It's not every day that an opportunity presents itself to train with a coach to the stars – but that’s exactly the prize on offer through innovative England Golf competition ‘Nominate a Mate’. 

Aimed at helping people cope with stress through the medium of golf, ‘Nominate a Mate’ sets out to encourage mental and physical wellbeing away from the pressures of day to day life.

At its centrepiece is a money-can’t-buy training day with England Golf head coach Graham Walker, the short game coach who has assisted Tommy Fleetwood and Danny Willett to global major success.

Entrants will be invited to nominate a friend worthy of the grand prize, a session with Walker – the lead coach for England Golf.

Technical, tactical but also extremely social as an activity, the Yorkshireman hopes more people can be persuaded to get back into golf as a direct result of the initiative.   

“I think ‘Nominate a Mate’ is absolutely fantastic because so many older and younger players need people to help them get back into the game,” Walker said.

“I do think a lot of men ignore the physical and mental wellbeing side of things.

“When you look at a lot of the young people now when they get together, to see them talking and interacting is massive because they’re not getting it from other areas.

“They think it’s about having someone at the other end of a phone, but actually, when you see their faces light up, that’s a great thing.

“Many people around the country will be stuck on their laptops, in offices or factories, and hopefully someone will nominate them to play.

“I’d like people to come out and just enjoy the game of golf and eventually by clubs providing a Nominate a Mate offer, we can get more people playing and joining golf clubs.”

With 85 per cent of adults experiencing stress on a regular basis, sport – and golf in particular – offers the perfect opportunity to switch off from the strain.

That’s the astute advice of Walker and former protege Fleetwood, who has the perfect golfing partner to help combat the pressures of the professional circuit – his father.

“We did two days recently at Formby Hall where at the end of the training Tommy went out and played with his dad Pete. That was his mate,” Walker added.

“But Tommy also has a good team alongside him these days.

“He’s obviously a world player now and has a big team to listen to.

“It’s a big team to listen to but he can switch off away from that.”