Welcome Contents

At England Golf we were keen to enhance our understanding of the experiences of volunteers in golf clubs to enable us to provide support where it is needed the most.

Our strong existing relationship with Manchester Metropolitan University and their understanding of golf meant that, in commissioning them to undertake a PhD, they would provide valuable insight.

Furthermore, the experience of Chris Mills (PhD Researcher), aligned with MMU’s knowledge of golf, has impacted our work from the start of the PhD, not just in the final year.

The qualitative nature of the study has built on what we thought we knew, as Chris was able to dig into the reality of the journey and experiences of volunteers in golf clubs.

One of the most exciting elements of the research is how it joins the journey of a golfer and that of a volunteer. Too often we have considered these elements in isolation and the research highlights that if a golf club actively supports golfers to integrate and become volunteers this will, in effect, create uber Members. These members are loyal, committed and keen to contribute their time to help sustain the club into the future.

Volunteering has been a feature of golf clubs ever since the first clubs were formed in the nineteenth century. From the board room to the tee, volunteers continue to play vital roles in running golf clubs. Yet, to our knowledge, there has never been any research into golf club volunteers. Since volunteers represent some of a golf club’s most committed members, understanding them offers potentially valuable insights into participation more generally.

The research has been conducted as part of a PhD degree. It therefore benefits from the intense focus of a PhD candidate and the wider involvement of an experienced team of academics. The research also builds on prior work done by Manchester Metropolitan University on member retention and understanding golf club volunteers.

We have enjoyed researching golf clubs and their volunteers and have met many great people along the way. We are indebted to those that took part in the research.

We are grateful to the team at England Golf for facilitating this research, especially to Matt Bloor, England Golf’s Volunteer Manager, whose enduring enthusiasm and practical support has been invaluable.

We hope you find this research report interesting and that it inspires you to make some positive changes at your golf club.