Toni Armengol - Looks ahead to the European Team Championship in Andorra
Toni Armengol, Andorra
It's been eight years since Toni Armengol and his Andorran colleagues shocked the Pitch and Putt world by beating Ireland in the World Cup. This year Toni's Xixerella course will host the European Team championship in Andorra. We asked him to share his reflections on that and other matters.
What was the motivation behind the opening of the Xixerella Park course. Tourism or the promotion of Pitch and Putt?
TA: The motivation to build a Pitch and Putt course was initially because I was a fan of golf. I also felt that a facility to learn the sport would boost tourism here. As we only had a small amount of suitable land available, it made sense to construct a Pitch & Putt course.
Did the opening and running of the Xixerella Park course contribute positively in the manner you anticipated or was the outcome different to expectations?
TA: The opening of the Xixerella course was a success due mainly to the fact that it is surrounded with holiday apartments and camping bungalows which essentially is our business. The course allowed us to better promote the complex.
What are your memories of the 2006 World Cup? What went well? Not so well? Why have Andorra not replicated that early success in more recent team events?
TA: The World Cup of 2006 went extremely well for us and we were delighted to have achieved the result we did in such an important tournament. Perhaps we were somewhat disappointed with some of the rulings of the match referee. Andorra has since not been able to repeat that success perhaps because many of the younger players no longer play. Now we hope that those who continue to play will turn out to be top class players.
How successful has Pitch and Putt been in Andorra?
TA: Pitch and Putt has been moderately successful in Andorra, 'though not to the extent we had hoped, as many players who started playing the game later moved on to play on the golf courses.
How has the APPA evolved and changed?
TA: APPA has developed, but not as we had hoped, perhaps because we are so closely linked to the Catalan Association and we have not done enough to foster our own association.
How have the personnel involved evolved?
TA: Our volunteers who have responsibilities within our association are working hard and well considering that we have very little sponsorship support. However, we still manage to stage an international Open every year, and this year, the European Championships.
Do you hope to be on the Andorra team for the 2014 European Team championship? How are preparations for the event going? On target? Behind target? What still needs to be done?
TA: No, I will not be playing on the Andorran team. Firstly, because I did not classify. The management of the course is taking up a lot of my time. Besides in these times of economic recession, I need to dedicate more time to the general maintenance and look after the business. Preparations for the Championships are going well. We are concerned however, that we have not yet found the desired sponsors who believe in the potential of the project.
What was the motivation behind applying to host the European Team championship in Andorra? Tourism? Promotion of Pitch and Putt? What else?
TA: we applied to host this event was to draw attention to this sport in Andorra. It is hoped that tourism will benefit as a result of this event; people will get to know something of our country, its beautiful countryside, security of its citizens and moreover, our natural goodwill and genuine hospitality towards all visitors.
Will the Andorra team contend for the title?
TA: It never is easy for Andorra to aim for the title - with teams of more than three players - as we don't have all that many scratch, classy players.
Who are some of the players that may be selected for the team? What is the selection process?
TA: Some of the favorites to form our team would be Josep Josep Escabros, Francesc Perez, Francesc Gasset, Joan Jordi Segura, Ricard Morat, Pau Perez. The selection process is throughout the year with 6-8 competitions, selecting the 6 best results.
Is where Pitch and Putt is now in Andorra in line with your original expectations, better than you anticipated? Falling short of your expectations?
TA: The present situation of the sport in Andorra has deteriorated due primarily to the economic crises and the lack of major tournaments as a result of not having corporate or institutional support.
What is the relationship between Pitch and Putt and the Andorra business community, between Pitch and Putt and the Andorra government/local authorities; between Pitch and Putt and the Andorra media?
TA: The relationship with the government and local authorities has always been good, but not profitable, because they have not helped us financially. The media are not very up to date with what the Pitch and Putt, but any time we have called, they've done a story.
Any other personal reflections (how much do you play nowadays, your view on international Pitch and Putt
TA: I'm currently playing very little because of work. And international prospects would be very good if we were all together, because the events such as the European championship or the World Cup would be much stronger if all of the Pitch and Putt territories participated.
