The Trustees of the BGIA (The British Golf Industry Association) innovative ‘Grow Golf’ initiative have recently awarded a significant grant of £120,000 to the Golf Foundation, to be provided in three £40,000 instalments over the next three years.
The Grow Golf grant will be specifically utilised for the Foundation’s ‘Golf Roots’ programme which, due to its success and visibility has recently combined all ongoing Foundation junior programmes (Tri Golf, Golf Extreme and Passport to Golf) to be delivered under the Golf Roots brand.
Grow Golf has joined a list of organisations that support Golf Roots which includes The R&A, the European Tour, the Ryder Cup, the PGA, England Golf, Sport England and the Ryder Cup Trust. The programme is also backed by high profile individuals such as BBC presenter DJ Spoony, broadcaster Ken Brown, Olympic gold medallist Denise Lewis and Europe’s number one golfer Lee Westwood.
The Golf Foundation have made significant progress to growing the game over the past 3-5 years and their vision for grass roots golf is impressive – to establish a nationwide ‘Golf Roots’ project in each county to include Golf Roots Community projects, Golf Roots City projects, Golf Roots Festivals and Golf Roots Centres.
Their target for 2013 is to reach at least 1million children per year, with Golf Roots representing golf’s contribution to the 2012 Olympic legacy and a pro active response to golf’s inclusion in the 2016 Games.
The Trustees of the Grow Golf initiative are impressed with the Foundations targets and commitment to delivering high quality grass roots golf and are confident the grant provided will ensure sustainability and a legacy of continued growth in the UK.
Mike Round, Chief Executive of the Golf Foundation, said: “The scale of the award clearly demonstrates how committed the industry is to the long-term development of the sport. We are extremely grateful to the Grow Golf Trustees for supporting Golf Roots and helping us to introduce more children to the sport.”
The current Grow Golf partners are Acushnet Europe, Callaway Golf, PING Europe, and TaylorMade-adidas Golf who all pay an annual levy based on their UK turnover into the Grow Golf fund.
The Trustees of Grow Golf, who include industry stalwarts Warren Sunderland and Bob Smith, are seeking additional partners to expand this ambitious scheme aimed at stimulating golf participation across all age groups, geographic regions and social backgrounds within the UK.
The BGIA Executive Committee have this year decided to donate the proceeds from the Annual Charity Golf Day to the Grow Golf scheme, and hope significant funds are raised on the day, this year being held on April 13th at Woburn Golf Club.
The Trustees are also actively seeking other applicants to the fund, and would be delighted to consider applications for funding from those who require support for innovative proposals which will stimulate the growth of the game at national, regional or local level.
British Golf Industry Association www.bgia.org.uk.com