Play in Pink is the golf fundraising arm of the National Breast Cancer Research Institute and the initiative was set up 20 years ago to help fun a comprehensive research programme at the University of Galway. The initiative has grown significantly since then and there were over 200 Play in Pink days in 2023 raising over €550,000 for the charity. A Play in Pink day is quite simply that, a day where members and visitors (if an open day) come together to support the NBCRI Charity, Play in Pink.

They organise a golf day and participants are encouraged to “Play in Pink” with funds raised from the day being donated to the charity. The days themselves are organised and coordinated by the golf clubs (typically Lady Vice Captain or some other designated Play in Pink coordinator) and they can be open days or members only days. Clubs run the days with entry fees typically forming the bulk of the donation. Players are encouraged to Play in Pink on the days and many clubs go to great lengths to increase their donations where they have incorporated new initiatives such as breakfasts / coffee mornings / auctions / sales and locally produced product sales as well as on course initiatives such as ‘buying mulligans’ etc.

The days are meant to be fun but all in the spirit of the game and all aimed at generating donations for the charity. For 2024 Play in Pink and the NBCRI has been designated as the Official Charity Partner of the KPMG Women’s Irish Open.