golf clubs could not; access to a game - less time consuming, less expensive and more popular among all segments of society. Having said that, the game could not have established itself as a recognised sport in its own right were it not for the fact that those who invested in the construction of our courses had built courses to a very high standard of quality. This in turn has led to several others coming here from other countries for tips as to how to develop the sport.
What were the principal problems you had to deal with while negotiating the constitutions of the international federation?
There is no denying the fact that what may work in one place might not work in another for a variety of reasons; climate, density of population, availability of land, recreational alternatives etc. These variable factors will determine whether the Pitch & Putt course requires the installation of a costly irrigation system, provision of changing room and shower facilities, maintenance costs too will vary. Consequently the main difficulty we faced was to find an internationally acceptable consensus as to what we in different parts of the world mean when we talk about Pitch & Putt. I have just come back from a trip to Ireland, and I can assure you that the fairways are emerald green in spite of not having installed an automatic sprinkler system, in fact over there the irrigation is free and virtually guaranteed.
So you managed to reach a consensus?
The birth of a global Pitch & Putt organisation is the logical consequence of the success of the European Association. The biennial team championships together with our regular individual competitions at European level have attracted a tremendous interest in other countries where the game is only beginning to develop.
What role did the Irish P&P Union play?
The Irish Pitch & Putt Union has, over the years, established relations with several countries developing P&P. At our request they sent their best team to play against Catalonia in 1997. They laid the foundation for the international interest in the game which manifested itself last month in Teià with teams from 13 nations including Australia and Chile as well as observers from the USA, Russia, China and Mexico.
And institutional support here in Catalonia?
Not hesitant to support something that works well and has popular appeal, the Catalan Sports Ministry has recognised the fact that our sport is well organised and efficiently administered here. We must give credit to and congratulate our president Jose Maria Anzizu and his team of collaborators for their efforts in securing federative status for our sport here. This has had a catalyst effect and attracted the interest of other nations to emulate what we have achieved here and, since I was a kid, in Ireland.
What would be your perspectives for the recently constituted FIPPA and how might they affect us?
I’ll be optimistic and imagine that Pitch & Putt Federations in different continents will soon send to the FIPPA Council competing bids to host the World Championships, and, why not, maybe some day (when I hope to be in Heaven before the Devil will get the news that I’ve died) the Catalan team, reigning World Champions, might win an Olympic medal!
To conclude, a reflection as to what Pitch & Putt means to you personally?
I have on more than one occasion received recognition and appreciation for having introduced the sport here. I am extremely proud that my name (along with such figures such as Willie Parker and several others) will be mentioned when the history of Pitch & Putt is written. But more than that, I do get all emotional and feel especially honoured when a guy comes up to me during an important competition, shakes my hand and thanks me for giving him a hobby, a sport, and in some cases, even more than a sport. When I think about it, given the fact that we could do with more girls taking up the game, I suspect that some Pitch & Putt fans might accuse me as being responsible for more separations than marriages!
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