The Golf Trust Secures Lottery Funding For Els for Autism Project

South African golfing legend Ernie Els has enjoyed huge success on the golf course. But he and his wife, Leizel, also know what it is like to live with autism after their son, Ben, was diagnosed with the condition when he was just three years old.

It affected the couple deeply and they decided to make it public in a bid to raise awareness and make th esport of golf more accessible for autism sufferers.

And the good news is that the Golf Trust has secured funding from The National Lottery to deliver the Els for Autism structured 12-session #GameON Autism™ golf programme to people across London later this year.

The Golf Trust has been working with Els for Autism since 2017, when it became the country’s first delivery partner for the charity set up by Ernie and Liezel back in 2009.

As well as delivering the programme to individuals, The Golf Trust has trained 110 sports coaches using Els4Autism Game on Framework, including 75 PGA Members. This approach has significantly increased access to golf programmes for people with autism.

Golf Trust founder Cae Menai-Davis.said: “Having a programme that has been specifically designed for those on the autistic spectrum is incredibly important. Around 700,000 individuals in the UK are affected by autism – that’s more than one in 100 who can really benefit from having access to golf.  We will be delivering 12 courses of 12 sessions from September thanks to this funding.  We are really delighted that our work has been recognised and we are able to continue with this fantastic programme.”

The first National Lottery funded programme will take place at The Shire London, The West London Golf Centre and The Pavilion in Stonebridge in September.  As well as 12 golf sessions there will be additional Autism clinic days which will cover a number of topics including sleep, diet and behaviour.  These sessions will be run in conjunction with Autism Clinic London a consultant-led service for providing Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnostic assessments and post-diagnostic support.

To find out more information or to sign up to the sessions contact [email protected]