Turnhouse brings girl power to golf

Turnhouse Golf Club, the first private club in Edinburgh to sign up for clubgolf in 2005, has also become the first club in Edinburgh to begin girls-only coaching for its latest batch of Stage 1 recruits.

Doubling the number of girls playing golf in Scotland is a clear goal of the national junior golf programme, clubgolf.

Research in 2005 showed there were fewer than 50,000 female golf club members (as opposed to 198,500 male club golf members). In the under 18 level, there were 25,000 boys but just 2,700 girls. Compare that to Sweden, which has more than 22,000 girls under the age of 18 playing golf and drastic action is needed.

“We are desperate to get girls playing golf and hopefully if we can get a good group of girls involved in the girls-only sessions we can get a girls section started,” said Iain Holt, the Club’s stalwart Junior Convenor who, with his team of 13 PGA Level 1 volunteer coaches, and PGA Pro John Murray, is teaching 70 children a week on the clubgolf programme from stage 1 through to stage 3.

“There are nine girls involved from four schools, Corstorphine, Gylemuir, East Craigs and Fox Covert and they seem to be enjoying themselves. If they find it’s more fun to learn the game with other girls then I’m sure they’ll be more committed and stay involved for longer.”

Girls-only golf coaching was first piloted in Grampian two years ago. So successful was it in retaining girls, that last year it was launched officially by tour players, Kathryn Imrie and Clare Queen.

Asked whether they had enjoyed their first session at Turnhouse on Tuesday night, the nine girls responded with a unanimous ‘yes’.

“It was really good because there were no boys interfering and mucking about,” said nine year old Claire Cowan from Fox Covert Primary School. “And we were all given pink tee shirts which was really cool.”

Lucy McCann, a 10 year old from East Craigs agreed, “It was more fun because if you don’t do a good shot the boys kind of tease you. We really enjoyed tonight and we’re going to keep coming back right through the summer.”

Lesson one of the new course covered the basics of putting. Throughout the summer the girls will learn all the fundamentals of the game. If it’s a success, and judging by Tuesday night’s response there’s little doubt it will be, then the plan is to expand the girls-only coaching in the future.

“The coaching involves 13 one hour lessons over the summer and we will invite the girls back next year for 16 lessons, which will complete their Level 1 course,” said Mr Holt.

“The Club is fully behind the girls-only coaching and if it works we will make it bigger next year. Tonight was the first lesson but I can tell it’s going to be a good class.”