Everything you need to know about the Golf Foundation and how they work alongside the GCMA.
What does the Golf Foundation do?
Golf Foundation is committed to helping any young person enjoy the playing and personal benefits of golf, through our Golf for All approach. We believe those benefits will benefit them for the rest of their lives. We call this ‘Skills for Life’ and it is core to all of our work.
We have two key strategic aims: To make golf more accessible by taking our innovative formats, Tri-Golf for four to 10 year olds, and StreetGolf for teenagers, to the young people in their own environments such as schools, youth clubs, doorstep clubs, parks, leisure centres and Premier League football clubs; and to help young people to ‘Start, Learn and Stay’ in the sport. We support clubs, set-up our Junior Golf Passport curriculum, and creatively incentivise retention through our ‘Box of Tricks.’
Our work is delivered by a dedicated team of regional development officers, supported by staff at our head office in Hertfordshire.
How does the golf foundation work with the gcma?
Whilst the Golf Foundation has worked with the GCMA in the past, and has contact with the majority of clubs run by GCMA members, we are looking to forge even stronger links in the future.
We were pleased to welcome a number of GCMA staff to our President’s Awards that took place during the BMW PGA Championship, giving them a chance to see first hand the work that we do. We are in regular contact with the association to put plans in place to help continue to raise the profile of the Golf Foundation, and we are looking forward to working more closely with the association.
How would the Golf Foundation like to work with clubs?
Club managers are absolutely key to the success of the Golf Foundation, as we want to encourage more youngsters to sample golf at golf clubs, learn the game and then stay in the sport.
We currently work closely with England Golf and the PGA through our ‘club-centric’ approach that focuses on supporting golf clubs to give a great customer service experience for newcomers to the game. Whilst we have these close ties, our interests increasingly lie with developing better working relationships with club managers and supporting them in providing the best environment for young people getting into the sport.
How to get in touch Visit Golf Foundation’s website – golf-foundation.org – for more information. You can also get in touch by phone – calling 01922 449830.
This interview was first published in The Golf Club Manager – the official journal of the GCMA. If you would like to receive the journal, either join the GCMA today, or subscribe to the magazine.
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