I’m Dan, co-founder of Links Connect. I’m also a golf club member, and a dad to a seven-year-old who I hope will join a club as soon as he’s old enough.
This blog post is about why we started Links Connect, the junior golf funding problem we’re trying to solve, and how we fit alongside the excellent work already being done by organizations like England Golf and the Golf Foundation.
The Reality of Junior Golf Funding
Let’s start with some uncomfortable facts about junior golf funding in England:
Junior Participation:
Only 0.3% of children in England participated in golf in 2021/22 according to government statistics. While golf is growing again post-pandemic, junior participation remains stubbornly low.
Club Membership:
England currently has around 45,000 junior club members. For context, that’s across roughly 1,900 golf clubs – an average of about 24 junior members per club.
The Cost Barrier:
Getting a junior started in golf costs £600-800 in the first year:
• Junior membership: £50-150
• Starter club set: £200-500
• Coaching: £200-400 (10 sessions at £20-40/hour)
• Competition fees: £100-200
• Equipment (shoes, balls, bag): £100-150
Club Budgets:
The average junior section operates on £2,000-5,000 per year for 20-40 kids. That works out to £50-150 per junior per year – barely enough for a few coaching sessions, let alone equipment or competition support.
Why This Matters
Junior Golf Needs More Funding. Golf clubs gave me and my business partner Jay so much growing up. We both spent our childhoods at golf clubs – safe places where we learned respect, discipline, etiquette, and how to handle both winning and losing with grace.
But here’s the thing: we were lucky. Our families could afford it. Thousands of kids in Lancashire alone never get that opportunity, not because they’re not interested, but because £600 is a lot of money.
And right now, in 2026, with the cost of living crisis still affecting families across the UK, that barrier is higher than ever.
What’s Already Being Done
Before we explain what Links Connect does, we want to acknowledge the brilliant work already happening in junior golf:
The Golf Foundation is a national charity that does incredible work introducing young people to golf. They:
- Reach over 150,000 youngsters in schools across Great Britain and Ireland every year
- Run HSBC Golf Roots Centres – a network of junior-friendly clubs providing coaching
- Operate the GolfSixes League with 9,000+ young participants across 600 clubs
- Deliver Girls Golf Rocks to encourage more girls into the sport
- Provide grants to clubs and individual juniors (£53,400 distributed to clubs in 2023/24)
The Golf Foundation is funded by The R&A (£2 million over four years), Sport England, and private donations. They’re doing essential work getting kids into golf in the first place.
England Golf Trust provides individual grants to young golfers (under 21 or in full-time education) for:
- Coaching from PGA professionals
- Golf club membership
- Competition entry fees
- Travel and accommodation for regional/national events
- Equipment
These grants are awarded annually in February and make a real difference to individual juniors who show commitment to the sport.
The Gap Links Connect Fills
Here’s the thing: the Golf Foundation and England Golf Trust are brilliant at what they do but they can’t be everywhere, and they can’t fund everything.
Most junior sections at most clubs still operate on £2,000-5,000/year and That’s not enough to:
- Provide regular coaching for all juniors (not just the talented few)
- Buy starter club sets for kids whose families can’t afford them
- Subsidize competition entry fees so all juniors can participate
- Run social events that build the junior community
- Cover travel costs for inter-club matches
And crucially, clubs can’t rely on charitable grants year after year but grants are competitive, one-time and require significant admin to apply for. What if there was a way to give clubs automatic where reliable funding for their junior sections without any effort on their part?
That’s where we come in.
What Links Connect Does
Links Connect is a small business with a simple model:
1. We provide professional marketing to golf clubs at zero cost
• Weekly newsletters that members actually open and read
• £50/month Meta advertising for club events
• Better member engagement, higher event attendance
2. We fund everything through local business sponsors
• Local businesses advertise in the newsletters
• Clubs approve every sponsor
• Sector exclusivity (one accountant, one solicitor, etc.)
