Crown Golf announces Golf Bag Amnesty

Crown Golf has announced the introduction of a golf bag and club amnesty scheduled to run between June 12 and September 28, from the US Open to the start of the Ryder Cup

Crown Golf has announced the introduction of a golf bag and club amnesty scheduled to run between June 12 and September 28, from the US Open to the start of the Ryder Cup.

The campaign is targeting the millions of neglected bags and clubs lying in golfers' garages across the country.

All 25 of Crown's courses have been set up as drop-off points for unwanted pieces of golf equipment, with items donated during the amnesty shipped to a central warehouse set up by golf charity The Golf Trust.

They will then be distributed to golfers with physical and mental disabilities - in conjunction with organisations such as Special Olympics GB and the Disabled Golf Society - and used in the charity's inner-city outreach programmes within the UK.

Some equipment will also be shipped to countries like Grenada and India, where The Golf Trust is helping to grow golf.

All those handing in excess or unwanted equipment will be handed a £20 Callaway golf bag voucher, which can be redeemed against Callaway bag purchases in Crown Golf pro shops during the amnesty period.

In addition, one participant will win a trip for two people to Grenada - the Caribbean island - in autumn 2014, courtesy of the Jason Roberts Foundation.

The winning pair will take on a hands-on role in distributing the items collected in the amnesty to the Grenada's schools and parishes, as well as playing with schoolchildren on the island's only golf course.

"With the Bag Amnesty, we are setting out to liberate abandoned golf bags and clubs from garages, stair cupboards, storage rooms and garden sheds across the UK," said Stephen Towers, Chief Operating Officer at Crown Golf.

"This initiative will genuinely help large numbers of people, young and old, around the world who do not have golf equipment of their own.

"I hope that many thousands of golfers and members of the public respond by each bringing in an item or two."

Cae Menai-Davis, co-founder of The Golf Trust, added:

"Please respond to this call to action! We are ready to receive and re-distribute as many golf bags and clubs as people can throw at us. So come on, be generous, and have a good clear-out - we can certainly put everything to good use in our various projects."