The Golf Foundation believes The Open Championship to be the best possible advertisement for the sport to youngsters, and at Royal Birkdale from Sunday, 13th July 13th to Sunday 20th July the Foundation’s team will be welcoming an expected 2,000 plus youngsters to the R&A Junior Golf Centre in the venue’s tented village.
This activity provides a ‘priceless opportunity’ for the Golf Foundation to showcase its work as a charity in supporting the national partnerships to increase young people’s participation in the game.
Thanks to support from The R&A, the Foundation will operate from the R&A where visiting youngsters from school groups and families will play Tri-Golf games, putt for prizes, and learn a little more about golf.
After watching their heroes out on the course, some lucky youngsters may even get to have a game of Tri-Golf with the golfing stars. Tri-Golf games are lively and colourful and during recent Open Championships Adam Scott, Paul Lawrie, Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher have been among the players taking part in special challenges with the children.
Mike Round, chief executive of the Golf Foundation, said, “The R&A provides us with this wonderful facility each year and the whole team is highly focused on getting the most out of this priceless opportunity. Here we can highlight all the junior grass roots work that we carry out during the rest of the year in schools, community projects and golf clubs, while at the same time we can offer a first go at golf for youngsters attending The Open with their families.”
During the week of The Open, the Foundation will be highlighting its ‘Commit to Junior Golf‘ campaign, where the charity asks all golfers to chip in £2 each, through member subscription or individual donation, to protect the future of grass roots junior golf.
The Foundation will be sharing the R&A Junior Golf Centre for the week with the PGA. A team of PGA professionals will be giving free lessons to youngsters for the whole week, as part of the organisation’s commitment to junior golf. Last year, just under 200 lessons were given each day.
Foundation staff will also be running the England Golf ‘Putting Challenge‘, sponsored by Cobra Golf and Titleist, inviting youngsters to putt for a selection of top prizes.
Golf Foundation www.golf-foundation.org