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The 2017 American Golf Long Drive Championship was filled with surprises, upsets, new talent and record drives.

A staggering 5,000 people took part in the third annual American Golf Long Drive Championship, but after all was said and done in the final at the spectacular Heytrop Hall, the victors were Dan Konyk (Under 45s), Ilona Stubley (Ladies) and Charles Seo (Over 45s).

Each winner now heads to the Volvik World Long Drive Championships in a few weeks time.

In the U45 category, although Max Armstrong set the pace with a 454-yard monster, the match of the day was fought out between2016 champion Lucas Dornan and 2015 champion Dan Konyk.

Following social media sparring in the run up to the final, the competition was fierce. Both had seeded with 420 yards and it took a sudden death hit off to separate the pair before Konyk progressed, to the delight of the crowd.

Konyk then went from strength to strength, before taking down German contender Timo Petrasch in the final with a 401-yard hit.

"To win qualification for the World Championships is a great opportunity and I cant wait to represent American Golf at the highest level," said Konyk.

"This will be my 13thWorld Championships and if I can carry this form forward to the USthen Ive got a real chance of bringing the title home."

WATCH: HOW TO START NAILING YOUR DRIVER

The Ladies competition proved just as enthralling as reigning champion and current world number threeRebecca McGinley was deposed in the quarter finals by Becki OGrady.

O'Grady couldnt quite continue her form in the semi finals, however,as she came up against 14-year-old wonder kid Elle Gibson, who proved a model of consistency all day, hitting 300 yards on multiple occasions with a smooth, fluid golf swing.

But the only player able to compete in consistency and numbers was Ilona Stubley, who struck a stunning 338-yard drive in seeding.

The 33-year-oldGlaswegian kept pace with Gibson, with both players taking a set each in the final with drives of 300 yards. In the deciding set Gibsonset a target of 299 yards. but Stubley edged that by eight yards to land the spoils.

"All day Elle was hitting great, so I knew the final would be tough," said Stubley."

"In the third set, I was pleased that I was hitting second as I prefer to chase down a score and knowing what I have to do to win. To win it with a drive of 307 yards was a great feeling as I was still able to hit a good distance when the pressure was on and made all the hard work leading up to the event worthwhile."

And the over 45s category proved just as impressive as the others before it, especially given the category saw its first400-plus yard drivewhen William Hunt Tyrell marked his return from retirement with 413-yard bomb in the first round.

But despite Tyrell's best efforts, the final was won by popular LondoneCharles Seowho ousted David Willmore.

Seo, who puthis success down to a new training regime, explained how he had finally fulfilled a childhood ambition having agonisingly fallen short for the title in recent years.

"Ive been playing golf for over 40 years and this really is my dream come true," said Seo.

"Ive always been the longest hitter between my friends and thought I would be good at long drive, but to actually win the American Golf UKChampionship is an amazing feeling.

"Ive come so close over the last threeyears. I lost in the final in 2015 and the semi-final in 2016 so Ive been training hard for this year. I came up with my own special training in the swimming pool to improve my flexibility and its all paid off. I will just carry on working hard now and if I hit as well in the World Championships I will have a real chance."

"This event keeps getting better but I dont think anyone expected what weve seen here today," said American Golf's director of marketing Daniel Gathercole.

"We started the American Golf Long Drive Championships threeyears ago to encourage more people to get out hitting balls and having some fun.

"This year weve had over 5,000 people take part and this really has become the premier long drive event in Europe.

"Its such a competitive environment but every player has shown fantastic sportsmanship and support for each other. Im very proud of what American Golf has achieved with this Championship and hope to go even bigger with it next year."

For more information about the event visit http://www.americangolf.co.uk

More here:
Konyk, Stubley, Seo prove too strong at ... | GolfMagic - Golfmagic.com

Steve Hindley CBE DL, Chairman of the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership explains how it works to improve prosperity

Last month I gave you an overview of what the LEP does and a brief outline of what we've achieved so far. This month I want to focus on one of the main ways we aim improve prosperity and that's by attracting inward investment by companies from outside of the area to relocate here, and developing opportunities for local businesses to re-invest and grow. As with much of what we do, a key part is about working across many partners.

Since the LEP started in 2011 the figures for inward investment have risen exponentially. Back then there was no single point of contact that could deal with enquiries from potential foreign direct investors, or even from other UK companies looking to relocate here. This made it difficult for potential investors to know who to approach. Since then the LEP has worked with the local authorities so we now work together as a partnership, sharing best practice across our area and working together with critical organisations like the Department for International Trade. By working together and playing to our strengths, the Heart of the South West presents a stronger package of investment opportunities allowing us to compete more effectively.

