More opportunities for juniors to play golf in Clacks

March 2010

Children in Clackmannanshire will enjoy better opportunities than ever to learn golf. This month four of the county’s five golf clubs had signed up to the national junior golf programme, clubgolf.

A lasting legacy to Scotland’s successful bid to host the 2014 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.

Introducing every Primary 5 child in Scotland to the game by 2014 is the programmes most widely publicised aim. Clackmannanshire has accomplished that feat in its 19 primary for the past for years.

“Right from the start our primary PE team was trained to deliver clubgolf in schools and it’s been part of the curriculum for almost five years,” said Clackmannanshire’s spokesman for sport, Councillor Bobby McGill.

“We are lucky that we have a fantastic base of children who play golf as part of their normal schedule. We also run after schools clubs so the children who want to can get additional golf coaching.”

Enthusing a new generation of golfers through clubgolf’s introductory game, taught in school with modified equipment and colourful targets, is just the start of a player development pathway which can, and has, coached children from the complete beginner through to national academy level.

The vital links in the chain are participating golf clubs and club members willing to become qualified volunteers coaches.

Muckhart and Tillicoultry were amongst the first clubs to offer clubgolf coaching and have thriving junior programmes (Muckhart fortified its junior coaching programme this month by putting another five members on a Level 1 volunteer training course). Signing up this year to offer clubgolf coaching are Alloa, Alva and Dollar.

“clubgolf has really caught people’s imagination and a lot of clubs are seeing what they can do to encourage young people to participate,” said Dollar’s Captain, Dugdale Bradley, one of three of the club’s members helping out at a clubgolf festival in Alva last week run by the Active Schools Coordinator Anne Manson.

“We had a juniors programme some years ago, we have now re-signed up and we have got some of our experienced members going though the PGA volunteers training course.

“We are quite determined to ramp it up and we have between 12 and 15 people who have a bit more time and are willing to put a bit more effort in who will be involved in the club, either as assistants, coaches or competition organisers.

“We will be starting a juniors programme in mid April that will include a weekly training course over six weeks. We will be able to cope reasonable with all levels of ability.”

The same feelings of optimism and excitement are shared across the area’s clubs and schools. Alva, estimates it can take in as many as 40 children for weekly coaching. At last the children who had been fired up by clubgolf’s introductory game at school but then discovered their local club either didn’t offer coaching or it had a programme that was already oversubscribed, now have more opportunities.

“Some of the local schools have been desperate to come on board with clubgolf but until now didn’t have an exit route,” said Mr McGill.

“Until recently, before the work Mandy Martin (clubgolf Regional Manager) has done, there has only been one club involved but she has brought the other three on board recently and now we are hoping the last one will sign up too.

“Getting clubs involved has been the slow part about the whole initiative but now it’s working. It’s fantastic to see the clubs getting involved and creating and promoting opportunities for primary children to move on into their club settings.”