The R&A: How George Floyd Murder Changed Us

Karen Myers, Executive Director – Corporate Communications at The R&A, explains the impact of George Floyd’s murder and how the governing body plans to make golf more inclusive.

May 25, 2021

“We haven’t given enough focus to race, certainly the golf foundation had and I think working in schools they recognized they could and organizations where we invest our development money had, but certainly, the murder of George Floyd was a trigger for us to do more,” says Karen Myers, Executive Director – Corporate Communications at The R&A, in a recently released video.

“And, I think that is something that applies right across sport, in a sense that sport recognized at that time that it can be a powerful role model and a powerful movement for change and golf needs to be a part of that.

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“I think it’s fair to say that our previous focus had been largely on women and girls and disability. But in the autumn we set up a working group to address how we can remove the barriers that will make golf genuinely more welcoming, and more appealing to people from more ethnically diverse backgrounds, not only to just play in the sport but also to work in it.

Golf’s really had quite a traditional image in the past, and I don’t think that’s helped but golf doesn’t have to be only about 18 holes on a golf course. And what we’re trying to do is promote that there are shorter forms that you can play like driving ranges, and bench golf, formats that can be played in urban environments. more accessible, and we that that will make a difference.”

“We can’s assume from the inside that we know everything about what people from ethnically diverse communities need.”

View the video in its entirety below.