A large pink banner with the words 'LTA Tennis Foundation' is positioned on a large area of grass. Behind the banner, a group of people are spread out around a large flat area of grass, with many of them holding small golf clubs. The sun is shining bright, with trees seen stretching off into the distance.

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LTA Tennis Foundation Golf Day raises funds to improve lives through tennis

09/10/25 • 3 MINUTE READ

The LTA Tennis Foundation’s second annual Golf Day proved to be a resounding success, raising £49,000 to help improve lives through tennis.

Held at The Grove Golf Course in Hertfordshire, the event welcomed over 80 participants, including teams from all teeing off not just for trophies, but to support a cause that changes lives.

Among the players was a team of former Premier League footballers: Matt Jarvis, Shane Long, Joel Ward, and James Tomkins, bringing star power and sporting spirit to the fairway.

The competition followed a Stableford format, where points are awarded based on the number of strokes taken at each hole rather than simply counting total strokes. Teams headed to their designated holes for a shotgun start, kicking off a day filled with friendly rivalry and fundraising fun.

Four men stand smiling and holding golf clubs on a large patch of grass. Behind them to their right, a large patch of trees is visible, with more trees stretching further into the distance.

A woman wearing black trousers, and black gilet and a pink shirt prepares to hit a golf ball with a large golf club. Large trees with a variety of green and yellow leaves are out of focus in the background.

A man wearing a dark blue long-sleeved top and white trousers raises his golf club about to hit a golf ball. To his left is a large pink flag with the words, 'LTA tennis Foundation' on it. Trees and open green space up a hill are visible behind the man.

A person stands looking at a group of golfers in the distance. Their back is facing the camera, and they are wearing a pink t-shirt with the words, 'Improving Lives Through tennis' written on the shirt.

A man wearing a black shirt and black shorts, who is missing his right arm, hits a golf ball towards a yellow flag that is visible in the distance. To his left, a large flag with the words, 'LTA Tennis Foundation' is planted in the ground. Trees are visible to the player's left and far in the distance.

Two men, both wearing dark blue shirts and grey trousers, stand with golf balls at their feet and each holding a putter in their hand. They stand on a large area of grass, and behind them , a lare banner with the words, 'LTA tennis Foundation' is visible.

Challenges on the course

In addition to the 18-hole round, which itself had plenty of challenging holes for the golfers to take on, players took part in a series of sponsored challenges dotted around the course, including:

Barclays – Closest to the pin in two
Exceed Giving – Closest to the pin
G/FORE – Closest to the pin
Journey’s End – Longest drive
Dunlop – Longest serve

A refreshment stop and a special closest to the pin challenge at Hole 13, supported by Nyetimber, added extra sparkle to the day.

A man prepares to hit a tennis ball that he has thrown into the air with a blue tennis racket. Behind him, green grass and trees are visible, along with a sign on which the words, 'The Longest Serve' are visible.

A man wearing a pink shirt, white trousers and a white hat holds his golf club in the air about to swing and hit a golf ball. To the man's right, a blue pedestal with the words, 'Exceed Giving' is positioned, whilst trees can be seen in the distance.

A man wearing a dark blue shirt and grey trousers holds his stance after hitting a golf shot. To this left, a chair is positioned with white shoes and pink shoeboxes placed on top. Beyond the chair, a gazebo with a grey roof is set up, and more pink shoeboxes can be seen. Trees with green and yellow leaves can be seen in the background.

A man wearing dak shorts and a dark shirt holding a golf club bends down holding a phone in his right hand to take a photograph of a large pink sign. The sign has the words 'The Longest Serve' written in large font, along with smaller writing underneath

Four men stand smiling whilst holding glasses of sparkling wine. Behind them are deck chairs and a parasol.

A player wearing dark blue trousers, and a light blue long-sleeved top and a white cap stands tall holding a golf club, having just hit a golf ball into the distance. Trees are visible in the distance, and to the person's right, a pink and white triangular prism with the word 'Barclays' in blue font on a white background is visible.

Celebrating the winners

Back at the clubhouse, guests enjoyed a well-earned lunch while final scores were tallied. The overall winning team was The Premier League Team, Matt Jarvis, team captain said: “It was a fantastic day, the course is in great condition, but all the challenges were brilliant as well, and the longest serve was actually extremely difficult! The LTA Tennis Foundation is an incredible cause, and we were all delighted to be able to take part.”

The overall individual winner went to Alex Trotter from Wasserman who said: “I had a great day, the LTA Tennis Foundation put on an amazing experience for us, and it for an amazing cause. I was delighted just to be here to contribute, and I will always remember it for the round of my life!”

But the most hotly contested challenge of the day was the longest serve - a nod to the event’s tennis roots, with winners taking home a Dunlop racket and bag. There were two top spots up for grabs, the longest serves for the females went to Elen Barnes from Rocket Sports and for males went to Stuart Havelock from Team Unique

Elen said “It was a really fun challenge! I learnt some lessons from my teammates who went before me and all did overarm serves, and I went for an underarm serve which seemed to be successful. It was a great day, the course was amazing, and we had a lot of fun, and so great to be able to support the LTA Tennis Foundation."

A selection of bags, a green towel, three bottles of wine in a row in the middle and two blue boxes to the right of the wine all sit in front of a pink backdrop, with repeated logos featuring the words, 'LTA Tennis Foundation'.

A woman wearing a light green shirt stands smiling, holding a bottle of sparkling wine. Next to her, a man wearing a dark blue top and white trousers is smiling, holding a box of golf balls. Both are standing in front of a large pink backdrop.

Four men stand in front of a large pink backdrop, each holding a bottle of champagne and each supporting a large black golf bag.

Three men stand smiling, all holding bottles of wine, in front of a large pink backdrop

It was a great day, the course was amazing, and we had a lot of fun, and so great to be able to support the LTA Tennis Foundation.

Elen Barnes, Longest Serve Winner

Why It Matters

Guests then heard from Tom Gibbins, Head of the LTA Tennis Foundation Development, who shared how the funds raised would directly support the charity’s mission to improve lives through tennis. He spoke passionately about the LTA Tennis Foundation’s ambition to ensure that every child, young person, and adult, regardless of background can access the unique and life-changing benefits that tennis offers.

“What a fantastic day! I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who entered a team and to all our generous sponsors," said Tom Gibbins, Head of Development for LTA Tennis Foundation.

"The funds raised will make a real difference to the LTA Tennis Foundation’s work, helping us support even more projects that use tennis to improve lives and create opportunities across communities. With statistics showing that one in five children are likely to have a mental health disorder, and three in four older people often feeling lonely, the projects we fund that work to reduce these issues are more vital than ever. We simply couldn’t continue to support them at the scale we do without fundraising events like the Golf Day.”

Get involved with the LTA Tennis Foundation

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