Leading charity the Golf Foundation has thanked Trustees of the British Golf Industry Association’s ‘Grow Golf’ initiative for a grant of £40,000 to support grass roots junior golf.
The Trustees of the BGIA’s innovative ‘Grow Golf’ initiative are set to release a second tranche of a three-year grant package of £120,000 to the Golf Foundation at the BGIA’s two-day Dinner and Charity Golf Day event at Woburn Golf & Country Club, held on 9th & 10th May 2011.
The Grow Golf grant will be utilised for the Foundation’s ‘Golf Roots’ programme which, through Tri-Golf, Golf Xtreme, the Junior Golf Passport and other projects, aims to reach one million youngsters a year by 2013. Golf Roots represents the sport’s contribution to the 2012 Olympic legacy and a pro-active response to golf’s inclusion in the 2016 Games.
Mike Round, Chief Executive of the Golf Foundation, said: “We are hugely appreciative of the forward thinking and generosity of the Grow Golf Trustees in supporting Golf Roots, thus helping us to introduce more children from all backgrounds to golf. Everyone in golf must pull together to protect the future of the sport. This grant will be used to realise our ambitious but highly achievable objectives as we work with our partners to grow the game.”
Grow Golf Chairman Bob Smith stated: “The Trustees of the Grow Golf initiative continue to be impressed with the Foundation’s targets and commitment to delivering high quality grass roots golf, and are confident the second grant provided will ensure sustainability and a legacy of continued growth in the UK.”
Last year Grow Golf joined a list of organisations that support Golf Roots, which includes The R&A, The European Tour, the Ryder Cup, the PGA, the England Golf Partnership, Sport England and the Ryder Cup Trust. The programme is also backed by high-profile individuals such as BBC presenter DJ Spoony, broadcaster Ken Brown, Olympic gold medallist Denise Lewis and Europe’s number one golfer Lee Westwood.
The current Grow Golf partners are Acushnet Europe, Callaway Golf, PING Europe, and TaylorMade-adidas Golf, who all pay an annual levy based on their UK turnover into the Grow Golf fund. Two BGIA members are also currently in the process of joining as contributors, and Trustees, who include industry stalwarts Warren Sunderland and Bob Smith, are keen to attract additional partners to expand this ambitious scheme aimed at stimulating golf participation across all age groups, geographic regions and social backgrounds within the UK.
The Trustees are also actively seeking other applicants to the fund, and would be delighted to consider applications for funding from those who require support for innovative proposals which will stimulate the growth of the game at national, regional or local level.
For further information, a copy of the application guidelines and an application form, please contact Milly Durrant at the BGIA. (Tel: 02476 417 141 or email milly@sportsandplay.com).
British Golf Industry Association (BGIA) www.bgia.org.uk
Golf Foundation www.golf-foundation.org