Welsh Golf To Earn £1m Boost From Women’s Open

AIG Women’s Open champion, Lydia Ko. Pic: AIG Women’s Open

Golf in Wales is to receive a £1m financial boost from the Welsh Government, to help ensure a lasting legacy from the largest female sporting event ever to be held in Wales. The investment will support the Women’s Golf Legacy Fund which aims to create long-lasting change by addressing barriers faced by women and girls in golf. The initiative will provide grants to golf clubs for projects across Wales, focusing on developing inclusive, family-friendly, and gender-equal facilities.

By Hamish Stuart

Golf in Wales is to receive a £1m financial boost from the Welsh Government, to help ensure a lasting legacy from the largest female sporting event ever to be held in Wales.

The investment will support the Women’s Golf Legacy Fund which aims to create long-lasting change by addressing barriers faced by women and girls in golf. The initiative will provide grants to golf clubs for projects across Wales, focusing on developing inclusive, family-friendly, and gender-equal facilities.

The AIG Women’s Open is heading to Royal Porthcawl in Wales

Grab your tickets today and witness the world’s best golfers battle it out to be crowned world champion. ️⛳

Book before 16 December to save https://t.co/ZvxtfPbrL7 pic.twitter.com/pQydTQos0H

— AIG Women’s Open (@AIGWomensOpen) December 14, 2024

The AIG Women’s Open will be held in Royal Porthcawl from 30 July – 3 August, and will be the first time the Championship has been played in Wales. This funding reflects the Welsh Government’s commitment to using major events to inspire change.

“Having the AIG Women’s Open played in Wales is a really exciting time for our golf clubs. Thanks to the support of the Welsh Government, we can help boost the provision for women and girls in golf, through improved facilities which can stand the test of time,” said Wales Golf CEO, Hannah McAllister.

“While we continue to deliver a wide range of services and initiatives in support of our strategy ‘Everyone’s Game: for fun, for sport, for life’, we feel this investment will allow us to go the extra mile in terms of increasing the participation of women and girls in golf, whether as players or as part of the workforce.

“Our joint hope is that the AIG Women’s Open, the largest female sporting event ever held in Wales, can have a similar long-term impact to the Ryder Cup in 2010.”

Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership, Jack Sargeant, said: “2025 promises to be a huge year for women’s sport in Wales and I’m really keen to ensure that Welsh Government and partners use the spotlight on elite athletes as a springboard to make a real and lasting difference to the opportunities and experiences available to women and girls at every level across Wales.

“The support we are announcing today will help ensure Wales derives maximum benefit from hosting the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club later this year – not only in welcoming thousands of golf fans from across the world to Wales but importantly in harnessing the ever-increasing profile of women’s golf into something that can inspire and drive others to participate.”

Seriously satisfying… pic.twitter.com/KIErc7oed6

— AIG Women’s Open (@AIGWomensOpen) September 4, 2024

The AIG Women’s Open is the showpiece for The R&A’s commitment to growing women and girls’ golf via its Women in Golf Charter.

Phil Anderton, Chief Development Officer at The R&A said, “We believe that providing opportunities for women and girls to play golf in a welcoming and inclusive environment where they feel comfortable and have facilities designed for their needs will help to break down barriers to participation and enhance their enjoyment of the sport.

“We would like to applaud the Welsh Government and Wales Golf for developing this initiative which reflects the values of The R&A Women in Golf Charter and we look forward to seeing the positive benefits generated by this substantial investment.”

By improving facilities and creating a welcoming environment, the Women’s Golf Legacy Fund also supports Wales Golf’s vision of making golf ‘Everyone’s Game’.

In order to access the funding, clubs will need to be signed up to The R&A’s Women in Golf Charter, be affiliated to Wales Golf and participate in the New2Golf Beginner Golf Initiative, or similar introductory golf sessions aimed at targeting underrepresented groups, in 2025.

New management team to take @wales_golf forward:https://t.co/UzBUlePXoD pic.twitter.com/nFpK7HyZl5

— golfoffers (@golfoffers9) January 7, 2025

Eligible projects include on-course toilet facilities – highlighted as a key barrier for women golfers in surveys – as well as upgrades to women’s changing rooms, family-friendly spaces, unisex changing facilities, and improved disabled access.

Other projects that could be considered are family seating areas near to coaching facilities, promotion of the Welsh language, improved greenkeeper facilities to attract more females into greenkeeping, or any other innovative projects aimed at recruiting and retaining women and girls, as well as increasing participation in golf amongst as diverse audience as possible, while also helping meet the needs of existing players.

All Wales Golf-affiliated golf clubs are invited to apply via the application portal, which opens on Tuesday, 14 January and closes on Friday, 7 March.