Joy served as chief executive of Scottish Athletics for six years before joining Derbyshire Sport as director in 2005, and has more than 25 years of experience in management of local and national sports organisations.

"This is a really exciting time for amateur golf following the merger of the men's and women's game." said Joy

"I am delighted to be given the opportunity to join England Golf and to work with the Board, the staff team, the volunteers at national, county and club level and our key partners, as we seek to take advantage of the many opportunities for golf development throughout England."

Nigel Evans, the chair of England Golf, underlined the importance of Joy's experience in management, saying: "We are delighted that David has agreed to join us.

"His extensive experience in the governance of sport and working with a variety of stakeholders, including legislative and parliamentary bodies will be extremely valuable.

"We are looking forward to David using that experience to bring future development and further growth to England Golf."

England Gold recently announced that golf was more accessible than ever before in England, and Joy will face the task of ensuring that this momentum is capitalised upon in order for the sport to develop further in the country.

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