In golf we Trust

Non-profit charitable organisation The Golf Trust, which since February has given beginner golf lessons to 5,000 girls aged nine to eleven years old in north and west London, has identified 40 promising girl golfers to compete in the final of its inaugural Golf’s Got Talent event next month. The Final, to be held on 30 June, will take place at The Buckinghamshire GC in Denham on one of the practice days of the home event of the Ladies European Tour – the ISPS Handa Ladies European Masters.

After the free coaching sessions, which took place in schools across north and west London and in Hertfordshire, almost 100 girls were invited to take part in the semi-finals, which took place at The West London Golf Centre in Northolt in early May 2015. Although SNAG equipment was used in the schools, those taking part in the semi-final were lent real golf equipment to show off their new golfing skills.

The final 40 were selected by a Golf Trust panel including founders Cae Menai-Davis and Frank Harrington, plus PGA professional and Golf Trust director of junior coaching Nigel Lawrence and his son Benjamin, head of inclusive coaching at The Golf Trust.

Menai –Davis, a 28-year old golf professional based at The Shire London GC said, “It has been a fabulous experience, seeing so many youngsters take their first steps into golf over such a short period of time. In Golf’s Got Talent, we were looking for signs of a natural golfing talent – signs of a potential star of the future, in other words! The 40 we have selected for the final all have this raw spark, and we’re looking forward to identifying a winner”.

The Golf Trust, which recently obtained funding to provide long-term sustainable golf coaching programmes for schools, has already set itself an ambitious target for the follow-up Golf’s Got Talent next year. Menai –Davis added, “We’ll be looking to coach over 20,000 children in schools during the first half of 2016 and next year we will be inviting boys aged nine to eleven to take part too.”