Underpin

What Underpin does

Underpin Sports, founded in 2020 and headquartered in Leeds, United Kingdom, is a specialist mental performance coaching firm dedicated exclusively to elite amateur and professional golfers. Its methodology combines coaching through experience with structured techniques — daily mental habits and routines, breathwork, mindfulness and meditation, visualisation, and self-talk management — delivered through individual coaching, workshops, and the Underpin Academy for grassroots golfers. The firm supports over 20 players competing across the PGA Tour Americas, Hotel Planner/Challenge Tour, Tartan Pro Tour, Ladies European Tour Access Series, and LIV Golf, with documented outcomes including Freddie Kjettrup's move to LIV Golf and Charlotte Heath's Smyth Salver at the AIG Women's Open.

The business operates a dual-sided model. On the player side, Underpin generates coaching revenue from individual elite golfers and reinvests outcomes as marketing collateral. On the corporate side, the "72 Club" membership programme — its core commercial product — sells annual corporate memberships to UK businesses across legal, insurance, finance, marketing, hospitality, and construction sectors, providing networking events, golf days, live tournament experiences, and sponsorship opportunities while funding player development. Membership grew 132% year-on-year and revenue more than doubled. Go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven, executed through two dedicated Business Development Managers (UK-wide and Northern England) and supplemented by tour partnerships as lead partner of the Clutch Pro Tour and partner of the Tartan Pro Tour, which provide direct access to talent pipelines.

The company is privately held, bootstrapped, and small (1-10 employees), led by founder Greg Robertson, CEO Jamie Tinsley, Managing Director Stewart Clough, Non-Executive Director Sean Jarvis, and a Scotland Head (Scott Dickson). It has no disclosed external funding, no AI/technology product layer, and pricing is contact-based and not publicly disclosed. Operations expanded into Edinburgh in 2024, and the company maintains active social channels (Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube) and a content hub ("The Clubhouse") as its primary marketing surface.

Name

Underpin

Legal name

Underpin Sports

Website

https://underpinsports.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Underpin Sports is a Leeds-based mental performance coaching firm serving elite amateur and professional golfers, and operates the 72 Club corporate membership network connecting UK businesses with elite golf talent through events and sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Performance Coaching

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (7114)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Golf Clubs & Tournament-Host Clubs (Professional/Elite Golf Clubs) (MPAKABAE)

Keywords

• Mental performance coaching
• Elite golf coaching
• Sports psychology services
• Corporate golf membership
• Professional golf support

Headquarters

HQ city

Leeds

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Mental Performance Coaching Services: Underpin provides tailored mental performance coaching to elite amateur and professional golfers, generating revenue through coaching fees for individual athletes.
2. 72 Club Corporate Membership: Corporate members pay to join the 72 Club, gaining access to networking events, golf days, live tournament experiences, sponsorship opportunities, and personal development events. The membership contributes to funding Underpin's player coaching programmes. The 72 Club corporate network is described as a major source of revenue.
3. Corporate Golf and Networking Events: Revenue is generated through organized corporate golf days, social events, and annual golf days that are part of the 72 Club member benefits.
4. Mental Fitness Workshops: Interactive workshops for 72 Club members and their teams covering daily habits of elite athletes, breathwork, mindfulness, and visualisation techniques.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Underpin provides mental performance coaching, training, and tournament services for elite amateur and professional golfers, with a methodology rooted in daily mental habits, breathwork, mindfulness, visualisation, and self-talk management. The company also operates the 72 Club, a corporate membership network that connects businesses with elite golfers through networking events, golf days, and tournament experiences while funding player coaching programmes.

