Date Published: 29/06/2022
With more women and girls wanting to get involved with golf, England Golf has been working hard to support growth through different initiatives and through supporting individuals who are also helping to further the game.
In April, England Golf honoured some of the unsung heroes at their annual England Golf Awards, hosted by keen golfer and BBC Broadcaster, Naga Munchetty. With 11 different winners, England Golf CEO Jeremey Tomlinson said he was “humbled and proud to be involved with golf in England”.
One of the key awards on the night was the Women and Girls Trailblazer Award, won by Hannah Crump, who has continuously dedicated herself to providing opportunities for women, girls and young participants in the sport.
Who is Hannah Crump?
Hannah Crump is a PGA qualified coach working at both a regional and national level for over five years. Based out of Stonebridge Golf Club in Coventry, Hannah has an ever-growing female academy and has developed a reputation for promoting diversity and inclusion within the sport.
Hannah works with a number of women and girls within her regular coaching sessions, highlighting the passion she has for growing the game and why she’s been recognised as a trailblazer within the game of golf. With a passion to grow the game, it’s clear to see why Hannah has been recognised as a trailblazer of the game.
Helping to grow women’s golf
Since her golf coaching journey started, Hannah has helped introduce over 1,000 women to the game, largely in part due to the programmes that she is a part of, not only for the people of Stonebridge Golf Club, but for the wider community too!
Girls in Golf Society
The Girls in Golf Society is a group that has been setup to encourage women from the LGBTQ+ community to enjoy both the competitive side of golf but also the social aspect, offering the opportunity for participants to learn and understand more about the game and how it can benefit them.
Hannah is one of many female professionals who teaches to the GIGS membership where, on a monthly basis, the group meets for social games, both 9 and 18 holes, driving range visits, group coaching and more!
For Hannah, being able to grow the game through her position has been the driving force in giving back: “For me that’s everything. I love doing it and I want to make women’s golf as strong as I can”.
Find out more about the Girls in Golf Society here.
love.golf and the Muslim Golf Association
Launched in 2021 at Stonebridge Golf Club, love.golf and the Muslim Golf Association have created an introduction programme that specifically targets Muslim women who want to take up golf.
Hannah, who hosted a session, had 25 women take part, with a large number of participants still on the waiting list! The session offered an introduction to the game and allowed the beginners involved to pick up a golf club and get a feel for what the sport is like.
Due to the initial success, more sessions were offered and Crump and the participants from the Muslim Golf Association were invited to the Aramco Team Series at Centurion Club, where Crump undertook a pro-to-pro teaching session with Ladies European Tour player, Camilla Lennarth.
“It’s just so important that we continue to push golf into the modern world. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you believe in, we need to keep working hard to make golf a welcoming sport to everyone”, Hannah said.
With her continued involvement in campaigns like these, Hannah is working to ensure the stability of the game for the future.
Alongside her interest in offering a pathway into the game for women, Crump also hopes to protect the game and ensure a strong flow of juniors are offered opportunities to get involved: “Kids are the future of golf so if we decide that we don’t want to put the effort into programmes like this, then we have to accept that golf won’t have a future”.
Hannah Crump, the trailblazer
Upon accepting her award as the first Women and Girls Trailblazer at the 2022 England Golf Awards, Hannah said: “Being a female PGA coach, it drives my passion to grow the game for females and make it fun”.
Growing the game has been a key goal for Hannah and partnering with other organisations to achieve this means she is helping change the landscape of women’s and junior golf across the country.
England Golf CEO, Jeremy Tomlinson was ecstatic to see Hannah rewarded for her efforts, saying: “Hannah has been developing the game for quite a while now and we are grateful for all her efforts in ensuring the stability for females involved in golf”.
Everyone can benefit from playing golf
Whether you are a member of a golf club or not, golf is a sport for everyone that provides almost endless health and wellbeing benefits.
With an iGolf subscription, non-club members can enjoy the sport more too, by obtaining an official Handicap Index. For just £46 a year, iGolf enables you to track your scores, benchmark your progress against your friends, and enjoy the game even more!
To find out more about iGolf, get in touch with us via email on igolf@englandgolf.org