3. We automatically invest 5% of our funds into junior golf
• Plus sponsors can optionally add their own 5% contribution
• We estimate about 70% of sponsors choose to support junior golf
• Clubs typically receive £700-800 per year
• Paid annually every January
• No applications, no admin, just money for juniors
What £800 Per Year Actually Does
£800 might not sound like life-changing money. But for a junior section operating on £3,000/year, it’s a 25% increase. Here’s what it could fund:
- 10 group coaching sessions with the club pro (£400)
- 3 starter club sets for kids who can’t afford their own (£300)
- Competition entry fees for 15-20 juniors (£200)
- Christmas party and social events (£200-300)
- Travel costs for inter-club matches
- Practice equipment or junior competition prizes
The club’s Junior Organizer decides how to spend it. We don’t dictate. We just provide reliable, annual funding for junior golfers that clubs can count on.
How We’re Different From Existing Programs
Golf Foundation:
Brilliant at introducing kids to golf through schools and taster programs. Runs national initiatives like GolfSixes League. We’re not doing that – they’re the experts.
England Golf Trust:
Supports individual talented juniors with grants for coaching and competitions. We’re not doing that – they identify and support future stars.
Links Connect:
Provides automatic, recurring funding to junior sections at our partner clubs. Not for tasters, not for individual stars, but for the everyday juniors who just want regular coaching, equipment access, and competitions.
We’re not replacing anyone. We’re filling a gap. Think of it like this:
- Golf Foundation: Gets kids through the door
- England Golf Trust: Supports the talented ones who need extra help
- Links Connect: Keeps the everyday juniors engaged and supported once they’re members
Being Realistic About What We Can Do
We’re not a charity. We’re not a national organization. We’re a small business run by two lads from Lancashire who love golf and think Junior Golf Funding Needs More Support.
If we sign 10 clubs in Year 1, we’ll put up to £8,000 into junior golf. That’s:
• Not changing the world
• But supporting 200-300 juniors across those clubs
• And proving the model works
If we scale to 50 clubs, that’s £40,000/year into junior golf across the region. If we go national and reach 100 clubs, that’s up to £80,000/year.
Compare that to the Golf Foundation’s £2 million budget, and we’re tiny. But we’re complementary. Every club we support is one more junior section with reliable funding. Every junior who stays in golf because they got coaching or equipment is a win.
Why a Business, Not a Charity?
People sometimes ask: why not make Links Connect a charity like the Golf Foundation?
Simple answer: sustainability.
Charities rely on grants, donations, and goodwill. They do incredible work, but they’re vulnerable to funding cuts. The R&A’s £2 million to the Golf Foundation is fantastic – but what if that funding changes in four years?
We’re a business. We sell a service (newsletters and advertising) that clubs need anyway. The sponsors pay for that service. We take our profit and reinvest a portion into junior golf. As long as clubs need marketing and businesses want customers, the model works.
It’s self-sustaining. It doesn’t rely on grants or donations. And it can scale.
The Vision
In 12 months, I want to stand in a clubhouse with a big novelty check and hand £800 to the Junior Organizer. I want to see kids playing with equipment they wouldn’t have had otherwise. I want to see fuller coaching sessions. I want to see inter-club matches that wouldn’t have happened without travel funding.
In five years, I want Links Connect to be supporting 50-100 clubs across England. That’s £40,000-80,000 per year into junior golf. Not solving every problem, but making a real dent.
And crucially, I want clubs to see this model and think: ‘If a small business can give us £800/year from marketing revenue, what else could we be doing to fund our juniors?’
The Golf Foundation and England Golf Trust are amazing. But they can’t be everywhere. Links Connect is about grassroots funding for grassroots juniors at grassroots clubs.
The Personal Bit
My son is seven. Soon, he’ll be old enough to join a club. I want him to experience what I experienced: the safety, the friendships, the discipline, the pure joy of playing 36 holes on a summer day.
But I’m lucky – I can afford the £600 to get him started. A lot of families in my area can’t. And those kids deserve golf just as much as mine does.
If Links Connect can help even a few of those kids stay in the game, that’s worth doing.
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What You Can Do
If you’re a golf club member and you think your club could benefit from this, mention Links Connect to your GM or Secretary. Show them this blog post.
If you’re a golf club manager, get in touch. We’ll show you exactly how it works, walk you through the numbers, and answer any questions.
If you’re a local business owner who wants to reach golf club members while supporting junior golf, let’s talk.
Junior Golf Needs More Support
Get in touch: info@linksconnect.co.uk
Website: www.linksconnect.co.uk
Links Connect supports the work of England Golf and the Golf Foundation.
We’re not competing – we’re complementing.
Junior Golf Funding: How Golf Clubs Can Support Their Junior Sections | Links Connect
