The R&A World Golf Museum has launched ‘New Voices’, a powerful new digital storytelling project to mark World Voice Day, who falls on April 16.
Made possible by philanthropic donations from The R&A Foundation, 12 ‘New Voices’ films are now available to audiences worldwide via Bloomberg Connects, the arts and culture app, as well as within the Museum galleries in St Andrews.
‘New Voices’ brings together fresh perspectives that are shaping the future of golf, sharing stories from individuals helping to make the sport more welcoming, representative and sustainable for all. The project connects contributors from a wide range of backgrounds, including a golf operations apprentice, an agronomist, two-time G4D Open Champion Brendan Lawlor, Jasmine ‘The Jazzy Golfer’, community founders, historians and junior golfers.
Angela Howe, Director – Museum & Heritage at The R&A, said, “New Voices reflects our commitment to ensuring that golf remains relevant, inclusive and forward-looking. By sharing these personal stories, we are not only celebrating the diversity of today’s game but also preserving an important chapter in its history for future generations.”
The project highlights the power of advocacy within golf and reinforces the message that changemakers and leaders can come from any background, generation or level of the sport.
Visitors to St Andrews will be able to experience ‘New Voices’ in-person at The R&A World Golf Museum and worldwide on the Bloomberg Connects app. Museum guests will also be able to enhance their experience through the Digital Guide on Bloomberg Connects, which allows them to explore objects featured in the films. These include important items such as the Musselburgh Cup, Tom Morris Jnr’s golf club, Freddie Tait’s Black Watch Medal and Gloria Minoprio’s trousers.
The contributors also reflect on golf’s past and its evolving story. Ray Nyabola, Founder of Black British Golfers, highlights the importance of Edward Tull Warnock’s story as the earliest-known Black golfer in the UK, demonstrating how history continues to shape the modern game today.
Contributors to ‘New Voices’ represent more than seven nationalities, including Scottish, English, Northern Irish, Irish, Ukrainian, South African and Swedish, alongside a group of St Andrews Links junior golfers.
The films are presented in English, with transcripts translated into more than 50 languages on Bloomberg Connects, enabling global audiences to engage with the stories.
Through ‘New Voices’, the Museum steps beyond traditional storytelling, using digital technology to create an accessible and inclusive exhibition. The project builds on collaborative relationships with community partners, donors, R&A staff and Members of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, while remaining grounded in the history and traditions of the sport. The stories captured today will form part of golf’s heritage for generations to come.
Among the contributors, Amir Malik, Founder of the Muslim Golf Association, reflects on the responsibility of the sport’s custodians, “If we are true custodians, and that’s what I see ourselves as, then we have to leave this game in a better place than we found it in.”
Two-time G4D Open Champion Lawlor shares a message of authenticity and self-belief, “If you be you, people will accept you for who you are, and I think that’s the most important thing in life.”
Erika Malmberg, who champions golf for those living with autism and ADHD, explains, “Kids when they get diagnosed, they often get told what they can’t do. So, I have been the voice speaking about what you can.”
Jasmine, known as ‘The Jazzy Golfer’, founder of the Women’s Golf Community and graduate of The R&A Women in Golf Leadership Programme, emphasises the importance of access and inclusion, saying: “I started talking about how more golf clubs could make themselves more welcoming to millennial women and girls… what equal access needed to happen to enable more women and girls to be playing the sport.”
The full list of contributors also includes local historians Roger McStravick and David Hamilton, Robbie Havlin, Golf It! Operations Apprentice, and 16 St Andrews Links junior golfers, alongside the wider ‘New Voices’ community.
‘New Voices’ will be available from April 16 via Bloomberg Connects and at The R&A World Golf Museum in St Andrews.
The R&A World Golf Museum, which is situated directly opposite The Royal and Ancient Clubhouse, welcomes visitors every day. Admission is £17.50 for adults, £12.50 for Seniors and £7.50 for Students, while children aged 16 and under enjoy free entry.
Find out more by visiting www.worldgolfmuseum.com