Bearsden kick starts new junior drive with free coaching

October 2009

The Golfing House at Bearsden Golf Range is giving children a unique opportunity to start the game after joining forces with the national junior golf programme, clubgolf.

Emerging out of Scotland’s successful bid to host the Ryder Cup, clubgolf is a partnership between the Scottish Golf Union, the Scottish Ladies' Golfing Association, the Professional Golfers' Association, the Golf Foundation and sportscotland.

clubgolf's Stage 1 programme is normally delivered by qualified volunteer coaches at local golf clubs but, in a far sighted and almost unprecedented move, Bearsden’s Professional coaching staff are giving a four week coaching course at weekends for free.

Like a growing band of professionals across Scotland who are building their junior numbers through clubgolf, PGA Pro Daryn Cochrane and his two assistants are hoping that offering free lessons to over 100 children every weekend will encourage them into the game.  

“We are really targeting children that have never played or have barely played golf before,” said Daryn, who began the junior coaching course last weekend.

“The plan is to coach 120 children in six classes of 10 kids each day on Saturday and Sunday.  Each class is an hour’s coaching and all equipment is provided free of charge.  We’ve got five left to fill and we will keep starting new classes until we get 120 kids.”

This year 38,000 P5 children in Scotland, some 940 from East Dunbartonshire, were given an introduction to clubgolf at school.  Although anyone aged from six to 16 can join the Bearsden coaching, it should particularly appeal to youngsters that have experienced clubgolf at school.

“When I was a junior there was very little encouragement for children to play,” said Daryn.  “I didn’t take up golf until I was 13 and my school didn’t let me play golf on any of the fields because they did not want the grass damaged.

“So it appeals to me to encourage the game and with the numbers of children taking part in clubgolf at school there’s a great opportunity for everyone here.

“We are developing the coaching so we can get children playing in a good environment.  They can wear what they like, and they can learn about golf and when they have developed the necessary skills will hopefully find a local golf club that will be welcoming to juniors.”

Developments at Bearsden mean that it will soon have much more than a covered driving range. The centre is converting an adjoining field into a three-hole short course, predominantly for juniors, which should be open for practice and competitions by the middle of next season.

With the golf season at its normal close, Bearsden’s under-cover facility means there is no need to stop for shorter evenings or bad weather.

“Following the four week course the plan is to offer children an eight week course for just £5 a week,” said Daryn.   

“If the coaching blossoms and kids move on to the eight week course then I can employ another assistant to teach further lessons and we can increase our capacity.

“At that point we can make the free four week course a permanent feature and we can think about keeping it going through the winter.

“The main thing is that we find children that are really keen to play the game and are going away happy.”