Average golf club gave £7K to charity in 2013

British golf clubs collectively gave more than £18 million to charities in 2013 according to a new survey conducted by Golf Club Management.

It means the average British golf club gave more than £7,000 to charity last year.

This publication randomly picked 26 golf clubs, representing about one percent of all the venues in the UK, and researched each one’s charitable donations over the last year.

The 26 clubs donated £182,120 to charities in 2013, at an average donation of just over £7,000 per golf club. With over 2,500 golf clubs in the UK, this equates to just over £18 million being donated to good causes.

Beneficiaries included a broad range of charities, from local hospices to national projects that help injured soldiers.

Most golf clubs run several fundraising events throughout the year, with the money given to charities nominated by that club’s captain. Some clubs handed over cheques to more than one charity, depending on the number of captains they had in 2013.

Of the 26 golf clubs looked at, Gog Magog in Cambridge was the most generous, donating £25,066 to two charities. £16,460 was given to Lady Taverners, a charity that enhances the prospects of disadvantaged and disabled young people using sport and recreation, which was the ladies’ captain’s nominated charity, and £8,606 was given to the National Autistic Society, the men’s captain’s nominated charity.

The biggest single beneficiary from the clubs researched was Round Table Children’s Wish, which was given £17,000 by Broadstone Golf Club and £3,000 by Ferndown Golf Club, both in Dorset.

A spokesman for Broadstone said: “The money meant that Joshua, aged 11, who has acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, has had a log cabin built in his garden, including a pool table, where he can have game nights with his friends.” Four other children with severe illnesses have also had similar wishes come true thanks to Broadstone‘s fundraising efforts.

The biggest single donation from the clubs surveyed was to military charity Help for Heroes, which was given £17,798 by Redditch Golf Club. Fundraising events during the year included a charity golf day, an auction of prizes, competitions and raffles.

A spokesman for Help for Heroes said golf clubs across the UK raised £237,220 for the charity during 2013. Pershore Golf Society, another of the 26 clubs analysed, also donated to Help for Heroes.

At Ramside Hall Hotel and Golf Club in Durham, £15,841.68 was given to the Children’s Heart Unit at Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.

The money was raised specifically for children needing cardiothoracic surgery, involving conditions affecting children’s hearts and lungs.

Gordon Dance, captain of Ramside Golf Club, said: “The Children’s Heart Unit at Freeman Hospital is an incredible, life changing place, delivering hope and bright futures to children who have yet to scratch the surface of life.

“I’m overjoyed that, in our own small way, we could pull together a good amount of money that can help this special group of health professionals do their amazing work.”

The funds were raised through a variety of charity golf competitions, raffles, auctions, gala dinners and private donations. The final total was boosted by match funding from Barclays Bank, through its employee and Ramside member Paul West, who donated £5,250 in funds.

And at Test Valley Golf Club in Basingstoke, a number of golfers posed naked or semi-naked for a calendar for the Ark Cancer Centre, which helped the golf club raise £14,000 for the worthy cause.

Vickie Randall, charity manager for the Ark Cancer Centre, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have had such great support over the last year from the golfers at Test Valley.

“The events have been enormous fun with some challenges along the way but their determination has paid off with such a huge donation.”

List of golf clubs surveyed and their charitable donations