Welcome From The CEO

“It is an incredible honour and privilege to lead the Golf Foundation, and we’ve had another incredible year of impact. We are proud of our history and connection to Sir Henry Cotton, 3 times winner of The Open Championship, driven by our values of making the introduction of golf to young people – FUN, Inclusive, Inspiring, Innovative and Enriching – the charity continues to evolve and test new ways of attracting and keeping young people in the sport.  With the support of a skilled and dedicated Board, and driven by excellent people within the organisation, we look forward to being laser focused in our mission to provide young people with a fun and inclusive introduction to golf, the chance to play regularly at clubs and develop lifelong skills. The GF has much to be proud of when reflecting on the past year. 

This year’s Impact Report reflects our ambition to measurably demonstrate how we enhance young people’s lives. Notable highlights included: 

Unleash Your Drive

In support of Unleash Your Drive, our inspirational President, Nick Dougherty hosted a qualifying golf tournament at Wentworth Club, with the 3 winners playing in the BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am. Only 18 months after launch, our stand-alone mental toughness programme, Unleash Your Drive in schools has now reached 1,403 schools and consistently measures an average 6% increase in overall mental wellbeing of pupils taking part.  

GolfSixes League

Our GolfSixes League programme is now established in 800 clubs across GB&I, reaching over 9,000 participants in 2024 (25% girls).  Created and developed by the Golf Foundation, generously supported by The R&A, and delivered across GB&I thanks to the help of England Golf, Scottish Golf, Wales Golf and Golf Ireland (and internationally thanks to the help of Confederation of Professional Golfers and DP World Tour) our charity is making a measurable difference to young golfers enjoying their early experience of competitive golf and wanting to continue on their golfing journey (34% increase in membership at clubs involved). 

Eagles For Education

Thanks to our relationship with the DP World Tour, our President’s Awards returned to Wentworth Club, hosted by our inspirational President, Nick Dougherty, and we received the backing of BMW via the Eagles for Education initiative.  As a result of these key partnerships, we look forward to being the Official Charity Partner of the BMW PGA Championship in September 2025, a huge opportunity for the Golf Foundation in terms of both profile and fundraising. 

My thanks to the continued support of The R&A and opportunities that this partnership brings to the Golf Foundation.  The PGA and Sport England have also been significant and steadfast funding partners for many years.  For 2025, we look forward to launching a refreshed strategy with greater focus on demonstrating impact, working with England Golf on the new Junior Journey strategy to help more young people start, stay and play in our sport, and continuing to develop new funding partnerships with a broader base of supporters such as the British Golf industry Association, Torro Foundation and LPGA Foundation. 

BRENDON PYLE

Golf Foundation CEO