Building confidence in familiar settings
Golf was introduced in an environment participants already knew.
30
teachers and support staff trained
99
children given golf opportunities
The opportunity
01 Why Project 250 was created and the group it set out to reach. +
When EDGA considered a participation project in golf for the disabled, one group appeared particularly underrepresented: children and young people with disabilities.
While opportunities for adults with disabilities to experience and participate in golf had increased, many younger people were still missing from the participation pathway. Many had never experienced golf and were unlikely to encounter the game through traditional club-based recruitment.
Project 250 was developed with the support of the Kate & Justin Rose Foundation to reach young people through S.E.N.D schools and specialist educational environments, before connecting those first experiences to local golf facilities.
How it worked
The model started where participants already felt comfortable, prepared the people around them and then created realistic opportunities to move towards golf facilities and the course.
01
Start in the school
Golf was introduced in S.E.N.D schools and specialist environments where young people already felt comfortable.
02
Build local capability
Teachers and support staff were trained, while each school was provided with complimentary soft golf equipment, including clubs. This enabled participants to access golf on demand within curriculum activities, helping remove many of the early barriers to participation and allowing golf to continue between specialist visits.
03
Build familiarity before progression
Participants experienced structured golf activity before moving towards local practice facilities and the golf course.
What happened in the 2025 pilot
From pilot to expansion
01 Taking a model tested on a small scale and extending it while retaining the same principles. +
The first phase demonstrated that the model could work effectively on a relatively small scale and, importantly, could be repeated.
The next phase launched in late February 2026, bringing golf into S.E.N.D schools and specialist facilities across England, including for pupils with sensory impairments such as visual and hearing impairment. The programme then extended to Scotland in early May, Northern Ireland and Wales.
The expansion retained the same principles: reach young people in environments they already know, prepare the people who work with them, and create meaningful connections between those environments and local golf.
Why the model worked
Start where people already are
Project 250 did not begin by asking young people to enter an unfamiliar golf environment.
Build capability around the participant
Teachers and support staff became part of the delivery model rather than relying entirely on specialist coaches.
Create a pathway rather than an isolated experience
The objective is not simply to provide a one-off golf session. Schools, teachers, golf professionals, volunteers, parents and local facilities can connect around the participant, creating a pathway towards continued participation in golf.
Apply it
What could you take from Project 250?
- Which groups are currently underrepresented in your programmes?
- Where do they already meet, learn or participate?
- Who are the trusted people around them?
- How could you connect their first experience with a pathway into golf?