England Golf, the governing body for amateur golf in England, has introduced Justin Rose and Charley Hull as ambassadors, the announcement supporting their strategy ‘Raising Our Game’ 2015 – 2017.
England Golf understands the challenges facing the game and have set out a clear vision to combat these issues. The strategy is designed to shift the perception of golf and increase membership and participation, creating an even brighter future for golf. England Golf is committed to increasing the number of people that play golf regularly by March 2017, reversing the decline of club members and providing excellent championships for golfers of all levels. The strategy will also strengthen the talent development pathway from club to national level, leading to even more international success for English players.
At the announcement event David Joy, CEO of England Golf, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Justin and Charley as our ambassadors. Justin, the 2013 US Open Champion, and Charley, the youngest ever Solheim Cup player, both represented England as amateurs before embarking on their stellar professional careers. Their support will be invaluable as part of our strategy to inspire new golfers and spread the message that golf is a game for all.”
He added: “We are aware, like many other sports, golf faces challenges around declining participation. We now better understand these issues and are committed to delivering our strategy ‘Raising Our Game’ halting the decline in participation and membership and bringing growth back to golf in England.”
The ‘Raising Our Game’ strategy is built around seven key themes:
- More Players
- More Members
- Stronger Clubs
- Winning Golfers
- Outstanding Championships
- Improved Image
- Excellent Governance
Within the strategy there are recommendations for golf clubs, county organisations and England Golf nationally. Key performance indicators have been put in place to measure the success of the plan, including increasing the number of people playing golf once a week and reversing the decline in club membership. The measurements include a focus on increasing women and junior members in clubs.
England Golf was formed in January 2012, when the English Golf Union merged with the English Women’s Golf Association. It is one of the largest sports governing bodies in England looking after the interests of over 1,900 golf clubs and 675,000 men, women and junior club members. Golf makes a contribution of £3.4 billion per annum to the English economy, it is also the fifth largest participation sport in the country.
England Golf www.englandgolf.org
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