Poulter named Captain of Ballantine’s Golf Club
Famed golfer Ian Poulter has been recruited as Captain of Ballantine’s new online golf club for whisky fans.
Ballantine’s, owned by Pernod Ricard’s whisky and gin arm Chivas Brothers, yesterday revealed that Poulter, who is a member of both the PGA Tour and European Tour, will take on the role as Captain of the Ballantine’s Golf Club.
The club, which is free to join and open to all, will offer exclusive content and events, whisky tastings, VIP hospitality, golfing tips and a range of member rewards.
Members will also have the opportunity to play with top golfers and participate in a member-only global tournament.
Sports presenter Di Dougherty hosted the launch of the club in Scotland ahead of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, of which Ballantine’s was a sponsor.
During the launch, a short documentary starring Poulter, called ‘Moments of Truth’, was premiered. The documentary is part of an online series focusing on moments in golf that changed the course of a golfer’s career, featuring a different golfing figure in each film aired on the Ballantine’s Golf Club site.
“It is an honour to be the Founding Captain of the Ballantine’s Golf Club,” said Poulter. “Ballantine’s has long had an association with golf and it’s fantastic to be a part of a truly unique club where, like me, the members will share an appreciation of whisky and the true spirit of golf.”
Golf heritage
Ballantine’s first began its association with golf in 1960 while the launch of its first golf club is part of the brand’s Stay True marketing campaign.
“We have a tremendous heritage in golf dating back to 1960; however the Ballantine’s Golf Club marks a significant shift in our strategy within the sport,” said Peter Moore, global brand director for Ballantine’s.
“In addition to our continued support for tournaments across the golfing calendar, the introduction of the Ballantine’s Golf Club will allow us to reach an increasing number of golf fans, who share an appreciation of good whisky, all around the world.”
Moore also told The Spirits Business at the launch of the golf club that although the brand has a long-standing association with golf, Ballantine’s wanted to “create something which had the ability to move us to a new vision”.
“We thought that there was not point in repeating what we had done before,” said Moore. “We wanted to expand our appeal and also have a digital strategy at the centre of what we were doing.”
Registrations to the club are now open at www.ballantinesgolfclub.com, while the site is due to fully launch in October this year.
