A survey by The London Golf Show has revealed that a quarter of all golfers
are manual workers. Builders, plumbers, public transport workers and HGV drivers were amongst the professions that were surveyed, and on average, six per cent of them are actively playing golf on a regular basis; 25 per cent have played in the past; and 20 per cent hope to take up the sport sometime in the future.
David Hamilton, Press Officer of the English Golf Union said, “The results
of this survey don’t surprise me. A lot of manual workers opt for
pay-and-play while the percentage of those in golf club membership is
increasing. “Many blue-collar workers are being actively assisted to become club
members because a number of golf clubs, seeking to fill vacancies, have chosen to forgo entrance fees while others have reduced their subscription rates,” he
said.
Ron Webb, Transport and General Workers Union national secretary for
transport, said, “it’s obviously good that some drivers and manual workers
are able to take the exercise by playing golf but it is still only a small
percentage of the workforce, many of whom have to work long hours and so
are effectively excluded.”
Ross Broadstock, London Golf Show managing director, said: “Golf is no
longer an elitist sport and casual golfers can gain access to most courses
without having to fork out expensive membership fees. “The benefits of not being a member are not just financial – by playing many different courses you are gaining experience of different conditions and learning to play different shots. In an ideal world everyone should broaden their horizons playing many different greens,” he added.
The London Golf Show will be held at ExCel between April 21st and 24th,
2005, for more details and information or to book online visit
www.londongolfshow.co.uk