Bonar Bridge & Ardgay members introduce local children to golf

Volunteer clubgolf coaches at Bonar Bridge & Ardgay Golf Club have been working tirelessly this summer to ensure that children from the area’s four primary schools have the best opportunities to take up the game.

The Club was one of the first to join forces with the national junior golf programme, clubgolf. Launched by Colin Montgomerie in 2003 as a lasting legacy to host the Ryder Cup, clubgolf is a partnership between the Scottish Golf Union, Scottish Ladies’ Golfing Association, Professional Golfers’ Association, the Golf Foundation and sportscotland.

This year children enjoyed their introduction to golf at school using firstclubgolf equipment with sessions led by teachers under the guidance of Active School Co-ordinator, Louise Nadin. They are fortunate to have two members of Bonar Bridge & Ardgay Golf Club qualified to deliver Stage 1 of the clubgolf programme.

“We offered the children from the four schools - Bonar Bridge, Gledfield, Lairg, and Rosehall - an hour each week at the Club for the second half of the summer term,” said volunteer coach Jeanie Hunter. “We’ve had between 25 and 30 children from the schools which is a fabulous response.

“We also invited the children for half a day during the holiday so they could play nine holes and we are having more sessions with the schools when they go back to school.”

To further enthuse the children a link has been created with Royal Dornoch Golf Club enabling the Bonar Bridge clubgolfers to gain subsidised coaching with their Pro, Gary Dingwall, who has 11 Scottish Caps to his name.

The Club could also have new junior facilities next season and is in the process of submitting an awards application that would fund two practice nets, a practice bunker and junior Explanar golf swing device.

Said clubgolf’s Highland Regional Manager, Willie MacKay: “The juniors have a very scenic golf course, with magnificent views over Loch Migdale and the surrounding hills. So for me it is more than a little special to see this facility develop from the scrub land it was when I attended the Primary School before becoming a PE teacher and now involved in golf development.”

“The pupils at these local schools are very fortunate to have such a golf club on their doorstep and with the support of Jeani Hunter and Mary Hayden coaching. The picture becomes complete with the fine job that Geoff Robinson, Junior Convenor, does by organising a very full junior fixture list as well as holding weekly junior medal rounds during the summer holidays.”

“There is no doubt in my mind that the crucial aspect of junior golf development is to get the flow of children from Primary Schools straight to golf clubs where they learn the basic skills and etiquette of golf.

“The Golf Club has invested wisely in developments recently including a new large greenkeepers shed and also new grass cutting machinery.

“The evidence of this is visible with manicured fairways and greens in great condition. The course is a challenge for accuracy with heather guarded fairways adding colour to the day and pine trees to miss giving shape and character to several holes. The use of well placed junior tees and a gradual progression for them to move back to yellow tees when ready is already producing a flow of promising juniors.”