The former European Tour player and now Sky Sports Golf presenter and analyst Nick Dougherty has become the youngest President of the Golf Foundation. Nick was actually supported by the Foundation through coaching programmes in the late 1990s, when he met former President Bernard Gallacher, and he has been a strong supporter in recent years.

Nick aligns himself with the Golf Foundation’s core values, that golf should be fun, inclusive, innovative, inspiring and enriching, and has recently appeared at both The Open and the BMW PGA Championship as an unofficial ambassador of the Golf Foundation.

Dougherty’s vision now is to help make a significant impact at a junior level, with a particular focus on schools. Earlier this year, he helped the Golf Foundation to create and launch its ‘Golf Is Ours’ school campaign, aimed at getting golf into as many schools as possible.

Nick Dougherty said: “I am so grateful for the role that golf has played in my life. From the joy that the game brings to the life lessons that it teaches, I have seen through the experiences of both myself and so many others, the positive impact it can play in people’s lives.

“Introducing it to children when they are young, impressionable and ‘learning the ropes’ of life with its ups and downs, just like the game itself, usually has a profoundly positive effect for them and their futures. Because of this, it is an incredible honour to accept the role of President of the Golf Foundation, an organisation that has been sharing these wonderful golfing gifts for 70 years.”

Nick added: “The Golf Foundation played a hugely important role in my development as a youngster, and the chance to work with them to support today’s children is immensely rewarding and important to me. I am extremely excited to play my part in helping to reach more children with our sport, to make it more inclusive and, with this shared passion of the Golf Foundation, push to make golf a part of the curriculum in schools so that the benefits of this amazing game are available to all.”

Nick’s first official engagement as President came at London Golf Club, where we celebrated our 70^th anniversary by presenting awards to those who have made a major difference in growing junior golf across the UK. Dougherty, who is the youngest President in the Golf Foundation’s history, congratulated five deserving winners on the day, and shared some stories of his own.