Birmingham, England: The Professional Golfers’ Association of Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) has formed a partnership with the British Golf Industry Association (BGIA) that will see both organisations working together to promote the game and increase participation in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The PGA’s new PGA Play platform – which enables connections between PGA Professionals and those looking for lessons, as well as providing instructional and inspirational golf content – will be at the heart of this collaboration, with BGIA members supporting and promoting both PGA Play and PGA Professionals to their customers and audiences.

The BGIA is the lead trade body representing UK manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors of golf products and services. Its members include some of the biggest brands in the industry, with these companies enjoying a long-standing and vital relationship with PGA Professionals working in golf facilities across the UK and Ireland.

This strategic alliance builds on last year’s announcement that The PGA was to join the BGIA, bringing together two naturally aligned organisations with an expressed aim of collaborating to support and champion growth across all aspects of the game.

The partnership enables BGIA to get behind and support a key growth initiative – PGA Play – that is helping to encourage more people to get into golf, as well as making the game more enjoyable for those already playing by helping them to improve through lessons. 

“I’m delighted we are partnering with the BGIA to help increase participation and promote golf even more widely,” said Robert Maxfield, Chief Executive of The PGA of GB&I, an Executive Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.

“Collaborating with the BGIA and its membership will enable us to work together to help grow the game and reach an even greater audience of would-be and improving golfers. We look forward to working with them on this exciting initiative,” added Maxfield.

With a combined reach of millions, BGIA members enjoy a huge opportunity to promote golf to the widest possible audience through PGA Play, and this collaboration will see them not only driving awareness of the platform but also sharing instruction content from their playing and coaching ambassadors in order to inspire more people to try lessons or activities hosted by PGA Professionals.

Martin Wild, Chairman of the BGIA, said: “The BGIA is delighted to support the PGA’s new PGA Play Platform. This strategic partnership of two of the game’s most influential stakeholders is something that excites our members greatly. Golf enjoyed an incredible boost during Covid and it is important that we not only retain but continue to grow participation. 

“The PGA Play platform will play a major part in promoting our wonderful game and encourage more people to take it up. With some exciting developments for the platform in the pipeline, the BGIA and its membership will play a major part in its promotion through their incredible reach to golfing consumers.”

Recognising the many benefits of custom-fitting to golfers looking to improve, PGA Play will also provide details of fitting events being hosted by PGA Professionals in association and on behalf of the major golf brands that are part of the BGIA.

This will be supplemented by publication on PGA Play of a wide range of educational information and content on the subject, helping golfers to better understand the importance and impact of custom fitting.