clubgolf children at Bishopbriggs Golf Club

Best Bishopbriggs junior result for 22 years

A year on from cutting the ribbon of its new Golf Academy, Bishopbriggs Golf Club has celebrated its best junior result in over two decades.

This month 17 year old Gerard Cameron, on the Club’s junior development programme since 2001, won the Glasgow Boys (under 19) Match Play Championships, becoming the club’s first member to do so since 1985.

Cameron, who left school this summer to work part time at Bishopbriggs Golf Range where he is also coached by Tony Butler, slashed his handicap from five to three this season.  The thought of becoming a professional has certainly crossed his mind.  “I’d like to turn pro but I know it’s a hard business so I’ll see what happens,” he said after his win.

The Club has a welcoming attitude to juniors.  By adopting the national junior golf strategy, clubgolf, in 2003 and building the Academy practice facility a year ago, it is highly unlikely it will have to wait another 22 years before one of its juniors is crowned a champion.

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. The strategy has been developed as a direct result of the Scottish Executive's commitment to introduce every nine-year-old child in Scotland to the game by 2009.

The Academy, supported by a Lottery award of £146,750 from sportscotland’s Sports Facilities programme, includes six mini holes, a driving range, plus short game and practice areas.  Although also open to senior members, the new tailored junior facilities will provide the Club’s youngsters with a quality introduction to golf.

“The Academy area is very popular and well used by the kids and also as a Family Fun area,” said Secretary Andrew Smith. 

“More youngsters are playing in competitions and improving their handicaps through a structured development plan, the starting point of which is clubgolf’s Stage 1.  We now have more single figure handicap juniors than ever I can remember at the Club.  Two of our boys are involved at Stage 3 level with Glasgow Golf Union.”  

With as many as 40 local children joining in with the weekly clubgolf coaching this summer – and many more from local schools have been invited to use the Golf Academy - there’s a feeling of optimism amongst the Club’s eight volunteer coaches.   

“clubgolf has a very good success rate and we get a lot of good feedback from the kids,” said Gordon Johnston, clubgolf Level 1 coach and one of Cameron’s early mentors at the club. 

“Not only have the numbers of juniors playing increased, but the numbers whose handicaps have improved have increased dramatically.  We used to have 120 juniors, but only around 30 played.  Now upwards of 50 play. 

“Gerard was in one of the younger groups that came to the earlier clubgolf sessions.  We’ve got another two boys that are down at three or four and are playing for Glasgow County as well.

“The rest of the kids are seeing the success that he’s having.  It augurs well for the juniors and it gives them encouragement to see one of their own chaps doing so well.”