- Initiative at PIF Global Series events also opening career pathways for women working in sports medicine, physiotherapy, and conditioning
- Charley Hull’s recovery an example of how holistic care is helping leading players improve wellbeing and tournament planning
What started as a positive, empowering idea, has now become a sports industry blueprint.
Two years since its launch at the AIG Women’s Open, the Ladies European Tour Performance Institute (LETPI) is becoming a cornerstone of player wellbeing and development, a holistic model for how elite women athletes can be supported on and off course thanks to the continued support of its founding partner, The R&A.
From physiotherapy and strength & conditioning to breast health screening and mental fitness, the LETPI is reshaping what it means to perform at the top level across the Ladies European Tour (LET).
And, thanks to Golf Saudi and its commitment to women’s golf, these world-class facilities and services now form an integral part of the PIF Global Series, which reaches its exciting climax next week with the Aramco China Championship at Mission Hills Resort, China from Nov 6-8.
“We started small,” said Danny Glover, Chief Medical Officer at the Ladies European Tour. “But in just two years, the LETPI has grown into a multidisciplinary centre that provides our players with everything they need to perform, recover, and thrive.”
At each of the five PIF Global Series tournaments, the LETPI is a mobile hub that offers physiotherapy, soft tissue therapy, sports medicine, and specialist support tailored to women’s health.
Across the 28 tournaments of the 2025 LET season, the number of health and medical services available to LET players has increased with new services including specialists across fertility, menstrual health, nutrition, and mental wellbeing.
The approach is comprehensive: early-week training and conditioning, followed by recovery and preparation during competition days. The PIF Global Series events, which are funded by Golf Saudi, continue to bring elite level services through the LET’s partnership with Eleiko for strength and conditioning, and C-11 Recovery.
“At the London event, we had our first purpose-built performance centre,” said Glover. “It had a full gym, physiotherapy suite, and mental fitness zone. The players loved it. That model, supported by Golf Saudi, is now our blueprint for future PIF Global Series events.
“The London performance centre had a gym supported by Eleiko, the LET’s official fitness equipment supplier, as well as our physio services which meant that all our services could work together.”
And the mission of the LETPI is not about prompting miraculous overnight recoveries, or helping injured players battle through 18 holes, it’s all about working progressively with the athletes to ensure gradual gains in strength, performance, wellbeing and output.
“What the institute tries to do is aim to have little wins every day to prevent us having those big losses,” Glover said. “We’re seeing less of the overuse injuries and fatigue type injuries that we saw three or four years ago. We can see the impact it’s having on the players, helping to manage their workload and tournament scheduling. Our services are delivering much more advice and maintenance services rather than putting out the fires of acute injuries.”
Perhaps this was most clearly demonstrated with the ankle injury sustained by Charley Hull as she prepared for the PIF Global Series event in London in August. Although it forced her to withdraw on the eve of the tournament, the care from the LETPI team ensured she was back in action promptly.
The English star finished second in the Aramco Houston Championship on her return to action in September before claiming her third LPGA Tour victory at the Kroger Queen City Championship in Ohio a week later.
“It’s hugely positive and encouraging that the players’ wellbeing and longer-term health is treated first and foremost by the LET’s Performance Institute,” said world No 5 Hull.
“It helped me in the short term when I picked up my injury in London but it’s the fuller picture around players managing their schedule and strengthening which is really important too. It’s been a wonderful addition to the support services we enjoy.”
In just one season, the LETPI across 25 tournaments has provided 796 free physiotherapy and soft tissue sessions — a testament to the demand and value of its services. Beyond the numbers, the impact is clear: fewer overuse injuries, faster recovery times, and stronger player engagement with holistic health.
The Institute’s work is also deeply grounded in research with four UK-based PhD students sponsored across areas such as strength and conditioning, nutrition, and breast health. Thanks to the support of The R&A and Golf Saudi, the LETPI is helping close the gender data gap in sports science, where less than 10% of existing research focuses on female athletes.
“Our aim is to make everything evidence-based,” said Glover. “We’re developing new blueprints for training and rehabilitation, not based on men’s data, but on the real needs of female golfers.”
While its mission centres on the LET, the LETPI’s reach extends beyond competition. Through new fellowship opportunities for female practitioners, the Institute is helping open doors for women working in sports medicine, physiotherapy, and conditioning.
“We want to give talented female practitioners opportunities to gain elite experience,” said Glover. “It’s about building pathways both for players and the professionals who support them.”
As the 2025 PIF Global Series draws to a close in China, the LETPI’s presence at the Aramco China Championship will showcase the culmination of two years’ innovation. For players, it’s a tangible symbol of how far the women’s game has come — and how partnerships like that with the R&A and Golf Saudi are helping drive that progress.
“We’re proud of what’s been achieved,” Glover said. “But more importantly, we’re setting new standards. The LETPI is proving that when you invest in women’s sport with real commitment, the results speak for themselves.”
For the latest news and information on the PIF Global Series, www.pifglobalseries.com
