BGIA donates £10,000 to Golf Foundation charity

National golf charity the Golf Foundation has thanked the British Golf Industry Association (BGIA) for raising £10,000, which will help more young people to enjoy the benefits of golf in the years ahead.

The funds were raised for the Golf Foundation during the recent BGIA golf day, which was held at Woburn Golf & Country Club in Buckinghamshire.

The BGIA team

Following the play, Stephen Lewis, chairman of the Golf Foundation, said: “The members of the British Golf Industry Association have been highly valued supporters of the Golf Foundation for many years. Their donation this year is hugely appreciated as this charity works to help more youngsters – boys and girls from all backgrounds and abilities – to ‘Start, Learn and Stay’ in golf, while benefiting from the life skills that the sport offers all players.

“We can promise that this money will be spent wisely. Encouraging young people into the game, from schools and communities into golf clubs, is vital for the future of the golf industry and we would like to thank everyone who played in this event and helped raise funds. A huge thank you also to the staff at Woburn for providing a wonderful welcome and to the BGIA’s Philip Morley and Ciara Morgan, for their superb support as always.” 

Nearest the flag, Mark Hilton, left

Chairman of the BGIA, Philip Morley, said: “We are delighted to be able to continue to support the Golf Foundation and the outstanding work it does as a charity. The BGIA is committed to growing the game of golf and reaching out to people outside of the gates of golf clubs to come and try our great game, something the Golf Foundation does extremely well. We also thank Woburn Golf & Country Club for their continued support; the first class service across the facility and magnificent courses always ensure that the event is a great success.”    

Stephen Lewis presented the winners’ prizes. The third place team was Media Drive, second place was Bauer Media and first place was the team from VPAR. Mark Hilton from Peter Millar won the prize for ‘nearest-the-flag’ and Will Urwin from Hensol Golf Academywon ‘longest drive’.

Winners: VPAR, presented by Stephen Lewis

A further £4,000was raised for the BGIA’s ‘Grow Golf’ fund, principally during the industry’s annual gala dinner at Woburn on the evening before play. BGIA members annually contribute to Grow Golf, an initiative which supports deserving regional and national golf projects that welcome new people of all ages into the sport. This innovative initiative has been developing for five years now and has also supported Golf Foundation projects in recent years.

The dinner included a highly entertaining Q&A session with BBC golf correspondent Iain Carter and a charity auction expertly led by renowned swimming commentator Hamilton Bland.

The Golf Foundation offers first golf experiences to children in schools and communities and then seeks to provide playing opportunities at local golf clubs and “Skills for Life, a healthy life, and a game for life”. The HSBC Golf Roots programme reaches 500,000 youngsters every year with the goal of helping 50,000 to enjoy golf at a golf club, creating 15,000 additional regular golfers annually.

BGIA chairman Philip Morley and Golf Foundation CEO Brendon Pyle are both regular contributors to The Golf Business magazine.