Product overview

Underpin is a mental performance coaching company offering a portfolio of services for elite amateur and professional golfers. Their core offerings include Individual Coaching (personalised mental performance sessions addressing daily habits, confidence, emotional awareness, and mindfulness) and the 72 Club (corporate membership network). They also provide Mental Fitness Workshops as an add-on for members. The company supports over 20 players across multiple professional tours including the Tartan Pro Tour, Clutch Pro Tour, and Ladies European Tour.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 72 Club: Corporate membership program that invites businesses to join Underpin's mission to unlock higher performance. Members gain access to golf events, networking opportunities, player connections, and help fund mental performance coaching for aspiring golfers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Elite player portfolio grew from 6 to 20 in 12 months (15 professionals, 5 amateurs) — a 233% increase
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers31 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tartan Pro TourcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Underpin partnered with the Tartan Pro Tour to support players navigating Scotland's best courses and preparing for higher levels of competition. The partnership aims to help emerging talents cope with high-pressure situations. Paul Lawrie, founder of the Tartan Pro Tour, noted that mental strength is integral to competing at the top level. Underpin's Scott Dickson leads Scottish operations in connection with this partnership.
• Andy's Man ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Andy's Man Club is Underpin's official charity partner, dedicated to preventing suicide and fostering open dialogue about mental health. They provide free, peer-to-peer support groups both in person and online across the UK. This partnership aligns with Underpin's mission of promoting wellbeing and mental health support in the sporting community.
• +24minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner+24 (Burnley-based marketing agency specialising in marketing, software and technical solutions) was appointed to transform Underpin's brand identity and website, redesigning brand assets and developing the new website to promote the corporate proposition and keep users updated with player news and business milestones. Jamie Tinsley (Underpin CEO) is also chairman of +24.
• Clutch Pro TourcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnderpin secured a key partnership as lead partner of the Clutch Pro Tour — a feeder tour to both the Challenge and DP World Tours. This partnership has been pivotal in forging relationships with up-and-coming talent competing on the tour. The partnership includes naming rights for the Clutch Tour Underpin Championship Pro-Am event.
• Mackinnon BruceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMackinnon Bruce is a 72 Club corporate member. Corporate members like Mackinnon Bruce gain access to networking events, golf days, and opportunities to support elite golfers while benefiting from association with the Underpin brand.
• Blacks SolicitorsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBlacks Solicitors is a 72 Club corporate member and founding member of the network. As a law firm, they benefit from the corporate networking opportunities while contributing to the development of elite golfing talent.
• The Q Hotels CollectionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Q Hotels Collection is a 72 Club corporate member. Their hospitality properties provide potential venue and event hosting capabilities for Underpin's golf and networking events.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Orreco: Orreco is a sports science and athlete performance company that combines biomarker analytics with mental and physical performance support for professional athletes. Emerging player with adjacent elite-athlete mental performance offerings.

Broad incumbents

• BetterUp: BetterUp is a large-scale mental performance coaching platform serving enterprise and individual customers across use cases including athlete performance. Broader incumbent with overlapping coaching methodology but lacks golf specialization.
• IMG Academy: IMG Academy is the leading global sports performance training institution serving elite athletes across multiple sports including golf. Broader incumbent with overlapping mental performance coaching for elite golfers but operating at much larger scale.
• EXOS: EXOS (formerly Athletes' Performance) is a global human performance company providing coaching, training, and mental performance services to professional athletes. Broader incumbent with adjacent mental performance capabilities for elite athletes.

Direct peers

• Dr. Gio Valiante: Dr. Gio Valiante is a renowned sports psychologist specializing in elite golfers on the PGA, LPGA, and Champions Tours. Most direct global competitor in the golf-specific mental performance coaching niche.
• Karl Morris / Mind Factor: Karl Morris is a long-established UK-based golf mental performance coach who works with elite tour professionals. Direct peer in mental performance coaching for elite golfers with established brand in the same UK market.
• Bob Rotella: Dr. Bob Rotella is the most prominent sports psychologist in golf, having worked with major championship winners and elite tour players for decades. Direct peer serving the same elite golfer market.
• Dr. Mark Bawden: Dr. Mark Bawden is a performance psychologist working with PGA Tour professionals, specializing in mental performance for elite golfers. Comparable practitioner serving the same end client.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCbbedNjeKPkvXviTdcNkgCA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/underpin-sports
• Instagraminstagram.com/underpin_sports
• Xx.com/UnderpinSports

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Underpin