The Golf Foundation’s position in The R&A SwingZone, just a chip away from the 15th fairway at Royal Troon, has been helping the national charity to promote its groundbreaking tailored programmes that encourage youngsters from all backgrounds to enjoy golf and improve their mental wellbeing through the sport.
The Foundation has been working closely with Scottish Golf for the week of the 152nd Open Championship, courtesy of The R&A, and has been welcoming hordes of youngsters and families in putting, chipping and Golfway challenges, while these spectators then watch their golfing heroes on the fabulous Troon links beside the Firth of Clyde in South Ayrshire.
While the vibe in the SwingZone has been 100 per cent about fun, inclusion and inspiration for the children, the Golf Foundation has been able to showcase its programmes which specifically encourage all young people to start and stay in the game while gaining the mental toughness tools that can make a major positive impact on their resilience, confidence, focus and wellbeing. Working with Scottish Golf, great progress is being made in Scotland which has been underlined at Royal Troon.
On an R&A and Open venue visit by the Deputy First Minister of Scotland Kate Forbes, Foundation Head of Development Martin Crowder outlined the success of the ‘Unleash Your Drive in Schools’ initiative in which close to 1,000 schools have registered their interest since its launch in September 2023. The first results from schools have indicated some strong results – a 26% rise in understanding of mental toughness tools and their use, alongside a 6% improvement in mental wellbeing in just six weeks.
Growing one nation at a time, in June, Unleash Your Drive took its first steps in Scotland with two impactful training workshops led by mental toughness expert Pete Wortley alongside Andy Leigh, who spearheads the Unleash Your Drive initiative at the Golf Foundation. These sessions were attended by Scottish Golf staff, golf coaches, and representatives from six local authority areas – Aberdeenshire, Angus, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Fife, and Moray.
A second new initiative that Scottish Golf is supporting is the Golf Foundation’s pilot of ‘Golf Nines’, a format which is designed to build on the success of GolfSixes League which has been so popular throughout the Home Nations. While GolfSixes is team golf for very new players, Golf Nines encourages the typically 36-24 handicap emerging player – although still played in team pairs in the fun and inclusive Texas Scramble format over now nine holes.
Six local Scottish clubs came along to The R&A SwingZone to celebrate the pilot which is being run by Scottish Golf, travelling to The Open courtesy of The R&A after playing their Golf Nines fixture earlier in the day.
Young player Matteo Balzan told us: “It’s been great. Golf Nines was really good fun and we enjoyed the game today against the other teams. I’m keen to get up to playing 18 holes when I’m ready. It has been brilliant to be at The Open today and we’ve watched the players on the course. I’m hoping to see Scottie Scheffler do well, and Scottie and Jordan Spieth signed my golf glove on the course, which was amazing!”
In this busy week for the Golf Foundation team, promotion of this charity’s values in making golf fun, inclusive, innovative and enriching, comes in many forms, including: talking with hundreds of families on site at Royal Troon; welcoming nearly 30 junior groups from the region’s golf clubs (again with Scottish Golf’s support); sharing the brilliantly presented R&A SwingZone with Scottish Golf, The PGA and EDGA; meeting with all the Home Nations, key golf industry stakeholders and with the Foundation’s supporters, including its major core funder, The R&A.
But the main theme remains fun for the kids!
South African rugby union legend and R&A Development Ambassador Bryan Habana lit up The R&A SwingZone at The Open with the example he set when encouraging young people to learn the value of resilience, focus and a positive attitude.
The Golf Foundation’s Martin Crowder said: “Bryan’s visit with the Golf Foundation was a brilliant experience for all involved. He is an inspirational figure and his thoughts on looking to get the best out of yourself and embrace a challenge echo so much of our work to support the mental wellbeing of young people. We were all so impressed and grateful for Bryan’s support.”
Bryan said recently: “I want to promote how beneficial golf is on all levels and the avenues that exist to enjoy it. I’m privileged to be part of this incredible group of ambassadors to promote the sport and I hope I can encourage more people to play this beautiful game.”
Fellow R&A Ambassador, Olympic Champion triple jumper Jonathan Edwards; and leading young international ‘G4D’ players (golf for the disabled) Adem Wahbi of Belgium and Tycho Kuiper of the Netherlands (the latter having played in The R&A Junior Open at nearby Barassie earlier in the week), were just some of the names who took on the Foundation’s ’10 shot challenge’, while Finders Keepers, Cliffhanger Putting and other Golfway games were enjoyed by young visitors. Meanwhile, all family members have enjoyed a ‘longest putt’ to try to win Titleist prizes each day.
