Eight-year-old Oliver Britton from Rochdale struggles to access other sports because Perthes Disease means he cannot run or jump due to the risk of hip bone damage.
Luckily, he can play golf, and this is why he took up the sport, along with riding his bike and swimming.
However, the promising young golfer is so keen on the sport that it was becoming a struggle for his family to fund everything he needs to reach his full potential in the sport.
Now, the England Golf Trust is helping Oliver and his family with a grant to help fund his golf development. Oliver will need new equipment soon and wants to attend as many junior competitions as he can, so the grant is helping fund this.
‘The cost-of-living crisis means that as a household we are tightly stretched and things like golf, which are a luxury, have to come second over household bills,’ said his father, David.
‘This grant allows the family to support Oliver’s golfing development, helping fund competition entries, new equipment and giving us the opportunity to pay for some one-to-one coaching. Thanks to help from the Trust, Oliver is now going from strength to strength with his golf.’
One of the events Oliver needed help with was paying for entry fees to the Link Golf Junior Tour.
He played in the 6-8 age-group on the tour and said: “I did very well! Out of the 12 events I entered, I won six outright and then finished 5th or better in all the rest. I won the age-group section overall after 12 events and won a trophy and an Odyssey Golf putter!”
Olive has never had any one-to-one coaching as these are too expensive. He has already achieved a lot in golf without lessons, so his family hope that using the grant money for some more personalised coaching will help his game improve even more.
The promising young golfer also hopes to join a second golf club with a dedicated junior section, which again involves an extra cost. He will also grow too tall for his 48” clubs in the next few months and he will need to buy the next size up using the grant money.
He would also love to attend the Tommy Fleetwood academy. This will require a significant amount of logistical organization as it is held in Formby which is an hour and half drive away from our house, but his family hope to take him there, using any remaining grant money.
“Thank you to the England Golf Trust for providing me with this grant to aid my progress.”
