clubgolf coaches teaching West Lothian children at Polkemmet Country Park (image by Rob Eyton-Jones; click on it to enlarge).

Polkemmet junior initiative attracts 30 youngsters to golf

By ROB EYTON-JONES

A junior initiative which began at Polkemmet Golf Club just over a year ago designed to revitalise its junior set-up has succeeded in attracting 30 young players to the game.
The club, in Polkemmet Country Park near Whitburn, began by offering structured coaching through the national junior golf programme, clubgolf.
Emerging from Scotland’s successful bid to host the Ryder Cup, clubgolf is a partnership between the Scottish Golf Union, Scottish Ladies’ Golfing Association, Professional Golfers’ Association, the Golf Foundation and sportscotland.
So popular have its twice weekly sessions become that its junior membership, devoid of a single child for the last three years, has now begun to flourish.
“In the three years I’ve been here we’ve not had any children taking out a normal junior membership so we wanted to do something to change that,” said Stuart Mungall, Polkemmet Country Park’s Service Co-ordinator.
“Over 30 children attend our coaching through the week and since we started our new junior membership in November we have attracted 10 new members. Considering we’ve just had two cold and wet months, that’s an excellent response and something which we can build on through the spring and summer.”
Polkemmet’s junior membership, for £80, includes both tuition and unlimited golf, even on its peak day, Sunday, when children get tees reserved for them for an hour in the afternoon.
During Sunday afternoon play on its 9-hole course, the children are accompanied by clubgolf Level 2 coach, Macrina Crawford, two Level 1 coaches and parent helpers.
Polkemmet is a perfect example of a club taking a modern outlook to the sport, making its facilities accessible to juniors and creating a structured coaching pathway.
In West Lothian last year almost 377 Primary 5 children were introduced to golf through clubgolf’s introductory game, firstclubgolf. With that figure set to increase in 2010 the region’s clubs will benefit if they are equipped to deliver successive stages of the programme.
“Polkemmet has really taken this on and run with it,” said Active Schools Co-ordinator, Paul Stark. Active Schools is responsible for training and supporting school staff in the firstclubgolf phase of the programme as well as building strong links between schools and clubs.
“They have created some excellent new opportunities for both the children and themselves. They are able to start teaching children with no experience which is perfect for those who haven’t yet played firstclubgolf at school. Other children are coming from across West Lothian for coaching because they don’t have a club programme near them yet.”
Polkemmet meanwhile is planning an Open Day in April to attract more children and has just been awarded a £500 discretionary grant from clubgolf partner, the Golf Foundation, to ensure it is fully prepared to deal with the demands of more juniors.
“If we are successful with the grant then it will allow us to keep junior memberships as low as possible as well as buy equipment and cover costs of coaching,” said Mungall.
“We have quite a unique situation here with a covered practice facility and a nine-hole course which is perfect for beginners. At many golf clubs children have to be 12 or 13 years old before they are allowed to join and play medals.
“Here, kids of eight, nine or ten years can play the course without getting harassed by an adult. With the coaching we have in place we will develop juniors so that they can have handicaps so they will be able to progress to a full course.”