Whilst we have a relatively high rate of employment, earnings remain low compared to other parts of the UK, so by attracting new investment from higher value sectors we aim to raise salary levels which in turn generates more wealth for local businesses.

The Department for International Trade's figures for the number of companies setting up businesses here from abroad have been on a steady increase since this LEP and local authority partnership was established.

In 2016/17 there were 16 successful FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) projects, an increase of 45% on the previous year. Through these investments 688 new jobs have been created and 1009 jobs safeguarded. One example is US-headquartered customer service firm Sitel which will create hundreds of jobs with its new workforce based in The Ship in Derriford.

In addition, the LEP area secured 6 'multi-region' FDI projects, which are companies that land in more than one UK location. Before the LEP was set up in the year 2010/11 there were only three successful projects, creating 30 new jobs and safeguarding 40.

Partnership Working

When people ask what the LEP is doing that really makes a difference, partnership working is near the top of the list. By bringing organisations together, we can achieve things that benefit the whole area that couldn't be matched by individual organisations working on their own. This applies to both securing direct funding and through influencing Government and other key stakeholders to ensure investment in our priorities. Some of our most effective partnerships involve a number of LEPs and many private and public sector bodies. Here is a brief overview of some of these initiatives that we're working on; these include helping our businesses access markets through addressing better connectivity, or harnessing opportunities in specific sectors such as nuclear and aerospace.

Road, Rail and Broadband Delivering Better Connectivity for the Heart of the South West

Connectivity is critical to the south west peninsula for attracting new businesses and sustaining existing ones. We've suffered decades of under-investment in road and rail, and the area has some pockets of poor broadband or mobile connection. Now there are public and private sector partnerships working together to reverse this under-investment. The Peninsula Rail Task Force (PRTF) is making the case to Government for more investment in our rail network, and the Connecting Devon and Somerset initiative is the largest broadband improvement scheme in the UK,

There's a full report produced by the PRTF and the main asks are to improve resilience, reliability, speed and capacity. Resilience and reliability are dependent on improving the main line at Dawlish and a series of flood alleviation works across the southern rail network. The speed of the network in this region needs to be increased to reduce journey times to the capital and other parts of the UK, and passengers could make use of a better journey experience with a reliable Wi-Fi and mobile signal. Securing these investments and delivering a better rail service take many years and it is only by working together that we can collectively present a strong voice to Government.

In addition to the PRTF, the LEP is part of the Greater Connected partnership, who produced an independent, business-led review on connectivity in the South West, endorsed by the CBI and the five South West Local Enterprise Partnerships: Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly; Dorset; Heart of the South West; Swindon & Wiltshire and the West of England LEP. It aims to get more government investment in the three essential infrastructure requirements of the region: road, rail and broadband. The full Greater Connected report is on our website.

Finally, to tackle broadband specifically, we're part of the Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) partnership, which is bringing next generation broadband to areas where the market has failed to invest. CDS is a public-private partnership which draws on the strengths of each sector to bring superfast broadband to Devon and Somerset. More information about CDS is on the dedicated website where businesses and residents can find out what new services are available in their location so that they can sign up for faster broadband.

Two companies that have benefitted through the scheme are Wookey Hole in Somerset and Dartmoor Zoo in Devon:

Nuclear South West

Another of the regional partnerships we're working on is Nuclear South West - an industry led group that capitalises on the many opportunities from the new power station at Hinkley, and the 55bn worth of other nuclear-related projects which will take place over the next ten years.

Many people may think of the north west of England first when it comes to the UK's nuclear industry, but the south west has much to offer the economy too, and in fact we've been approached by our partners in Cumbria to jointly lead on a nuclear sector deal with Government.

It's another area where cooperating with other areas presents a stronger case to Government that benefits Heart of the South West businesses. We're working on that right now and there'll be more news about it later in the year. The message is clear, we have much to contribute to UK plc given the right deal with Government, and the south west is at the helm of the national nuclear industry.

In the meantime, another Nuclear South West project is already making progress, part-funded by the LEP, as the Hinkley Point Training Agency (HPTA) has launched its website and is helping local people and employers find the right training to benefit from the increased demand for specific skills generated by Hinkley Point C.

