Mark Pirie teaching children clubgolf at Pitlochry School

PITLOCHRY PRO MARK PIRIE GIVING
PRIMARY LESSONS IN PERTHSHIRE

Two hundred Perthshire primary school children in eight local schools are being introduced to golf on the curriculum this term as part of the national junior golf programme, clubgolf, which seeks to give every Scottish nine year old an experience of the game.
Whilst the programme is rolling out across hundreds of schools in Scotland, the main difference in the Perthshire schools is that it is the local PGA Pro, not the school staff, giving children their first lesson.
Mark Pirie, the pro at Pitlochry Golf Club since 2003, and formerly assistant pro at Craigie Hill and Crieff, has seized the initiative and is teaching the basics in primary schools at Blair Atholl, Breadalbane, Glenlyon, Grantully, Kinloch Rannoch, Logierait, Pitlochry and Struan...and all in his spare time.
“I’ve done a lot of work with juniors at previous golf clubs and here at Pitlochry we see juniors as the lifeblood of the club,” said Mr Pirie.
“Kids are great fun to work with because they’re very keen to learn, they give you lots of feedback, take on board what you are saying and they go away and do it. So on the back of the Government backed clubgolf programme we are keen to outreach the kids in Highland Perthshire.
“Some of them will never have seen a golf club in their life but if we can give them an introduction then hopefully a few will take up the game seriously. If they do then it’s going to benefit everybody.”
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 programme has been developed as a direct result of the Scottish Government’s commitment to introduce every nine-year-old child in Scotland to the game.
clubgolf’s introductory game (which in 2007 was experienced by 26,000 children in Scotland) uses modified equipment - colourful clubs with special grips and oversized heads and targets - to give children in primary schools an enjoyable first impression of the game.
“This Tri-Golf gear is very well designed for children that have never held a club and the equipment comes with game cards which have a lot of different games so there is variety and you can adapt them to make the game easier or harder,” said Mr Pirie, who on Monday, together with Karen Todd, Active Schools Co-ordinator for the Breadalbane and Pitlochry schools cluster, completed the first lap of one hour lessons in the seven schools.
“We are looking for them to have fun and enjoyment; the kids have been very keen to be involved and they are picking it up very easily.”
With an overwhelming reception from the children and their schools, a second hour of coaching in each school will begin next week. To ensure the programme will be self sustaining, Mr Pirie will train staff at each school to enable them to teach a further four hours of the programme.
“Karen Todd has been a fantastic help in pushing to get golf onto the curriculum,” said Mr Pirie. “We are traditionally a rugby and netball area so to get golf into schools at this time of the year is remarkable.
“The schools are receptive and the teachers are keen to be involved and teach something new. We now need to enrol the teachers into the programme so they can teach it themselves between now and the summer holidays.”
For the 200 children, the in-school introduction is just the start. Eight Pitlochry Golf Club members have been trained to deliver Stage 1 of the clubgolf development pathway at the club. On the 29th and 30th March, the first weekend of the school holidays, the club has organised a children’s Festival.
“We are targeting junior non-members so they can see what it’s all about at the club and we’ll show them putting, chipping and iron and wood play. Hopefully it will entice them to come along for coaching,” said Mr Pirie.
“It will run both days from 12 noon until 3.00pm and will be free of charge. We’re hoping for 120 children both days and they’ll need to contact us in advance to book. It will be a friendly, relaxed atmosphere and we are hoping parents will stay on site to be involved or watch from the clubhouse.
“Obviously long term we’d all love to find the next Open champion that comes from Perthshire, but what we are really looking for is to give the juniors an enjoyable introduction that will hopefully plant the seed for life.”
To book a place at the golf festival contact Mark Pirie on:
T: 01796 472792 E: pro@pitlochrygolf.co.uk

Rob Eyton-Jones
clubgolf Media Manager