Many PGA pros are encouraging more juniors to join their clubs by tackling traditional thinking and barriers.
The future of Scottish golf is looking bright with PGA professionals set to play a key role through the clubgolf initiative - a partnership between the PGA, SGU, SLGA, Golf Foundation and sportscotland.
clubgolf was set up to help deliver a legacy from Scotland's successful bid to host the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in 2014 and it has already made a huge impact at grass roots level.
In 2009, over 38,000 school children in Primary 5 in Scotland experienced golf, most for the first time, through the introductory game 'firstclubgolf'. 275 Scottish clubs and facilities also delivered the clubgolf coaching programme to over 10,000 children, a 17 percent increase over the last two years.
In every part of the country, clubs are developing their junior sections by a combination of well structured junior coaching, a junior friendly attitude and appropriate facilities.
The PGA is proud to be associated with these fantastic achievements with so many PGA pros linking up with the programme.
Many are encouraging more juniors to join their clubs by tackling traditional thinking and barriers, making junior memberships more flexible, developing junior facilities indoors and out, encouraging more girls to play and increasing opportunities for children with disabilities. Others in remote areas have engaged technology to enlist coaching from PGA professionals by 'remote coaching' via video link.
As a direct result clubs are seeing their junior competitions thrive and the performances of their young golfers on the golf course blossom. Already, we have seen some boys and girls progress through every stage of the clubgolf programme into the national academies.
clubgolf is currently achieving 80% of its pledge to ensure that every child experiences an introduction to golf by the time they reach nine years old and this is starting to create the benefits of more young people wanting to be involved in coaching programmes at clubs and golf facilities right across Scotland.
Increasing numbers of PGA pros are linking up with the programme, and becoming an important and integral part of its delivery, whether it is coaching at any of the three development stages, working with the volunteers, mentoring, or managing how the programme is delivered and developed at the club or facility.
A look at some of the activity that has developed, either by using clubgolf to build on existing programmes, or by using it as a catalyst, is impressive.
In the north for example, Loch Ness Golf Club has 160 children in its junior coaching, with clubgolf helping Martin Piggott and Michael Campbell to build on an already successful programme by bringing more of a structure through involvement with the schools, and because the volunteers have been trained, they are able to organise the children better, make sure they are safe and make sure they are doing what they are coached to do.
An example of the achievement of spectacular results in the south is Eyemouth Golf Club which has expanded its junior section from 12 to 75 in two seasons. PGA pro Michael Hackett has turned around a situation where there were few juniors at the club when he took over in 2007, and now manages a coaching programme for 75 youngsters along with his Assistant and a volunteer.
It's no coincidence that both Inverness and Eyemouth have PGA pros that are heavily involved in leading their clubs' programmes. Whilst the number of pros becoming involved in clubgolf is increasing, more are still needed to complete the gaps as children begin to progress through to the advanced stages of the programme.
"As we see Stages 2 and 3 of the programme fill up, the need to get more pros involved at locations where there are gaps in the pathway from school to club, remains a key priority," said Torquil McInroy, clubgolf project manager.
clubgolf currently has more than 1,500 volunteer coaches providing vital links between the introductory game at school and the more advanced stages delivered by pros. With the growing success of the programme, and the increasing number of pros across Scotland bringing their skill and expertise on board the future is looking bright for golf north of the border.
More information about clubgolf
14 December, 2009 | Rob Eyton-Jones