Over 25,000 new job roles are expected to be available over the life-time of the project, and over 5,000 people are working on site at during the construction. By ensuring the relevant training is available, HPTA enables local people to up-skill and take up higher value jobs.

As well as making interventions to help local employees benefit from Hinkley, the LEP is funding a service to help local businesses take up the many commercial supply chain opportunities created by the largest construction project in Europe. There's increased demand for all sorts of goods and services from food for the canteen to high-end nuclear engineers there's a wealth of contracts available for all sectors. Businesses can register at http://www.hinkleysupplychain.co.uk

Specifically for businesses working in nuclear related industry, the annual Nuclear South West conference is now taking bookings through Eventbrite, details can be found on the LEP website at: http://www.heartofswlep.co.uk by searching "Nuclear South West".

The 2017 conference, at the Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel, is a platform for the latest industry news and network with potential partners. With an international strand this year, and co-hosted with the University of Bristol South West Nuclear Hub, it's an opportunity to find out how to improve innovation and business growth in the nuclear industry, locally and globally.

Another exciting new cross-LEP sector partnership is iAero which focusses on the aerospace sector. There's a thriving cluster of aerospace businesses here in the South West, which has global significance and is essential to driving up the UK's industrial productivity. Although many of the major well-known companies are based around Bristol, the supply chain extends through the Heart of the South West, and of course Leonardo Helicopters in Yeovil is a strategically important site for our area. iAero's purpose is to increase collaboration within the supply chain and establish closer working between the supply chain and the main aerospace companies. It's a major initiative to innovate and increase global competitiveness and ultimately retain a strong sector across the south west.

The partnership is currently working on delivering high value design and has produced a detailed proposal on how the sector can contribute to the Government's Industrial Strategy. More information in on our website by searching "iAero".

Heart of the South West Growth Hub

The Growth Hub is the LEP's one-stop-shop for business support. Any business in Devon, Plymouth, Somerset and Torbay can get in touch for free advice - see the advertisement in this section for details - and this month we're showing a case study about how one business really benefitted from the advice they were given through the Growth Hub.

Look to Cook

A professional chef from Devon who helps businesses market their products through recipes and food photography is reaching a wider audience thanks to support from the Heart of the South West Growth Hub.

Lottie Francis, who founded Look to Cook, is now working for a number of businesses not just restricted to food-related sectors to develop recipes and food styling to help businesses create more engagement with their customers.

Clients include a major national retailer, a wipe-able tablecloth manufacturer and a clothing company that specialises in making clothes for children with eczema.

Lottie has been supported by Growth Hub Online Business Adviser, Laura Daniel.

Based in the Blackdown Hills, Lottie said: "I have been really impressed with the support I have received.

"Laura was quick to respond to my enquiry and she really understood my business and my objectives.

"One of the main areas of support has been introducing me to the Growth Support Programme where I have been able to find out about food and networking events in the region.

"Building contacts within the food industry is a key aim for me and this support has helped me widen my network."

Laura was also able to signpost Lottie in the direction of social media and SEO training provided by the Get Up To Speed scheme. Lottie attended a free 'Getting to Grips with SEO' workshop as a result.

She said: "As I look to target a wider range of sectors across the country, it's important to get my SEO and social media right. The training has given me a lot of actions that will really help me to promote the recipe development and food styling."

The Growth Support Programme will also provide help to develop her marketing strategy.

Lottie added: "Getting direction and advice has been key to helping me develop my business. Laura and the team have been excellent in their support."

The Heart of the South West (HotSW) LEP is a strong and dynamic business-led partnership between the private sector, local authorities, universities and colleges. Our purpose is to lead and influence economic growth, job creation and prosperity across the Heart of the South West area covering Devon, Plymouth, Somerset and Torbay. More information and all the latest news can be found at the LEP's website at: http://www.heartofswlep.co.uk where you can sign up for the newsletter and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Link:
How we are making our prosperity wishlist a reality - Devon Live

With the wealth of data available today, the top digital marketing skill that Singaporean firms are looking for is knowing how to use it. A new survey by digital research and training firm Econsultancy found that three in five organisations rank data analytics as their top digital marketing skills gap.

The survey was conducted in partnership with the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) U Associate and supported by Workforce Singapore (WSG).

Other digital-related areas that firms report skills gap in are content marketing (59%), mobile marketing (43%), SEO (43%), and digital marketing fundamentals (40%). In line with these gaps, the survey found that the areas that organisations are most likely to plan to outsource or recruit for are content marketing, SEO, and data analytics.

