BGIA members back PGA Play initiative

29/03/2023

Building on their recently-announced partnership, The PGA and the British Golf Industry Association (BGIA) have collaborated to help grow the game of golf through the PGA Play initiative.

On Thursday March 30^th BGIA members, which includes some of the biggest brands in golf, are supporting and promoting PGA Play, which will drive awareness of the platform and ultimately help increase participation by getting more people into golf.

BGIA members have created their own PGA Play content in a variety of forms for their channels, confirming a shared willingness to promote golf and increase participation in the UK and Ireland, as well as making the game more enjoyable for those already playing by helping them to improve through lessons.

Commenting on the partnership, Richard Barker, PGA Executive Director – Business Development, said: “The PGA is delighted to be working with the British Golf Industry Association and its members to grow the game at all levels and promote golf more widely through the PGA Play platform.

“We’re all really excited about how this partnership between The PGA and the BGIA will help grow the reach and audience of PGA Play. BGIA members have a combined reach of millions of golfers, which provides a massive opportunity to engage and inspire a huge audience of would-be and improving golfers.”

Martin Wild, Chairman of BGIA, commented: “The BGIA is proud to partner with The PGA to support the PGA Play platform.

“We believe this exciting initiative will make a major contribution to growing the game of golf. For the first time, golfers of all abilities have easy access to the game as the platform provides a simple way to book lessons and custom fitting sessions with PGA professionals.

“BGIA members have the largest reach of anyone in golf. Through our brands, athletes and associated celebrities, we’ll play a vital role in making PGA Play the go-to hub for everything golf, encouraging take up, retention and enhanced enjoyment of this wonderful game.”

Lisa Lovatt (pictured), Managing Director of PING Europe, a PGA Principal Partner and one of a large number of BGIA members set to promote PGA Play, said: “We applaud the PGA Play initiative, which gives the consumer a direct route to golf lessons in one convenient place - all in aid of developing the game.

“At PING, we understand the importance of custom fitting and the role it plays in the coaching process, so we’re proud to be able to support new golfers entering the game in line with initiatives like this. We look forward to continuing our partnership with The PGA and making the game as accessible as possible.”

Rob Jackson, Head of Golf EMEA for Mizuno added: “Mizuno, via its membership of the BGIA, is excited and delighted to support the PGA Play initiative. It aligns perfectly with our own corporate philosophy of contributing to society through the advancement of sporting goods and the promotion of sports by connecting golfers of all abilities with a local PGA Professional who can help them with their game and equipment choices, which can only help grow the game of golf.”

PGA Play is a dedicated platform from The PGA that connects golfers looking for lessons – or anybody interested in trying golf – with a local PGA Professional in just a few clicks. With an ability to also search for custom-fitting soon to be launched, PGA Play aims to be the go-to resource for people wanting to improve all aspects of their game.

Since launching last summer, more than 40,000 people have visited the platform, which has led to thousands of lesson enquiries – with more than 85 per cent going on to book a lesson with a PGA Professional. Latest figures for 2023 show February was the best month yet for PGA Play, with more than 6,000 people visiting the platform, and March looks set to break 7,000 users for the first time since launch.

PGA Members are encouraged to take advantage of this latest partnership, which will increase traffic significantly to PGA Play, by creating/improving their FREE PGA Play profile. You can now also set up your custom fitting profile to make sure you show up in custom fitting searches when the function goes live in the coming weeks.

Five steps to create your PGA Play profile in less than five minutes!

Visit the PGA Play profile page in the Members’ area of pga.info.
Follow the on-screen instructions to enter/update your profile.
Add additional information about your specialisms and qualifications, plus details of lesson pricing and offers.
Select the option to build your custom fitting profile. Include as much information as you can on what brands you work, upcoming fitting days, prices etc.
Upload a professional profile image and a video to boost your profile.

CLICK HERE to find out more about PGA Play and keep an eye on the main social platforms on Thursday 30^th March.