Leading charity the Golf Foundation has thanked Trustees of the British Golf Industry Association’s innovative ‘Grow Golf’ initiative for a grant of £40,000 to support grass roots junior golf.
The Trustees of the BGIA’s Grow Golf initiative have now supported the Golf Foundation to the tune of £120,000 over three years. A cheque for £40,000 was presented by Grow Golf Chairman Bob Smith to Foundation Chief Executive Mike Round during the BGIA’s two-day Dinner and Charity Golf Day event at Woburn Golf & Country Club, held on 23rd & 24th April, 2012.
The Grow Golf grant will be utilised for the Foundation’s ‘HSBC Golf Roots’ programme which, through Tri-Golf, Golf Xtreme, the Junior Golf Passport and other projects, aims to reach one million youngsters a year by 2013.
Mike Round said: “We would like to offer a huge thank you to the Grow Golf Trustees, who have fully supported our strategy for increasing participation in the game through schools, the community and clubs in the right way that benefits the development of young people. The Trustees also understand that by encouraging youngsters from all backgrounds and abilities, we are able to work with our partners to help protect the future of the whole golf industry. This money will be spent carefully to bring in more young golfers to our sport.”
The current Grow Golf contributors are Acushnet Europe, Callaway Golf, Motocaddy, PING Europe, and TaylorMade-adidas Golf, who all pay an annual levy based on theirUKturnover into the Grow Golf fund.
Doug Poole, Chairman of the BGIA, said: “Grow Golf is all about appealing to new players and providing a welcome and real opportunities to enjoy this fabulous game. The Trustees of the Grow Golf initiative have been impressed with the Foundation’s targets and commitment to delivering high quality grass roots golf over the years. We would urge other BGIA member companies to follow in the footsteps of the current contributors and support the Grow Golf Fund, in order to ensure the ongoing support of such worthwhile causes as the Golf Foundation.”
Grow Golf Trustees are actively seeking other applicants to the fund, in addition to new contributing companies, 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. For further information, a copy of the application guidelines and an application form, please contact Milly Durrant at the BGIA (Tel: 02476 414 999 x201 or email info@bgia.org.uk )
The Golf Foundation is aiming to reach one million children per year through its national programme, HSBC Golf Roots. To achieve this, it has a fundraising target of £3 million per year. The charity is already supported by The R&A, The European Tour, the Professional Golfers’ Association, the Ryder Cup Committee and Trust, the BGIA’s Grow Golf Fund, Sport England and headline sponsor HSBC, who collectively contribute just under £2 million. If golf clubs and club members help the Foundation to reach the fundraising target, the charity will not only be able to generate future club members, but will also have a positive impact on the lives of many, many children and young people.
The British Golf Industry Association (BGIA) www.bgia.org.uk
Golf Foundation www.golf-foundation.org