Niall Horan’s surprise visit to Golf It! in Glasgow brought a famous face to a disability golf programme with a substantial story of its own.

More than 1,300 people have taken part, and Scottish Golf has recognised the venue as a National Disability Hub for Golf in Scotland. For a sport fond of discussing how to widen participation, there is useful detail here about getting on with it.

The most telling example may be the adaptive golf buggies. Purchased through individual donations, they allow participants with mobility challenges to access the facility and course, giving them more scope to play and develop their skills. Accessibility becomes rather less abstract when someone can actually reach the next shot.

That practical work was what Horan, a singer-songwriter and R&A Ambassador, came to see before his Dinner Party Live On Tour appearance in Glasgow. He met participants, heard about their experiences and joined a disability golf session at The R&A’s community facility.

A first session with somewhere to go next

The Disability Golf Programme serves people with visual impairments, autism, mobility challenges and long-term health conditions. Many are trying golf for the first time. Sessions are tailored to the individual, with an emphasis on building confidence and making activity sociable and enjoyable.

There is also room for ambition. Participants can continue developing their skills and, where appropriate, move towards performance pathways. The programme’s purpose extends beyond an introduction: people who want to take their golf further need opportunities to do so.

Horan said, “It was brilliant to visit Golf It! and spend time with some of the people who are taking part in the disability golf sessions. Golf should be a sport that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy and seeing the difference this programme is making – whether that is helping someone try golf for the first time, building confidence or giving them the opportunity to progress further in the sport – is incredible.”

Where the support is going

Donations to The R&A Foundation, including support from Horan and Kate and Justin Rose, have helped expand the programme. Seven PGA Professionals and Golf It! staff have completed training with EDGA, the European Disabled Golf Association, and the facility now welcomes students from six specialist disability schools.

Those details matter because offering a session is only part of the job. Coaches need the knowledge to adapt it, and participants need equipment that makes taking part possible.

Alyson McKechin, General Manager at Golf It!, said: “The financial support we have received has allowed us to increase the number of sessions we offer, train more of our team and invest in equipment which enables participants to progress their golf further.”

Golf It!’s wider inclusive golf programmes were reported to have generated more than £1.63 million in social value in 2025. That figure covers the broader inclusive provision; it should not be read as a valuation of the disability programme alone.

A national role for a community facility

Opened in 2023, Golf It! combines golf with other activities in a setting designed to welcome families and communities, regardless of previous experience. Its recognition as a National Disability Hub gives that local work a place in Scotland’s wider efforts to improve access to the sport.

Jenny Brown, Director of Philanthropy at The R&A, said: “We want golf to be open and accessible to everyone and Golf It! has a vital role to play in demonstrating what that can look like in reality.”

For McKechin, the significance is visible in the people returning to play: “Participants are enjoying golf, developing confidence, forming friendships, connecting communities and discovering opportunities they may not previously have thought were available to them.”