Hawick's Trinity Primary School P5s with front l-r Active Schools Co-ordinator Paul Scott, Hawick GC volunteer coaches Graeme Tinlin and David Wilson. Image by Rob Eyton-Jones.

Volunteer coaches' efforts lead to junior

boom at Hawick Golf Club  Volunteer coaches at Hawick Golf Club are proving that recession is no barrier to building a junior section. After offering coaching in local primary schools this winter there is a strong chance the club will double its junior membership.
To generate interest last autumn, Active Schools Co-ordinator Paul Scott and club volunteer coach David Wilson, gave taster sessions to every P5-7 child in the town’s 10 primary schools.
For P5s in Trinity Primary, a school which does not have a PE teacher, they gave a five week coaching block.
So popular were the tasters that Hawick ran a seven-week coaching block in November and December, delivered by Wilson and fellow volunteer coaches, Douglas Crawford, Stuart Hunter and Graeme Tinlin.
Hawick Golf Club has for three years offered Scottish Golf’s junior development programme, clubgolf - one of the subjects covered at the Borders SGU and SLGA Club Seminar, Sunday, February 6 at The Roxburghe GC.
Hawick’s original intake, now teenagers, are very much involved in the game. Coached by local professionals and with sessions from European Tour coach Gary Nicol, their skills and handicaps are heading in the right direction.
The club’s latest initiative, being run under the clubgolf banner, is aiming to bring a generation of younger children into the membership, at the same time ensuring every youngster is a part of a structured and coordinated coaching programme.
To achieve this, the club has just launched an Academy, with annual membership pegged at just £35 a year for the nine year olds who have just been given the introductory game.
“The Academy will give us a pathway from the schools into the golf club which for the first time will be relatively affordable,” said volunteer coach David Wilson.
“In the past parents would have had to find £120 for the children to join the club, and then spend the best part of £100 on clubs and equipment. It’s a lot of money when you consider the risk that some children will lose interest.
“Our Academy kids will get free coaching and we will provide clubs, and there will be adults to take them out on the course. We will teach rules and etiquette which will help look after the course and encourage them to stay in the game long term.”
Following introductory lessons in schools the coaches ran a seven week after-school club for any child wanting to develop their skills. It comes as no surprise that they were inundated.
“From our first batch of coaching this winter 30 children have applied for Academy membership,” said Mr Wilson. “And I’m confident we can get 45 kids joining the club this year, which would double our junior membership.
“Almost all of these children are new members and a lot of them are girls, which is unheard of in our junior section. It just shows what can be done in a short space of time.”
Until this season the club’s youngest joining age was 10. In a change to its constitution, intended to attract the younger children the coaches have been coaching in schools, nine year olds can now join through the Academy.
And if the club can get enough juniors signed up for the Academy, then it will be in a position to reduce membership fees for the older juniors, currently £115 a year. There is an additional incentive which will come as more good news for parents. The mother or father of every Academy member will be given a free social membership.
“We are all really excited about this season,” added Mr Wilson, who is planning to run another batch of schools introductory sessions in February.
“Having all these new children will breathe a lot of life into the club and getting more parents involved will create more of a family atmosphere.”
* To find out how your golf club can get involved and benefit from a number of Scottish Golf resources and initiatives like Hawick Golf Club is, come along to the Borders SGU and SLGA Club Seminar on Sunday, February 6 at The Roxburghe GC.
Topics will include clubgolf, governance, membership marketing as well as offer you the opportunity to feedback what your club needs from the SGU/SLGA.
To book your place please speak to your golf club manager/secretary who has been sent an invitation and booking form which must be completed and returned to Audrey Rees at the SGU no later than Friday, January 28. Or phone Audrey on T: 01334 466481

Rob Eyton-Jones
clubgolf Media Manager
t: 07775 746981
e: rob@eyton-jones.co.uk
Official clubgolf website: www.clubgolfscotland.com