Helensburgh juniors invited to Loch Lomond

Having bolstered its volunteer coaching base to 14, Royal Dornoch Golf Club is about to embark on a campaign of delivering junior coaching to 40 local school children.

Juniors at Helensburgh Golf Club who are receiving coaching through the national junior golf development programme, clubgolf, were given the most inspiring start to the new golf season after being invited to Loch Lomond Golf Club last week.

Helensburgh member and former Club Champion, Peter Haggerty, who is Assistant Superintendent on the spectacular, world famous course which hosts the Barclays Scottish Open, invited a dozen of the Club’s children and volunteer coaches.

“Peter knew we were doing clubgolf in Helensburgh and thought the children would enjoy the experience,” said Stewart Coutts, clubgolf Coordinator at Helensburgh.

“We were shown around the course, given an hour on the practice green where two holes had been cut for the kids to chip and putt on, then we had lunch in the clubhouse. They had a fantastic time and we’re very grateful to Loch Lomond for making us all so welcome.”

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.

The 12 children who experienced Loch Lomond were part of Helensburgh’s clubgolf Stage 1 programme last summer. A 40-hour course taught by volunteer coaches over two years, Stage 1 covers the fundamentals of putting, chipping, full swing, rules and etiquette.

Eleven Helensburgh members have been trained to coach on the PGA Level 1 programme. Last year’s Stage 1 children were all club members but, with clubgolf introductory game being made available to P5 children in local schools after Easter, the Club plans to open its doors to its community’s children this season.

“Last year we did the clubgolf coaching with our own young members, 10 and 11 year olds, who were just starting in golf and it was a great success,” said Mr Coutts.

“This summer we are hoping to take some of the children that have played the introductory game in school and want to progress.

"Unfortunately our practice facility at Helensburgh is very small but we are looking for other potential venues."