Bathgate coaching to boost junior numbers

Bathgate Golf Club has joined the clubgolf drive to make the game accessible to every child in Scotland after the club’s Junior Administrator, William Bell, went through the PGA Level 1 volunteer coaching course at Craigielaw Golf Club, East Lothian last weekend.

Bathgate has a rich tradition of producing top level golfers.  Former Ryder Cup captains, Eric Brown and Bernard Gallacher, and 2004 Dunhill Links Champion Steven Gallacher, all hail from the town. 

The club even has a bustling junior membership, currently numbering 120.  Yet less than 20 percent of these are active competitors.  It’s a situation Mr Bell is only too keen to reverse.

“When we have a medal round we probably get only 25 playing children in it,” he said.  “I think it’s because the youngsters that have just started are scared to go into the competitions.

They don’t want to play with the big boys so the clubgolf coaching might make the difference and we can expect the number of juniors participating in competitions to increase.”

As Junior Administrator, Mr Bell is adept on the administration side of competitions and ferrying players to events, but until now he has not tried teaching the children.  But attending the two-day PGA Level 1 training course has equipped him with the skills to make a start.

“I started this because I want to devote time to the juniors and give them consistency and continuity and I’m getting support from the professional, Stuart Callan, and other members of the committee. 

“The course was excellent, very professionally delivered and also the material we got to take away has been put together very professionally.  We will be starting the coaching this summer.”

On his commitment and enthusiasm alone Mr Wilson could doubtless coach a significant number of the club’s youngsters.  But if he is to make an impression on the whole junior membership, and if the club decides to open the coaching to children from the community, particularly encouraging more girls he will need the support of a large band of volunteer coaches

“At the moment it’s just me but I’m trying to drum up more coaches,” he said. “There was a very wide variety of people in terms of age and golfing experience on the coaching course. At the level we will be doing it at, anyone with a bit of knowledge who would like to get involved in coaching would be of benefit to the club.

 “We have a tremendous record for competitive golf here,” he said.  “We’ve had two Ryder Cup captains, Eric Brown and Bernard Gallacher and Steven Gallacher winning the Dunhill Championships.  And we have some talented juniors.

“My question is, where’s the next Steven Gallacher coming from?”