John O'Sullivanreports on the launch of the Business Golf Challenge at The K Club and explains the thinking behind the decision to hold the competition

Business by its very nature is a competitive environment, individuals and companies driven by the desire to succeed to the exclusion of opponents and rivals pitching in the same marketplace. Sport is often considered a microcosm of that culture so it's apposite that those competitive instincts can be taken from the boardroom to the golf course by dint of a new challenge, directed at the corporate community.

The Business Golf Challenge at The K Club in association with The Irish Times is a new tournament that offers corporate interests the opportunity to entertain clients or simply participate in-house in a competition exclusively designed for the business community.

Collette Brady is the woman behind the concept, one that has already generated huge interest prior to the launch of the tournament this week.

The tournament is based on 12 qualifying rounds during May, June, July and August with two teams on each of three specified dates per month, heading for a grand final in September.

It's a fourball competition, and a business can take from two to a maximum of five fourballs on any of the dates throughout the qualifying rounds. As things stand the entrants may specify a date or dates on which they would like to play, subject to availability on a first come, first served basis.

Any combination of fourball can be entered (all men, all women or mixed) with a maximum 24 handicap for men and 36 for women. The competition is run under the rules of golf.

The first qualifying round takes place on May 14th while the subsequent dates are May 21st, 28th; June 11th, 18th, 26th; July 10th, 17th, 31st; August 13th, 20th and 28th.

Based on the scores from the qualification process, two fourballs from each date listed above will win through to a two-day grand final in September.

The finalists will compete over 36 holes, playing first the Smurfit course on September 17th, home to this year's European Open before the following day tackling the Palmer course, the venue for last year's momentous Ryder Cup.

The cost of entry is €2,350 per team. Each entrant will receive a goodie bag that includes a Ralph Lauren polo shirt, Ralph Lauren golf jacket, specially commissioned leather suit carrier, golf balls and a gift card for The K Club to the value of €100.

There will be prizes for the top three winning teams, with a specially-designed Waterford Crystal trophy for the overall winning fourball, who get to keep it until the Challenge 2008 begins.

The business that entered the winning fourball will also be awarded with a corporate golf day for a number of guests on the Smurfit course at a date in 2008 to be agreed. The prizes will be presented at a special Gala dinner at The K Club on September 18th.

General manager and chief executive of The K Club Michael Davern enthused: "We have a huge amount of corporates that come to use The K Club, groups of 20 plus.

"It's an idea that if we do something like the Business Golf Challenge that we can bring all of them together with a sense of purpose; that there is a competitive side to it.

"This means that they will ultimately get more enjoyment out of it, better value for money and feel enthusiastic so they can come back again. The fact that they are building up to a final is an attractive prospect."

This tournament also allows The K Club to put a structure on corporate golf at the venue as Davern explained: "Everyone wants to play on the Palmer course but that's not possible. We can't do it on a first come, first served basis because someone who we've never heard of before grabs 20 tee times and then you've got a company who has been supporting us for 10 years, who can't get a tee time.

"Something like the Business Golf Challenge allows us to say, 'yes you participated in that' and so we have a slot on the Palmer course that we can give you.

"It's trying to put some sort of structure in place that we can reward people for loyalty."

The qualifying rounds will take place on the Smurfit course, home to this year's European Open, and for those taking part prior to the European tour event in July they will enjoy the benefit of a golf course set up to tour tournament specification. The participants in the Business Golf Challenge will have access to what will essentially be their own, clubhouse, practice facilities and golf course for the day.

This tournament promises the opportunity to take the cut and thrust of the business world from the boardroom to the more convivial, if equally competitive environment, of the golf course.