Promoting and popularising the game of golf in the academic community and supporting the student golf sports section are among the main objectives of the just-formed UG Golf Club.

The founding assembly of the UG Golf Club was held at the end of July. Prof. dr hab. Piotr Stepnowski, the UG Rector, invited an elite group of the most experienced and titled golfers practising and promoting this sport in Poland to join the foundation initiative of this enterprise.

‘We are creating the UG Academic Golf Club primarily with our staff and students in mind. Golf has long ceased to be a sport accessible to the few. For a few years now, it has become an Olympic discipline and, apart from professionals, it can be played equally by people of all ages, from various professions, including university teachers or university administration staff. Its dissemination in various professional environments is increasing. As many as four professional golf courses are available in our region. In many countries around the world, golf is associated with academia, not only as a sport in which players represent the colours of their respective universities but also as a way of spending time recreationally,’ said the Rector during the assembly meeting.

The main goals of establishing the UG Academic Golf Club are to popularise the game of golf in the academic community, support the student golf sports section, organise ‘Green Card’ training for UG staff and students - candidates for club membership - and organise golf tournaments. The Association will run its activities from membership fees, donations, and grants obtained from external sources.

‘I am sure that through the activities of the UG Academic Golf Club, we will soon ‘infect’ many members of our academic community with a passion for golf. For students, it will be an opportunity to acquire, in fact, new professional competencies, as the ability to play golf enables them to make a great many professional contacts. For academics and the UG administration, it is, above all, a new opportunity to practise an interesting sport and a great way of spending free time. It is an excellent space for recreational interaction in one's own environment, as well as for members of the university community to make contacts with representatives of other branches between shots on the way to the next ‘hole’. Together with the management of the AZS and our Centre for Physical Education and Sport, we would also like to see golf become a sport practised as part of the Polish Academic Championships,’ adds the Rector.

The Club will also organise training, fitness camps and trips to sporting events. The club will be entered in the official register of the Polish Golf Association, and one of its upcoming tasks will be to negotiate with golf courses and driving ranges for financially privileged conditions for the use of this infrastructure for employees and students of the university - future members of the UG Golf Club. During the founding assembly, the Articles of Association were discussed. The Board of Directors was also appointed, consisting of:

Robert Sokolowicz - President of the Board. Employee of GdańskTech UG, professional golfer and member of the PGA (Professional Golfers' Association), which brings together professional golf players and coaches. PGA GdańskTech Golf Professional coach.

Tomasz Aftański - Vice President for Academic Sports. Director of the Centre for Physical Education and Sport of the UG, Member of the ASA Main Board, Member of the Technical Commission of the European University Sports Association.

Dariusz Wroniak - Vice-President for Development. Graduate of the University of Gdańsk, Director of Private Banking at Alior Bank in Gdańsk, golfer, certified EFPA advisor. For several years he has been developing and promoting the game of golf, organising cyclical tournaments and academies of learning the game for beginners. His success is measured by the hundreds of new players who feed the golf clubs of our region every year.

Krzysztof Podniesiński Vice-President for Finance. Graduate of the University of Gdańsk, legal counsel, managing partner of Podniesiński i Wspólnicy Adwokaci i Radcowie Prawni s.c. - one of the largest law firms in Pomerania. Associated with golf since 1998. For years, he was a member of the governing body of the company managing the oldest golf course in Poland, in Rajszewo near Warsaw. He co-organises annual golf learning academies for beginners, supports golf leagues, tournaments and events.

The Association will also have a Club Honorary Convention made up of the most successful golf players, chaired by UG Rector prof. Piotr Stepnowski.

‘Golf is a combination of body and mind, thanks to it we can develop our sporting and motor skills, but also mental ones. Through it, we try to overcome our weaknesses in connection with nature and in interaction with other players. There is something for everyone here - those who want competition will compete in tournaments, and those who are afraid of it can play just for themselves and enjoy playing golf on beautiful courses, while meeting great people,’ says Robert Sokołowicz, President of the UG Golf Club. ‘We are open, our offer is directed mainly to students, employees and graduates of the University of Gdańsk, but all other people from the Tricity and beyond who would like to develop the idea of academic golf and synergise with us, representing the colours of the Club, may also join the Club,’ concludes the President.