Five-time DP World Tour winner Tommy Fleetwood has leant his support for iGolf, the digital subscription platform offering non-club members an official handicap.
The initiative, which costs £40 a year to join, was launched by England Golf last July as a means to connect with the ‘independent golfer’ community and reached 25,000 subscribers in its first year.
Fleetwood, who came through the England Golf player pathway, has been firm in his praise for iGolf as a way to grow the game and help to inspire more players into full club membership.
Fleetwood said: “Whilst many might think that iGolf is a shift away from the traditional route to obtaining an official handicap, I think it’s a great initiative that provides real benefits to non-club members looking to get more out of the game, so I really encourage those golfers to sign up.
“For whatever reason, there are plenty of golfers out there who aren’t club members, so this platform is absolutely perfect for them as it provides an official way to measure where their games are at. I’ve always said a handicap is a great leveller and it will give these golfers another reason to want to go out and play more golf, test themselves and see how good they can become.”
Fleetwood’s backing for iGolf follows his unveiling as an ambassador for England Golf, the governing body for amateur golf in England, in a move that will see the 2010 English Men’s Amateur champion use his profile to spread positive messages about the game to a wide and diverse audience.
Fleetwood added: “This initiative gives people the chance to experience club life, it gives those golfers the chance to be part of a community and eventually aim to be a club member, all of which can only be good for the growth of the game. From my recent conversations with England Golf, it’s encouraging to hear that a very high number of iGolf subscribers have already converted to club membership.”
During the first year of the initiative, over 1,400 subscribers moved to club membership and from its current subscriber base, iGolf has seen over 186,000 scores submitted, with the average handicap being 19.6.
Golfers can take advantage of a 30-day free trial to iGolf by heading to www.englandigolf.co.uk.