Ryder Cup star Tommy Fleetwood has launched his own golf academy which aims to provide opportunities for juniors to take up the sport, whilst also helping to broaden the game’s appeal.
The inaugural Tommy Fleetwood Academy will open its doors at Formby Hall Golf Club, where the current world No.16 learned to play, and it will be led by his first coach, Norman Marshall.
Fleetwood hopes to use his Academy to help to teach youngsters about golf’s discipline and etiquette, while also making the game more fun and accessible to kids.
The 28 year old grew up in Southport and has gone on to enjoy global success, winning four times on the European Tour and being crowned Race to Dubai champion in 2017. He was runner-up in the 2018 US Open and made a spectacular Ryder Cup debut last September, claiming four points as part of a formidable partnership with Open Champion Francesco Molinari.
“From a young age, golf has brought me a lot of happiness and many friends,” said Fleetwood. “It has taught me many valuable lessons along the way, lessons that I continue to learn each and every day.
“My family and I are now truly grateful to be in a position where I can give something back and help kids who are in a similar position to me when I was growing up. We want to give them the same opportunity to learn and enjoy the game that I love and be able to start their own journey, all whilst growing the game the way I believe it should be.
“I am therefore proud to be starting our ‘Tommy Fleetwood Golf Academy’ at Formby Hall Golf Club, the place where I grew up playing golf. Guidance is so important when you are learning the game and Norman Marshall played a significant part in my development as a junior golfer. I believe his enthusiasm and passion for junior golf are outstanding, so I am delighted he will be involved in the Academy. It’s important to us all that we have a structure in place that balances the discipline and etiquette of golf whilst still having fun and learning new techniques. We hope to deliver this to the community and establish a system that can be replicated globally.”