NEW JUNIOR OPEN AT AIGAS TO BUILD THE FAMILY GAME

 

                Aigas GC ClubGolf coaches and juniors. Picture by Phil Downie

The family spirit is thriving at Aigas, the Highland golf club that since signing up for the junior national programme, ClubGolf, in 2005 has coached over 100 children, almost half of them earning handicaps.

Next month, on Saturday, June 9. the forward looking club, near Beauly, will celebrate a new milestone by organising its first ever Junior Open.

“The Junior Open is also an excellent opportunity for our juniors to meet other kids from other courses, introducing a more competitive element to their games and encouraging them to go and play other junior opens throughout the region,” said the club’s junior convenor, Fiona Rice. 

“By encouraging both CONGU and Club Handicap juniors to take part and see how much fun it is to play at a higher level, it will give them confidence to go for an official handicap.”

Over the past seven years Aigas has been drawing on its close knit community spirit, turning what others might have seen as the disadvantage of a remote rural location into major strengths.    

From its own membership, and with support from Inverness Area Sports Council, Coaching Highland and 2014 Communities Grant, it has built an outstanding coaching resource of qualified coaches: five at Level 1, three at Level 1 Advanced and a further one at Level 2.

And it has worked on its junior coaching facilities, recently adding chipping and pitching mats and buying coaching and golf equipment. 

The club’s appeal to youngsters, some of whom have reportedly made a 40 mile round trip for weekly coaching, has been considerable.

Since it started in 2005, the Aigas team has coached over 100 juniors through ClubGolf, and 40 of them have gained CONGU handicaps. 

Many of its initial ClubGolf recruits are now adult members.  Four of its initial intake are now qualified coaches, providing the perfect role models for the youngsters.

Recently its junior membership has got younger, with higher numbers in the 9-12 age bracket, the result of ClubGolf coaching in the local primary schools and good links with the club. 

And challenged with finding more junior girls, the club’s junior girls Captain, Lexie Leaver and coach Carrie Masheter, have recruited nine young girl members already this year. 

As the junior programme has grown so has the need for professional coaching. Last summer the club also secured funding to enable them to bring in Ross Dennison, the Assistant Pro from Inverness, to coach its older juniors. 

“Ross was a big hit with the juniors and also provided invaluable mentoring to our own coaches to make sure we are all up to speed with current good practice and techniques in coaching.”

Amongst the many benefits of running structured junior coaching are the numbers of parents playing the game with their children at Aigas.  Other parents are taking up the game because their children are playing. 

“We have Mums that have taken up the sport rather than waiting in the clubhouse to pick up the kids,” said Fiona.  “We have adults learning the game and beginner seniors coming along at quiet times for group lessons.”

It says much for the club’s inclusive approach and work in the community that half of the children on its coaching programme are from non golfing families.  Next month it hopes to spread the net wider still by encouraging at least 24 juniors to play its first junior open on Saturday 9 June. 

The event is open to boys and girls, aged 18 and undr, with separate categories for those with an official SGU handicap and those who have a club, 18 hole, handicap - 28 for boys and 36 for girls.  Entry fee is £5 for non members and £4 for Aigas Junior members.  Tee off times are between 09.00 and 10.20am.

In typical Aigas spirit the club has gone the extra mile, found sponsorship from Ross-shire Engineering, Aigas Golf Course, Aigas Holiday Cottages and local Beauly businesses.  To create a fun environment it is laying on a barbeque, homemade cakes and coaching for beginners between 10.30am and 12.00 noon and games in the practice area.

“Golf is a fantastic and inclusive sport that the whole family, whatever their age or ability level, can go and enjoy in the outdoors,” said Fiona. 

“We hope to encourage not only more juniors but their families to play golf. We want to show everyone how much fun it can be in an appealing informal way.”

To find out more about the Aigas Junior Open or coaching at the club, call the clubhouse on:
Tel:   01463 782942

Or speak directly to Carrie Masheter on:

Mb:  07762 023883

 

Rob Eyton-Jones

For ClubGolf

t:  07775 746981

e:  rob@eyton-jones.co.uk

Official ClubGolf website:  www.clubgolfscotland.com

ClubGolf on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/clubgolfscotland