Cllr Ian Ross cuts the ribbon to open the new junior practice facility at Bonar Bridge and Ardgay Golf Club. Watching are Sally Keniston, Club Captain, (far left), and Jeani Hunter, clubgolf Coaching Co-ordinator, with juniors, coaches and scorers that help on junior nights. Image by Willie MacKay).


New practice facility boost at Bonar Bridge


Bonar Bridge and Ardgay Golf Club this week today opened a new practice facility which will benefit its juniors and regular members in equal measure.
Early this year, after completing a funding bid to the Big Lottery, the club successfully received a cheque for £4,452.
Work began in May transforming what one member refered to as a “practice green with a mouldy old bunker” into a dedicated area, complete with two new nets, a large bunker, an improved putting green, complete with chipping and pitching mats.
Bonar Bridge is a traditional club with a modern attitude. It was one of the first in Scotland to offer the national junior golf programme, clubgolf, a partnership between the Scottish Golf Union, the Scottish Ladies’ Golfing Association, the Professional Golfers’ Association, the Golf Foundation and sportscotland, created as a lasting legacy to host the Ryder Cup in 2014.
Three Bonar Bridge members are qualified Level 1 volunteers. Over the last four years they have built strong links with the four local primary schools and their Active Schools Co-ordinator, Louise Nadin. The result is a steady flow of children being introduced to the game and large number opting to develop their skills at the club.
The club’s programme has been made fully sustainable by Gary Dingwall, pro at nearby Royal Dornoch Golf Club, who has lent his support by travelling to the club through the summer to coach the more advanced juniors. As a result the club’s junior membership is in better shape than ever.
“The clubgolf programme has gone really well,” said volunteer coach Jeani Hunter. “We have a round of 39 children involved in the programme and about 43 junior members. Some of the children are in their fourth year of coaching.
“We have one junior who has a handicap of 15 and is playing in the men's competitions. Two more have CONGU handicaps and a lot of others have nine hole handicaps that will hopefully soon get full handicaps.”
Having a dedicated practice ground completes an already positive picture for the club. Until now many coaching sessions had to be taught on local school fields because of a lack of space at the club. But it was a situation which, for health and safety reasons, required adult supervision
“The practice area is within sight of the clubhouse so juniors will be able to come up here by themselves in the summer and get on with it on their own,” said Jeani.
“The new facility raises the profile of the juniors and raises the profile of practice as well. They can now go and practise between their coaching sessions.”
Said Club Captain, Sally Keniston: “The opening of these facilities is a moment of history for the club.
“It has been achieved by a great deal of hard work and conviction on the part of members and supporters of the club and they are all to be commended for their efforts.
“This really puts the club on the map and will be a tremendous feature of the course, as well as a great teaching aid for our juniors.”
Said clubgolf Highland Regional Manager, Willie MacKay: “I applaud the work that the coaches put into the junior programme, week after week, and also the work of the members in getting the practice facility complete.
“At Newtonmore GC I watched one of the Bonar juniors qualify for the clubgolf Junior Masters finals to be held at the Renaissance Course on Sunday 3rd October. This demonstrates that the club has a pathway for juniors from the complete beginner all the way through to playing in national finals.
“What more could a parent wish for in a local club in any sport. Well done everyone involved in this facility development. It certainly ticks the boxes for both clubgolf and sportscotland as the Club have increased participation and also improved the quality of their practice facilities.”
Rob Eyton-Jones
clubgolf Media Manager
t: 07775 746981
e: rob@eyton-jones.co.uk
Official clubgolf website: www.clubgolfscotland.com