Written By Amy Offord
28th June 2024
On Tuesday 25th June, 76 female golfers including 6 professional players from the Ladies European Tour and 6 professionals from the Ladies European Access Tour came together for the inaugural Cara Gainer Invitational, a golf tournament spearheaded by Cara Gainer at Castle Royle Golf & Country Club.
Following registration and refreshments, the elite players were assigned to one of 19 teams consisting of mixed ability female golf members from across The Club Company’s collection of clubs. On the hottest day of the year so far, a shotgun start kicked off proceedings on the beautiful 18-hole course. Players were later met with a luxurious seafood buffet in the marquee, alongside homemade cakes and all-day refreshments at the halfway hut.
As an ambassador for The Club Company, Cara Gainer oversaw the event’s proceedings - welcoming attendees, briefing teams and leading a clinic with her coach and the England National Head Coach, Rob Watts, focused on her training aids and how she goes about her practice routine.
Cara commented; “We were so lucky with the weather and it was a fantastic turnout – it was great to see so many Castle Royle faces as well as new faces from other clubs within The Club Company group. The clinic was great - I just tried to give a bit of wisdom to some of the players and hopefully they took that out on to the golf course and it helped them to shoot a few better scores.”
During the day, Cara joined fellow Ladies European Tour Pros Annabel Fuller and Lily-Mae Humphries for a Q&A focusing on topics such as how they deal with life on the road, how to stay mentally strong when the game isn’t going well and their favourite courses to play.
Winners of the overall team event were Pro Annabel Fuller with Carla Staddon from Woodbury Park, Hetta Brown from Benton Hall and Maria Warman, who each took away the spoils of bottles of champagne and brand-new golf bags.
This all-female competition was designed to promote women’s participation in golf, with elite golfers playing alongside amateurs to celebrate the women’s golfing community. And it’s one which is growing at rapid speed, as Cara reflects; “The Ladies European Tour has massively improved in the last couple of years in terms of the size of prize funds we play for, more tournaments on the schedule, different countries involved and more global reach than we’ve seen in previous years... five or six years ago there were only 13 or 14 events on the schedule and now we have almost 30, so it’s a huge increase. It’s down to exposure as well – people are paying more attention to the women’s game and it’s hopefully getting that same exposure as men’s sport.” She is also passionate about getting more girls into the game to give a platform to the next generation and keep the momentum moving forward.
About The Club Company:
The Club Company is a premium collection of 17 country clubs - the majority located in central and southern England. A range of premium facilities are on offer to members and visitors centred around wellbeing: including championship standard golf courses, modern health and fitness facilities, swimming, tennis courts, bars, eateries and hotel accommodation.
The Club Company’s mission is to unquestionably be the UK’s premier collection of country clubs, helping members and visitors improve their wellbeing through its beautiful locations, exceptional facilities and friendly and welcoming environments.
