Sport England has granted England Golf (EG) £12.8m to develop the sport over the next four years (2009 - 2013), a £4.6m increase on last year's funding.

EG, a partnership between the English Golf Union, the English Women's Golf Association and the Professional Golfers Association, intends to put the funding towards supporting the UK's 26 Country Golf Partnerships already in place, and those being formed. The funds will also contribute to increasing and widening the participation from key groups, such as women, as part of EG's 'Whole Sport Plan'. The strategy, created with the support of the Golf Foundation and Sport England, is to establish the UK as the world's leading golf nation by 2020, from grassroots through to elite level.

Bill Bryce, chair of the England Golf Partnership, said: "We are delighted with the support shown by Sport England at a time when funding is increasingly made by all of the partners in meeting the challenge to deliver sustainable growth throughout the game. "We look forward to sitting down with Sport England in the New Year to refine our proposals and beginning work on the core objectives of getting more people and enjoyment of those already participating."