Tavish Cameron, veteran member of Fort William GC and Honorary President of the Junior Section, takes the first shot from the Club's new practice facility, by Iain Ferguson

Juniors to benefit as Fort William Golf Club opens new practice facility

Fort William Golf Club, which has bravely battled the area’s notoriously wet climate to develop a successful coaching programme for the community’s children, opened a unique new junior practice facility today (Tuesday 30th September 2008).

A new four bay covered practice facility is the result of the Club’s successful application for a £10,000 Awards for All lottery grant.  The bay is one of the first of its kind in Scotland and will help the Club continue to introduce the town’s children to the game through 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, clubgolf emerged from Scotland’s successful bid to host the Ryder Cup.   clubgolf is a result of the Scottish Government’s commitment to introduce every nine-year-old child in Scotland to the game.

 

“The new facility will make a heck of a difference to coaching the juniors,” said John Ross, the Club’s Junior Convenor and qualified clubgolf coach, who is working with club members to complete a new practice green.

“Until now we had a bit of grass but the wind would come hurling up the loch and it was very unpleasant.   Kids get fed up in the rain but with the covered driving bay you can have all the kids around you and it’s perfectly dry.  They can hit the balls and we, the coaches, go with the juniors and fetch them.” 

Golfing talent is in good supply at Fort William Golf Club.  Alasdair Ross recently played for the North District.  Garry Dunlop was a member of the SGU Area Coaching squad and Ashley Ingram recently gained a golf scholarship in the USA.

Despite two of the wettest summers, delaying the building process by three months, Mr Ross has been helping local juniors by coaching as many as 50 children on his clubgolf programme.  He regularly uses the course’s back nine holes as a Par 3 course and puts the 12th green to good use for bunker practice.

“Myself and the Club Steward James Duncan have done the clubgolf coaching for three years,” said Mr Ross.  “On my books I’ve got 42 juniors but a lot more play golf.  We’ve got them in three stages: kids starting off doing the clubgolf Stage 1 coaching programme , kids on the par 3 course who are Stage 1 year 2 juniors, and our over 12s, our ‘senior juniors’ who get stage 2 & 3 clubgolf coaching.  Amongst them we have a 4, 5 and 8 handicap.”

Feeding the interest in local schools is the programme’s introductory game, firstclubgolf.  Played with multi-coloured clubs, rubberised balls, Velcro targets and carefully planned progressive lesson cards, firstclubgolf provides a safe and exciting introduction to the game.

 

“A lot of our children wouldn’t have had the chance to play golf before the firstclubgolf programme started,” said Active Schools Co-ordinator, Bridget Thomas who has been giving firstclubgolf taster sessions in the nine local schools along with PE specialists.

 

“It’s something different for the kids and they really enjoy it.  The covered facility is an extra resource and it means they can keep the coaching going whatever the weather.” 

 

Said clubgolf’s Highland Manager, Willie MacKay, “Since clubgolf coaching started at Fort William Golf Club John and James have built up a junior membership of over 50 youngsters with more than 40 in regular coaching.  In this season alone they have attracted 31 new juniors into the clubgolf programme.

 

“With the covered bays, practice green and new bunker they will have ideal practice facilities for the youngsters and these will also benefit the adult members as well. 

 

“John Ross and James Duncan faced some major challenges on the way to completing this new facility.  They needed a three month extension to the project because of the wet spring and summer.  They had to hire a dumper truck to ferry the rubble base and the cement for the foundations from the Club car park up to the site for the covered bays area.

 

“They have overcome all these challenges admirably and I am delighted to see the new facility opened today.”

 

Further information from John Ross, Fort William GC Junior Convenor on: john.sine@btinternet.com