Synopsis

Callander Golf Club is the largest of four golf clubs in the Trossachs area engaging in a Rural Demonstration Project as part of a national initiative to introduce nine-year old pupils to golf throughout Scotland.  The clubgolf programme was launched by the Scottish Executive in support of the Ryder Cup 2009 bid.  It aims to provide all 50,000 P5 pupils in primary schools throughout Scotland with an opportunity to experience the game of golf by 2009.  Callander has joined a local partnership of interested organisations to deliver clubgolf. Within three years, the club anticipates more than doubling the number of playing junior members.

Background

Callander Golf Club was founded in 1890 and now runs an 18-hole course on the outskirts of the town for its 600 adult members.  The club is organised into four playing committees, with a council to manage the business, finance and administration affairs.  Around one-third of the members live in the immediate neighbourhood and the Club is keen to increase this ratio with a view to bringing greater membership stability.

The clubgolf programme was launched in 2003, is funded by the Scottish Executive and administered by sportscotland.  Over the first couple of years, the programme has sought out initial opportunities to promote golf to the target audience in selected primary schools.  Once a series of development models have been tested, the programme will be rolled out nationally in 2006.  The clubgolf programme has a budget for regional development staff and coach education schemes for juniors.  Pupils in P5 initially experience firstclubgolf, a fun game played in the gym or school environs.  They then transfer to their local golf club or golf centre and progress through a series of Levels gaining a playing handicap.  Financial support is available to golf clubs that demonstrate a need to improve their junior coaching facilities.

Stages of development

The Club had plans to develop its facilities before the advent of clubgolf.  In 2001-2, the Club had identified the need to improve its clubhouse with new indoor and outdoor coaching facilities including a practice ground away from the main course.  An application for Lottery funding for a comprehensive youth project was lodged with sportscotland but put on hold pending the launch of the national initiative.

Two parallel developments markedly changed this situation in 2002-3.  A small group of officers on the council continued to work on modified plans for an indoor coaching facility and devised a scheme to partition and improve part of the existing club house, and to relocate the external practice ground with new covered driving bays.  The project was presented to the Club’s AGM with a cost of £78,000 and approved by the members subject to the condition that it be self-funding and not a claim against existing reserves.

In 2003, Callander was approached by sportscotland to take the lead in the formation of a ‘Rural Demonstration Project’ for clubgolf, and was promised financial support to develop the Club’s coaching facilities.  The project involved four golf clubs in the area – Callander, Aberfoyle, Killin and St Fillans.  The following conditions were attached:

In parallel, clubgolf officers made a presentation to the Central Sports Development Group (a regional consortium) and secured its support at a crucial meeting.  Stirling Council agreed to accommodate a clubgolf Regional Manager within its Sports Development Team. 

The Steering Group was formed in October 2003 comprising representatives of Central Sports Development Group, Stirling Council and the four golf clubs.  At its first meeting in June 2003, the Group adopted Terms of Reference and agreed to introduce clubgolf in seven Primary Schools.  Meetings were held with the relevant Children’s Services, Service Manager (Staff Development) who opened introductions to the Primary Schools for the Regional Manager and the Clubs.

Programme Delivery:  In the Callander area, firstclubgolf was run by trained school staff as part of the Primary (PE) curriculum, in both Callander and Strathyre Primary Schools from April to June 2004.  A total of 42 nine-year-old pupils received a weekly hour of tuition in the gym during curriculum time and learned basic golf skills using a the firstclubgolf training package of lesson plans, plastic equipment and rubberised balls.  On completion, all these pupils were entitled to attend Level 1 coaching sessions at the Club.  These hour-long sessions were available on two weekday evenings and one weekend afternoon each week over a 16-week period during the summer and early autumn.  A briefing session was also arranged for parents.

Of the original 42 pupils in school, 23 (60%) went on to Level 1 coaching at the Club.  These youngsters also brought along 13 relatives and friends to the coaching.  In total, 36 young people participated at Callander of whom over half were girls.  On completion of Level 1, all the juniors were offered free Junior Membership of the Club for 2005, and became eligible to participate in Level 2 coaching.

