Wednesday 7 October 2015 10:39, UK
Ian Poulter is hopeful that the British Masters supported by Sky Sports will help generate new interest in golf among the younger generation in the UK.
Poulter is acting as tournament host at his home club of Woburn for the event's return to the European Tour after seven years off the schedule, and one of his main priorities is to drive more youngsters into the game.
The Ryder Cup star is wary of the decline in club memberships in recent years, and he hopes other professionals will follow his example and attempt to renew interest in the sport.
"It's all about bringing new kids into the game of golf," he said. "It's making it more fun and exciting. I remember watching Seve here in 1991 and I remember him winning that week - I was only 15 years old.
"To know that we have got under 16-year-olds that can come here for free to watch guys play golf is great. That's what we need to do. We need to grow the game of golf and make it fun for players to come back to the game of golf.
"The numbers have declined over the years, and it's important for the players to give back a little bit more, and so hopefully we can see a lot of those guys are here this week."
Focus on day job
Poulter has many obligations and commitments in his role as tournament host this week, but he remains focused on his own game as he looks to go one better than his runner-up finish to good friend Justin Rose on the Marquess Course in 2002.
"I tried to do as much as I possibly could in the summer, because I was aware that this week was going to be demanding," he added. "So I tried to reiterate a number of times that I would like to get as much stuff done early so I can do my job this week.
"And my job this week is obviously to win the golf tournament, and that's how I can be most effective this week. So we've done a lot of work in July so that I can have more time off this week and really focus on playing golf."
Meanwhile, future host Luke Donald is delighted to see a European Tour event back on British soil and he is looking forward to playing in front of appreciative home crowds.
"Obviously this was a vision of The European Tour and some of the British players to try to get more events back in the UK," said the former world No 1. "The European Tour approached a few of us a few years back saying would we be interested in being ambassadors, and it seemed like a great idea.
European Tour vision
"We're always hungry for more events in the UK. Certainly as a kid growing up, I have many memories of running around Woburn, Wentworth and Sunningdale and watching some of my idols and slowly some of those eventually went away.
"I think it's important to try to get some events back in the UK and obviously we are here today and thanks to the vision of The European Tour and the insistence of some of the top players.
"I enjoy the atmosphere over here, and I enjoy the crowd support. I think it's fun to play in front of 10,000 people or more. There's a certain level of focus that improves when you have that many people watching you and having that much support behind you."
And Lee Westwood, who will also host the British Masters within the next three years, added: "It's great it's back on the schedule. It's a prestigious title and one that's been around The European Tour for a long time. It's been played here and the Belfry and all over Britain, so it's nice to see it back.
Special for players
"There aren't that many tournaments in Britain nowadays, which surprising with the quality of British golf over the last few years. It's nice to see that recognised and start bringing a few tournaments back.
"I think it's very special for the players, especially the British ones. There's something different about playing at Wentworth in front of the British crowd and playing The Open Championship and things like that. It's more fun, that's for sure."
When asked if he had a particular venue in mind, he said: "I certainly would like to see the golf tournament held in the north of England. It's been a long time anything has been held sort of north of Birmingham, really.
"We have a lot of good golf courses and the golfing public up there are keen on golf and should be given the opportunity to go and watch top-quality golf."
Watch the British Masters live on Sky Sports 4 HD this week.