Digital marketing consists of a vast array of platforms and skillsets to navigate. But automation platforms have expedited a lot of these processes, bridging the skills gap by removing the need for dedicated teams to manage them. However, the survey found that firms still plan on recruiting or outsourcing specialists in three key areas: Facebook advertising, copywriting, and mobile marketing.

Respondents of the survey said that the best way to learn these missing skills would be through day-long workshops that incorporated case studies, guest presentations, and group discussions.

According to Vivek Kumar, assistant director-general of NTUC, organisations looking to improve in these areas have a number of groups ready to assist them.

We would tap into our growing network of U Associate professional guilds, U Circle MNCs, and other partners to offer suitable training and exposure programmes to keep our talent globally competitive, not only for current jobs, but also emerging jobs, he said.

Related stories: Singapore employees do not feel empowered for digital age study Deloitte to launch state-of-the-art work forecasting center in Singapore

Originally posted here:
Is this the most in-demand digital marketing skill? - HRD Singapore (blog)

One of the most difficult aspects of managing a brand and its digital presence online is knowingwhere to focus first. With dozens of different social apps, interactive commerce andcontent platforms, and tools to choose from, its easy to get overwhelmed by the enormity offinding and connecting with the right audience on the web.

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Read next: The T. Rex probably couldn't run, according to this AI-driven model

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Know how to sell online with this Digital Marketing Masterclass for only $15 - TNW

Koala director Kim Joo-hwan graduates to commercial cinema in fine form with the entertaining youth cop comedy-thriller Midnight Runners. Featuring heartthrobs Park Seo-joon (Chronicles of Evil) and Kang Ha-neul (Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet) in roles that are equal parts cute and heroic, this slick bromance should prove particularly popular with young women at home.

Rambunctious Ki-joon and bookish Hee-yeol, new recruits at the police academy in Seoul, become unlikely friends during their grueling exercises. A few years into their training, the pair head to the clubs in Gangnam but after striking out they witness a young woman being stuffed into a black van. Heeding their instructor's advice, they race against the clock to solve the case during the golden 7-hour period.

From a story and character perspective, Midnight Runners doesn't do anything special in its setup, recycling routine boot camp tropes with a a budding friendship that evolves from childish one-upmanship. Yet in the hands of director Kim, clarity and confidence pervade the style of the film, while even unremarkable moments are elevated through good timing and his strong sense for what makes a joke or emotional beat land in the right way.

When the main plot kicks into gear, after the boot camp first act, the amateur sleuthing by the pair is more earnest than amusing but as they finally hit some action, the film finds its stride again. First it's with a thunderous encore from a training camp gag before the film's action and thriller stakes raise up as we are dragged into a Chinese-Korean organ trafficking gang's territory.

The film's back half is choke-full of brawls and gags, while some darker victim POV inserts keep the narrative from sliding into slapstick mode. The middle of the story takes place late at night as the pair switch from Gangnam club-hoppers to back alleys brawlers in the Daerim-dong Chinatown. Jumping from lead to lead as the tension rises right up until dawn, this mid-section benefits from good pacing until a narrative shift extends the film's timeline.

Past this point we're back in familiar territory, as a montage guides us through a calm-before-the-storm period until we reach a low-key and somewhat contrived but nevertheless satisfying climax. Fight scenes are for the most part effective but might have benefited from more aggressive choreography.

For a film that is bound to rely on a young female audience, one moment that leaves a sour taste is the scene that kicks off the main mystery of the narrative. Our two protagonists have failed to land partners during a night on the town, so when they see a pretty girl walk past them, they decide to follow her through dark streets for several blocks, as they try and figure out who should approach her. Though their intentions may be benign, it is uncomfortable to witness this behavior from police cadets who, mere minutes later, will start on their paths to become the very same girl's knights in shining armor.

Between the leads, it is Park who fares best, but only because it's easier to accept him as this character. No matter how large the spectacles that Kang adorns, his nerdy recruit is a tough sell. That said, while the differences between the two fade away over time, the bond between the leads is strong enough to make the comedy work. Veteran Sung Dong-il (The Accidental Detective) adds a touch of class as a respected police academy instructor.

Director Kim knows his audience and Midnight Runners firmly and successfully caters to a younger generation of Korean viewers. While older spectators may not be bowled over by his commercial debut, his skill for balance and tone could easily could be transposed to different genres in the future.

Read more:
Review: MIDNIGHT RUNNERS Reaches Finish Line with Gags, Brawls and Thrills - ScreenAnarchy (blog)