The Golf Foundation is making a clarion call to golf clubs asking them to make a real difference for junior golf in 2006. “Now is the time to get behind the Golf Foundation,” says its chief executive Mike Round, “in order to maintain the strong momentum created by the Foundation in making golf a more accessible sport for children.
“If club members can each spare £1 extra in a year – the cost of just one post-round coffee – they can help make a significant difference to our funding across the country and our vital grass roots golf development.”
The Golf Foundation has enlisted the support of one of the world’s greatest ever amateur players, the charity’s own President, Sir Michael Bonallack. He will be writing to every golf club to launch the appeal, asking club secretaries and managers to donate £1 per member to the cause in 2006.
Mike Round said: “Now is the time for golf clubs to back the Golf Foundation’s work in schools, local sports partnerships and golf clubs, work that sees 500,000 children each year either first experience the sport through the Foundation or develop their early golf through our learning programmes and associated PGA coaching.”
If just 10 per cent of the golf clubs in England, Scotland and Wales adopted the ‘£1 per member’, an estimated £100,000 could be raised to help the progress of the Golf Foundation, which is working closely with the national golf partnerships to grow the game.
Talking of the Foundation’s efforts in 2005, Sir Michael Bonallack said, “Our enthusiastic development team provided considerable support to over 180 major school sport partnership projects. This work resulted in golf being taken into 2,500 schools with just under 300 golf clubs providing follow-on opportunities. In addition, we supported over 250 junior programmes through our Starter Centre initiative and provided opportunities to around 10,000 inner city children through our Daily Telegraph Marriott Golf Roots project.”
Sir Michael added, “The impact of our work is becoming increasingly apparent. Schools and local authorities who used to view golf as sexist, elitist and expensive, now view it as a wholesome activity that promotes positive life messages. Encouragingly, more and more clubs are reporting an increase in the number of junior members.”
Those golf clubs supporting the appeal will find they are in with a chance of winning a valuable prize. Club Car has generously agreed to donate a Club Car Precedent, arguably the best production golf car in the world, as a prize for one golf club at the end of the appeal (all clubs which raise £250 or more, using any method, will be entered for a prize draw to win the Precedent). This is the second successive year that Club Car has supported the Golf Foundation in this way.
Mike Round said, “Once again we are hugely indebted to the team at Club Car who are making this fabulous donation to the cause. It’s a great prize for any club. Hopefully, this will act as a valuable incentive for clubs to donate £250 or more.”
While the ‘£1 per member method’ of fundraising is gaining in popularity, clubs can raise money in other ways, including:
- Take part in the Golf Foundation ‘Charity Challenge’ against Lee Westwood
- Take part in the annual Golf Foundation ‘Adult/Junior Foursomes’
- Hold a Golf Foundation brooch or medal competition
- Make a club committee donation or organise a unique fundraising project
For further information about helping the Golf Foundation and for more details about running a Golf Foundation medal or brooch competition/involvement in the Golf Foundation Charity Challenge or Adult/Junior Foursomes, www.golf-foundation.org