All amateur golf in the UK is governed by England Golf, formally known as the English Golf Union which merged with the English Women’s Golf Association in 2012. As a governing body, it is one of the largest and certainly one of the most famous for sporting activities in the UK. It looks after the interests of more than 1,900 golf clubs and 675,000 men, women, boys and girls club members.

What is endearing about England Golf as a governing body is its power to invite young and old players alike to have a lifelong involvement in the game and to encourage new golfers, juniors and adults to participate. Their new initiative ‘Get into Golf’ is encouraging amateur golfers to start playing the game, with a hope to continue.

England Golf has a new President and Chairman. John Williams has taken office as the president of England Golf in 2017. The new chairman is Nic Coward, the organisation’s first independent role of its kind. Nic is the current Chairman of the Furrows Group which owns car dealerships such as Kia, Ford, Mazda and Skoda in Telford, Shrewbury and Oswestry. He has deep roots in Shropshire, as Nic became an avid golfer having learnt the game at his golf in Shrewsbury.

John Williams, was part of the team that pioneered the merge of English Golf Union and the English Women’s Golf Association. Not only this, Williams played a key role in running the national amateur golf championships, as well as taking on the role of Chairman for the EGU’s Championship Committee and a referee for more than a decade; an accolade in itself.

England Golf has at its heart a real passion for supporting and nurturing young professional golfers and identifying the country’s most talented golfers. Some of England Golf’s key golfers have now become some of the world’s leading golfers, such as Justin Rose, Charley Hull and Lee Westwood. The majority of the funding for the organisation comes from affiliation fees which are paid by fellow golfers and goes into a pot to fund activities hosted by England Golf. Otherwise, members of each affiliated golf club associated with the body pay an annual subscription to their Country Union which is for men and the Country Association which is for women.

Photo credit: Chatchai Somwat/Shutterstock 

In a statement made by Nic Coward upon his appointment as Chairman for England Golf, he has commented that:

‘Golf in England has a huge amount to be proud of, from Olympic gold to the huge impact in communities across the country. There is great work going on at every level of the game. What is really exciting is the opportunity to do even more, to get more people playing, more often.’

‘I am very pleased to be taking on the new role as Chairman of England Golf. It’s an incredible opportunity to get right to the heart of grassroots golf, and to inspire people to have a lifelong involvement in the game. My interest in the game started with my Grandmother, Mary Yaxley, at Shrewsbury Golf Club, and I was inspired by local heroes Sandy Lyle and Ian Woosnam.’

Photo credit: Nic Coward courtesy of England Golf 

Feature image credit: Leaderboard Photography/England Golf (John Williams)