Drive on in Edinburgh schools and clubs
The drive to encourage every school and club in Edinburgh to embrace the national junior golf programme, clubgolf intensified this week with golf festivals for primary school children at three locations across the capital.
300 children took part in festivals at Bruntsfield Links, Saughton Playing Fields and the Hermitage Family Golf Centre. Organised by Active Schools Co-ordinators, more festivals are planned at other locations this spring.
“The festival was extremely popular with the children and the big advantage was that everybody could take part,” said James McDevitt, deputy head of St Cuthbert’s Primary, one of 10 Edinburgh schools which began offering firstclubgolf coaching for the first time to its children this term.
“As a school we are actively encouraging all children to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle and clubgolf helps the school to meet that aim. Children thoroughly enjoy it and I recommend it highly to other schools.”
clubgolf emerged from Scotland’s successful bid to host the Ryder Cup and is a partnership between the Scottish Golf Union, the Scottish Ladies' Golfing Association, the Professional Golfers' Association, the Golf Foundation and sportscotland. It has been developed as a direct result of the Scottish Government’s commitment to introduce every nine-year-old child in Scotland to golf.
This year clubgolf’s target is to reach 70 percent of Edinburgh’s Primary 5 children, an increase of almost 15 percent last year, as a step on the way to introducing its 2011 target of 90 percent roll out. For it to work more schools, and clubs, are needed to adopt the programme.
“Ninety percent equates to nearly 4000 new children playing golf,” said Brian Harris, Edinburgh Council’s Sports and Outdoor Education Manager.
“To support this week we need more clubs and facilities to join us and offer children the opportunity to continue to participate in golf.
“We want to make golf as accessible as possible and to take away as many barriers as we can so that children can participate.”
clubgolf is tackling other barriers to participation by training PE Specialists, Active Schools Co-ordinators, school staff and volunteers to deliver coaching as well as providing resources.
In a further effort to take golf to Edinburgh children, clubgolf, with Edinburgh Leisure, are looking to offer golf programmes for the first time at community facilities such as Bruntsfield Links, Saughton Park and the Jack Kane Centre.
It will be an opportunity for them to try golf at facilities they are familiar with and can walk to before progressing to golf clubs as they develop their skills.
For further information about clubgolf please contact:
Laura Rushby - clubgolf Regional Manager - East of Scotland
t: +44 (0)7956540595 e: lrushby@clubgolfscotland.co.uk