To provide this level of coaching and support, the Club needed to recruit and train Volunteer Coaches who worked under the guidance of the Club Professional.  Thirteen Club members were trained by Coach Tutors from the Professional Golfers Association (PGA).  All attended a Sports Coach UK Good Practice and Child Protection workshop and were screened by Disclosure Scotland.   Volunteers were assured that they would be required to contribute no more than one hour of coaching each week. These playing members are motivated by a desire to help young people and a wish to “give something back” to their chosen game.

Facilities Development:  A total of £46,000 was provided by clubgolf for facilities development in the four clubs of which £39,000 was directed at Callander Golf Club as the club likely to accommodate the greatest number of juniors.  The Club needed to raise a matching sum and this was achieved through donations, fund-raising and a debenture scheme for 20-year single-premium transferable membership.

This funding enabled the Club to invest in its plans to improve the coaching facilities in several ways during the first year of the programme:

Sports activity today

In its first year, clubgolf has introduced 42 P5 pupils to golf in Callander and Strathyre.  Of these, 23 pupils plus a further 13 friends have gone on to complete Level 1 coaching at the Club.  They have been offered Junior Membership for 2005 when they can proceed to Level 2 coaching.  This is a 50% increase in the number of junior members in one year.

Managing and maintaining the project

Callander Golf Club is managed by elected officers through the club council and the four playing committees.

During the summer term 2005, firstclubgolf will be delivered in sixteen Primary Schools in the McLaren High School cluster and in neighbouring Perth & Kinross.   Callander Golf Club will be involved with around 86 nine-year-old pupils in six Primary Schools.  It is anticipated that between 50 and 60 pupils will progress to Level 1 coaching at the Club.  Meanwhile, around 30 of the 2004 pupils will proceed to Level 2 coaching.  A further eight volunteer coaches have been recruited, ‘Disclosed’ and trained.  Eight of the original team of coaches will be trained to deliver Level 2.

Key factors in the success of the project

Before the launch of clubgolf, key officers in the Club were already thinking about ways of developing the facilities.  Having identified the need to improve the clubhouse, the provision of enhanced junior coaching facilities was seen as an attractive route for securing external funding.  The initiative was led by key officers and the Council and the four playing Committees fully supported the developments. 

Independent research commissioned by clubgolf into the overall Rural Demonstration Project has shown that the project succeeded due largely to the effective partnership working between all those involved, including:

The support provided by all these agencies to the clubgolf project helped to create the overall success of a project that benefited everyone involved: 

Problems and issues

The largest difficulty in embarking on a development of this nature – particularly one which involves outside organisations, or exposes the Club to significant change – is of convincing the existing membership that the changes are likely to bring them desirable benefits.  Many sports clubs are inherently ‘conservative’: members join because they want to participate in their preferred sport and enjoy themselves at either a recreational or competitive level.  Members are likely to resist changes which are seen as likely to detract from their own experience of the sport.

At Callander, the membership agreed to the clubgolf initiative provided that it was self-funding.  The majority was whole-hearted in its support; a few were sceptical about engagement of young people in the club on this scale.  The reality is that, now the programme has become established and the facilities are in place, initial concerns have largely disappeared.

In practice, these concerns were alleviated in several ways:

Key outcomes

Anticipated future developments

As the clubgolf programme rolls out over the next few years, the Club is well positioned to continue its level of support, both in the area’s schools and through the progressive coaching phases.  A team of trained volunteer coaches is in place.  Whilst there will be some drop-outs from the programme as young people develop other interests, the Club is anticipating up to 200 Junior Members by 2007 – more than trebling the number before the programme.  This is considerably in excess of the previous high point in junior membership and would represent around 25% of total club membership.

The presence of non-playing parents at the Club whilst their children are receiving coaching has created another opportunity.  Most of these adults have never played golf themselves.  In 2005, the Club will offer them a series of three introductory coaching sessions and a Provisional Membership of £50 which will enable them to play the course for an additional £4 per round for the rest of the season.

In a second phase of capital investment from clubgolf, the Club is also constructing six forward tees on the main course for use by juniors so that they can complete a round with less chance of hindering adult players.

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