Nick Dougherty appeared in Westminster on Tuesday to spearhead a mental well-being initiative for young people by introducing them to golf.
The Sky Sports presenter showcased the Golf Foundation’s Unleash Your Drive in Schools programme to the House of Commons, featuring a 100-strong audience of MPs, educators, players, media and golf administrators.
The Golf Foundation, a charity of which Dougherty is the President, launched the programme in September 2023 and it aims to introduce the game to young people with nine mental toughness tools embedded across six weeks of golf games. The foundation is looking to provide fully funded kits and resources to schools in areas of deprivation.
Dougherty also promoted Play In May which the DP World Tour and Wentworth will help the Golf Foundation roll out, creating the opportunity for golfers to play in the BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am later this year.
The Play In May competition will offer 40 places for the Unleash Your Drive Final at Wentworth in August. The winning three players on the day will earn a spot in the Pro-Am at the tour’s flagship event in September.
With a £5 donation for each round played, Play In May will help the Golf Foundation to extend the reach of Unleash Your Drive into as many UK schools as possible. Every golfer in the UK is being asked to support Play In May.
Since the launch, 500 schools have signed up to deliver sessions and results so far have indicated a 20% increase in mental toughness in pupils on the programme.
“Mental toughness is important because all of the research tells us that mentally tough youngsters do better academically, career-wise and perhaps most importantly in terms of their overall life happiness and resilience,” Dougherty said at the event.
“We believe all golfers who have themselves benefited from golf would be happy to help us to increase the confidence and resilience of our youngsters through Unleash Your Drive. That is why we are asking them to Play in May and make a small donation to create a massive national benefit for young people and the wider sport.”
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At the end of May, the top 30 players on the Unleash Your Drive leaderboard will qualify for the tournament hosted by Dougherty on the West Course at Wentworth. There is also a draw for those who don’t qualify both with or without a handicap.
The Golf Foundation aims to introduce children to golf from all backgrounds. The charity takes simplified versions of the game to schools and community groups. It works with the R&A, the PGA and DP World Tour and the home nations.
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