The 82,000-seater stadium at Twickenham, the home of English rugby, is to host a new kind of golf experience this summer that combines elements of a range-style experience in the unique setting of one of sport’s most iconic stadiums.
Through a collaboration with US-based golf company Stadium Golf Tour and sports marketing agency Maverick Sports + Entertainment, a new tour has been created that gives golfers the chance to play in some of the most iconic stadia in the world, including now, the home of England Rugby.
The tour will take place throughout the summer and include five other stadia. Twickenham will host upwards of 7,000 golfers when the tour arrives there between June 8-11. On those dates, the stadium will be transformed into a 9-hole golf course, however with a surprising new format and scoring system.
Instead of just walking around the pitch, the nine tees will be situated on specially constructed platforms situated around the stadium bowl. Golfers will then hit shots onto greens situated on the pitch, with a self-scoring system from eagle to double bogey, depending on how close your ball lands to the hole. If a golfer’s tee shot doesn’t make it onto the pitch, the shot is scored as a triple-bogey. A shot that lands on the field, but not on the green, is a bogey. A shot that lands on the green is a par, and a shot that lands in the circle around the flag is a birdie. And, yes, there are cups for each hole, so a hole-in-one is possible.
Tickets are being sold in pairs, with up to eight players allowed in one group. In addition to the 9-hole course, golfers will receive access to ‘The Clubhouse’ and booking options will offer access to golf simulators, a putting and chipping challenge, hitting platform and tours of the England changing rooms.
“This is an incredible partnership which will turn an 82,000-seater stadium into a visionary, powerful and exciting golf course,” commented Nils Braude, Managing Director of Twickenham Experience Limited. “We’re delighted to form a pivotal role in such an innovative tour. Everyone at Twickenham will make sure we play our part by offering great hospitality and experience to every one of the golfers that comes and plays at the home of England Rugby.”
Michael Wiggins, president of the Stadium Golf Tour, said: “We wanted to kick off the UK tour by going to some amazing stadiums with great fan bases, so Twickenham Stadium is right on top of the list.”
The Stadium Golf Tour has scheduled six events in the United States, with the first having taken place at Louisiana State University’s Tiger Stadium from March 16-19, and further events planned in as yet unspecified locations in Texas, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina and Wisconsin. No further details on venues in the UK and Europe are available.
Tickets will go on pre-sale to Twickenham Stadium subscribers at 9am on March 30 and public sale at midday on the same day. Tickets will be on sale via www.twickenhamstadium.com and fans can subscribe to be the first to access tickets via twickenhamstadium.com/sign-up.