Our Supporters
28 Dec 2023A record-breaking year of golf in aid of Prostate Cancer UK
Thousands of dedicated golfers clubbed together this year to help save the lives of men across the UK. Amazingly, they raised a whopping £2.5 million to help fund ground breaking research into new tests and treatments.
Whether you joined The Big Golf Race or organised a charity golf day with your club, you have supported the thousands of men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year.
Golfers turn up to support our biggest challenge yet
Come rain or shine, in 2023 you showed up in bigger numbers than ever before to take on The Big Golf Race. In just 24 hours, golfers like you conquered up to 100 holes (that’s up to 35 miles) in a race against time. This not only raised funds for lifesaving research but will also help us provide vital support to the thousands of Dads, partners, brothers, and friends facing prostate cancer.
Super proud of this guy! He completed 100 holes of golf today for Prostate Cancer. Started at 5.06am and finished at 7.16pm with me and the kids in tow for the final 10 holes. Well done @JSLayton1992 💙 pic.twitter.com/L0WCKhLwXa
— Amber Louise (@amberplusthree_) July 25, 2023
Since its launch in 2020, more than 11,500 golfers have raised millions through The Big Golf Race, raising much-needed awareness of prostate cancer. This year alone over 4,700 golfers took part, playing either 2, 4 or over 5 rounds, our highest number of participants yet! This helped to raise over £1.5 million.
We would like to congratulate our company director, Charles Millar who recently took part in The Big Golf Race 2023 in aid of @ProstateUK.
— Fraser Millar NI (@frasermillar_ni) July 27, 2023
Charles, along with his golfing partners raised an outstanding amount of £7,700 for prostate cancer research. pic.twitter.com/0FIgULDAI0
Our third year at The Betfred British Masters
This summer, we were delighted to hear that golfer extraordinaire Sir Nick Faldo was hosting The Betfred British Masters for our third year as the tournament’s official charity partner. Sporting his Man of Men badge, he shared the importance of knowing your risk of prostate cancer:
I’m in the same boat, I got myself checked out a month ago as I know a couple of guys who have gone through it, from close scares leading through to others having operations
Great catching up with Steve after all these years…. @ProstateUK #BetfredBritishMasters 🇬🇧 https://t.co/hhgu9Fc7U3
— Justin ROSE (@JustinRose99) June 29, 2023
We were also joined by 2013 US Open Champion Justin Rose, who led the tournament after an opening round of 65. He had the extraordinary opportunity to meet up with his former coach, Steve Rolley, who he hadn’t seen in 20 years. Rolley’s life was saved through a clinical research trial funded by your support.
🚨 HOLE IN ONE 🚨@mattbaldwin26 with an ace at the 14th, which means @Betfred will donate £50,000 to @ProstateUK 👏#BetfredBritishMasters pic.twitter.com/6OzJ2JR0WW
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 1, 2023
Matt Baldwin scored an iconic hole in one, his first ever at a professional tournament. This amazing achievement triggered a £50,000 donation. Even more, a £500 donation was pledged by the tournament sponsor Betfred for every eagle that was made during this week. Incredibly, a total of 42 eagles were scored, raising £84,000.
The world’s biggest golf YouTuber cycles 500km
Rick Shiels took on his biggest and hardest challenge yet... to cycle 500km from St. Andrews to Royal Liverpool Golf Club for The Open Championships. He made time along the way to play some golf and highlight the reason for it all - to raise awareness for the most common cancer in men, which claims one man every 45 minutes in the UK.
WHAT A JOURNEY! 🚴
— Rick Shiels PGA (@RickShielsPGA) June 13, 2023
St Andrews ➡️ Royal Liverpool - completed it ✅
THANK YOU all so much! £50,000 raised (so far) for @prostatecanceruk
Without question the hardest challenge I have ever done!
If you can donate it’ll be really appreciated! Thank you pic.twitter.com/m61VZ8IRHu
It’s great to be able to use my platform to raise a great amount of money, which I’m delighted about, but also to raise awareness and talk to my audience. It’s nice to be able to get men talking about prostate cancer.
Rick raised over £57,000, thanks to thousands of supporters like you. Take a look at his incredible journey here:
A record-breaking year for the golf community
This year, the golfing community showed an unbelievable commitment to saving men’s lives. While wearing your Man of Men badges, you hosted an amazing 257 charity golf days, and 82 of your club captains named us as their charity of the year. In total, 32,600 amazing golfers played in Prostate Cancer UK events.
We also continued our How Do We Beat It competition, in partnership with HowDidiDo. A record 12,584 golfers got involved and raised a phenomenal £37,137.
In another incredible milestone, one of our supporters raised a whopping £107,000 to better the treatments and research around prostate cancer. Diagnosed with prostate cancer himself, Ray understands the importance of early diagnosis and more treatment options. The golf community has been a huge support for Ray during this difficult time.
In reflection: I was so happy to attend the @PavenhamParkGC Golf Day on the 28th July and learn of the amazing fundraising effort of Ray De Branco who has raised £106k for @ProstateUK since 2016. The biggest congratulations for your wonderful achievement #charity #Bedfordshire pic.twitter.com/7urFhH270f
— Lord-Lt Bedfordshire (@LLieutenantBeds) August 8, 2023
None of these great achievements would have been possible without your ongoing support. By playing the sport you love, you are helping to beat prostate cancer one day at a time. We would like to thank you for raising awareness, improving research and creating a community that is saving men’s lives.
We can’t wait to see what the next 12 months have in store!