Golf: Turner plan aims to deliver majors

Former pro golfer Greg Turner has launched an ambitious new scheme which he hopes will result in a Kiwi golfer winning a major once every decade - as opposed to once a generation - and he has enlisted champions such as Grant Fox and Russell Coutts to help.

Called the Wedge initiative - Winning Edge - it's designed to help nurture young golfers and create champions by bridging the gap between outstanding natural talent and international success.

"I believe we do an admirable job at nurturing our talent through their amateur years but when they turn pro, we drop the ball," said Turner.

He has heavyweight support for the scheme, including US Open champion Michael Campbell, All Blacks Fox and Anton Oliver, sailors Coutts and Tom Schnackenberg and tennis icon Brett Steven. Wedge will provide logistical and financial support, mentoring and practical guidance for young professionals.

"Our young golfers are arriving in the professional ranks highly skilled and motivated but are grossly under-prepared, both in terms of financial resources and logistical support," said Turner. "As the tours are becoming more professional, better structured and players better prepared, we find ourselves slipping further behind."

The programme will provide infrastructure at four main levels: Logistical support; financial support in raising the requisite funding; mentoring by some of New Zealand's leading sporting and business minds; and practical - strong competition domestically.

This will be serviced by Turner's Golf Tour of New Zealand events. Next week's Carrus Tauranga Open follows the Olex Taranaki Open, with Turner planning to have six events up and running within the next 12 months.

The embryo of Wedge was formed over two years ago when Turner brought together a group of like-minded sports stars to address what he perceived as a worrying inability to convert New Zealand's talented elite amateurs into successful performers on the world stage.

"There is a lot to be said for the No 8 wire attitude of the Kiwi but while that resilience and self-sufficiency undoubtedly served us well in the amateur era, in today's environment it is sadly outdated.

"The Wedge mentors have a huge collective and individual knowledge of competing and winning at the highest level. The experiences they gained transcend the boundaries of different sporting codes and potentially bring fresh ideas to old problems.

"The scheme is in its infancy but ultimately needs to provide for all our fledgling professionals."

Initially Turner mooted the Wedge programme with the support of New Zealand Golf and Sparc. Both organisations have indicated support but Turner felt it important to push ahead on his own while the two organisations work through other funding priorities.