Golf couldn’t have been further from Jay Bothroyd’s radar growing up in north London, but the former Premier League striker is now part of an initiative that highlights the benefits of the sport.
Bothroyd has joined England Golf's 'Game Changers' campaign, which looks to challenge outdated perceptions of the game and showcase his strengths, having fallen in love with the sport towards the end of his football career.
Golfing experiences had been largely limited to the occasional charity golf day for Bothroyd during his club career, spanning over 500 appearances, until playing for Japanese top-flight side Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"I had lots of time on my hands because my family were in the UK and the Covid rules in Japan were pretty strict," Bothroyd told SportNews. "The only places you could go to were parks and a golf course, so that's when I started taking up golf and practicing a bit more.
"When I decided to retire, that's when I came back and really got to business."
Arsenal academy graduate Bothroyd retired from football in 2021, having also played for Coventry City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cardiff City and Queens Park Rangers as well as having spells in Italy and Thailand, with golf now providing him a new passion.
"I had a conversation with my wife and was saying how I need some kind of challenge in my life to keep me sane," Bothroyd explained. "That's what I've always had throughout my football career and that's what I want to have in the rest of my life.
"When I was growing up, I had a lot of anger issues, I was a hot-head pretty much into my mid-20s, but golf helped me to become more patient, more calm, and to forget about your last bad shot and move onto the next one.
"It's a game that I really love now as much as I love football. Football is always going to be my first love, but golf is right up there next to it now."
Bothroyd's journey into golf has seen him co-found YouTube golf channel 'the OuttaBoundz Show' alongside SportNews' Trey Niven and appear in multiple Pro-Am events, with the former England international currently playing off a handicap of eight.
"I've still got a long way to go, but I've seen been a big improvement in my game," Bothroyd explained. "It's a lot of back and forth, especially when you make changes. I'm really enjoying it - I enjoy the challenge.
"Obviously I don't play football week in week out now, but if I didn't touch a football for six months, I could go and play a football match and still play well. In golf, if I don't have a club in my hand for a few days, it's gone - I might as well be starting all over again.
"That's the difficulty of it but that's why I love it. It's a challenge that you can never really master. I mean, even the professional players have always got to be on top of it and always got to be practicing."
Jimmy Bullard has discussed trying to qualify for the Legends Tour once turning 50 and Gareth Bale has previously impressed at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, while former Premier League player Peter Odemwingie is now a PGA golf professional.
Harry Kane, John Terry and James Milner are other footballers known to impress on the golf course, along with former Bournemouth and Wolves manager Gary O'Neil, although Bothroyd is putting no pressure on himself to match their golfing efforts.
"To be perfectly honest with you, I just want to be as good as I can be," Bothroyd admitted. "When I played football, I always said I want to be the best I can be and I'll put in the effort and all the hours in to do that. That's kind of what I want to do at golf.
"I'm not going to set myself a target, but I do want to be the best I can be. Because of that competitive nature in myself, especially when you play against other footballers, you want to be best. There's some really good [ex-footballer] golfers out there.
"It's one of those sports that you just want to keep improving all the time. Sometimes you have to go back a lot to go forward, like I am right now, but it's just one of those sports that I love doing and I think golf is a big part of my life now."
Game Changers are part of England Golf's wider strategic vision for 2025-30, aimed at bringing together individuals who are committed to showcasing golf as a safe, inclusive, sustainable, and inspirational sport.
"There's always going to be rules in and around the golf course, especially when it comes to the actual game, but I think golf is evolving," Bothroyd explained. "I think more people are wanting to get involved because they're seeing the fun part of it.
"Adidas golf are making clothes that you can wear on the golf course, but casually as well. There's more simulators, driving ranges and other places now for people to get involved and just have a bit of fun.
"I think the younger generation now, because of YouTube and social media, are giving golf more eyes. They see someone they idolise playing golf, that they might not think would play, and think 'oh you know what, if he can do it, maybe I can do it'.
"I want to spread the word and get the younger generations involved and give them the opportunities that I didn't have in the sport when I was growing up."
