School Kids 'Unleash Their Drive' So Close to The Open
“All those skills we use to play golf are things that help you in your life... we are making sure young people in schools are having an opportunity to tap into Unleash Your Drive while having fun and playing our games.”
Mixed teams made up from a total of 30 boys and 30 girls had qualified to represent their schools for the festival in the unique ‘Skillzone’, a new feature created for visiting school and club groups by Championship organisers The R&A.
“Golf’s so great! I had never played before but I definitely want to play much more now,” was typical of the comments from the festival kids, many who only tried golf for the first time a few weeks ago.
The North Sefton children showed off their chipping and putting skills across the humps and hollows of what was the old 14th green at Royal Birkdale made famous by Jordan Spieth, when he nearly holed his tee shot on the way to becoming Champion Golfer at The Open here in 2017.
Kate Hulse, School Games Organiser for North Sefton, said: “The Golf Foundation has got this just right, in an inclusive festival format enjoyed by all abilities. It’s fun and the kids love it.”
All week, we are welcoming more than 40 school and club groups new to golf at Royal Birkdale, but for these School Games finalists, four of the six teams had qualified by showing skills learned in our Unleash Your Drive initiative that builds confidence and resilience through learning the game and fosters mental wellbeing in young people, for which 2,400 schools in GB&I have so far registered.
A further two of the schools qualified through their physical golf skills learned in PE.
Our President, Nick Dougherty, was watching, and after giving out the prizes he warmly praised the focus, teamwork, respect and sense of fun among all the players, while explaining the wider benefits of Unleash Your Drive.
Nick said: “To bring these kids here today is a really special moment. We are at The Open, the biggest tournament in all of golf, with a group of Unleash Your Drive youngsters showing us another side of the game. All those skills we use to play golf are things that help you in your life, whether it's dealing with the pressure of exams, getting that first job, coping with loss, or dealing with success, we are making sure young people in schools are having an opportunity to tap into Unleash Your Drive while having fun and playing our games.”
The spectacle was just one of the results of ‘The Road To The Opens', a joint project run by The R&A, the Golf Foundation, and England Golf, which has reached more than 100 primary and secondary schools (including SEND schools) across Lancashire and Merseyside, as well as many golf clubs and also community groups, in the build-ups to The Open, and the AIG Women’s Open held at Royal Lytham & St Annes at the end of July.
“Our work with the North Sefton schools was a legacy project in itself, with this amazing finish with a golf festival in the Skillzone right beside the Royal Birkdale course,” said our Regional Development Officer for the North West, John Selby-Sly.
“The children had the best time full of smiles and laughter. When we announced to the schools that they would playing at The Open there was so much excitement. I won’t forget the astonishment and joy on the faces of some of the kids.
“Now we have to work with our partners to ensure it doesn’t end there and, with the school’s teachers and local golf facilities on board, we can put a pathway in place to help the children experience a welcoming golf club to take their game further. Our team are hugely grateful for all the support of The R&A in creating this legacy through The Road To The Opens.”
This initiative also supports our successful GolfSixes Leagues and GolfNines Leagues in the region, the former enjoyed by some 743 golf clubs in 2025. (Teams of six players new to the golf course, learn the game in a pairs format over six holes – with GolfNines being the follow-on stage).
We are next in the process of taking ‘GolfSixes Mini League’ into schools all over the country.
As our charity inspires youngsters to enjoy their golf and build confidence and resilience, The Open stands as a crucial week in golf’s calendar. Here, we are working all week alongside partners England Golf and The PGA to grow the game together with support of The R&A.