Richardf Fyvie with children with Orknet GC summer school children

Orkney summer school benefits from £1500 Sportsmatch award

So popular has Orkney Golf Club’s clubgolf programme been for the past three years that 14 PGA Level 1 coaches and a support team of 40 helpers coach around 70 children each week.

With numbers and enthusiasm growing every year, the only thing missing from the programme is the presence of a PGA Pro on Orkney.  But this summer the resourceful islanders found the solution by inviting up a Pro to teach their children at two Summer Schools.

The Club had generated sponsorship from three local businesses - George Bain, Sheila Fleet and the Glass Shop.  Their £1,500 donation was matched through the Sportsmatch scheme, managed by sportscotland, and enabled them to bring in Richard Fyvie, from West Lothian’s Pumpherston Golf Club.

Familiar with the Islands after running three clubgolf coaching courses for Orkney’s volunteer coaches, Richard had left a lasting impression.  

“When he was up for the weekend giving the PGA coaching course I got him to take the kids and I instantly recognised he was the type of coach that would be good with our children,” said Janette Mackie, the Club’s Junior Administrator.

“You need someone with a lot of energy and enthusiasm and Richard is so adaptable he can work with complete beginners or people with low handicaps.  He’s a natural coach who is very knowledgeable.”

Richard was also one of the first Pros in Scotland to support clubgolf, the national junior golf programme born out of Scotland’s successful bid to host the Ryder Cup.  A partnership between the Scottish Golf Union, the Scottish Ladies' Golfing Association, the Professional Golfers' Association, the Golf Foundation and sportscotland, clubgolf is a result of the Scottish Government’s commitment to introduce every nine-year-old child in Scotland to the game.

It seems the Islanders worked Mr Fyvie from dawn until dusk for the five days he was on Orkney.  But he found the experience so rewarding that he is keen to return for further camps.  And the kids, 46 of them aged seven to 14, made such enormous improvements from being with him that he would be welcome back.

“Their dedication and enthusiasm was fantastic and they had a huge willingness to learn,” said Richard.  “They came with open minds and absorbed everything and I noticed big changes in nearly all of them.   

“The kids were with me all morning and afternoon in different groups, then the same kids were back with me at night for more.  I was there at eight in the morning and left at 9pm having watched the first group come for coaching for the third time.”

Janette has already noticed the difference in the children, “The kids that had just started golf were coming in with scores in competitions equivalent to children who had been playing for two years.  “They all made huge differences and they had such fun.”

As a bonus Richard gave mentoring to the Club’s nine volunteer coaches.  “The coaches came along to watch me working with the kids, then I watched them coaching,” he said.  “Their coaching was well set up and safe and I think they appreciated the reassurance that it was going well.”

With further sponsorship the plan is to repeat the Summer School next summer.  And further ideas are already being discussed to make it even more successful.

“The popularity of clubgolf Stage 1 & 2 coaching on Orkney has produced juniors that are ready for Stage 3 coaching which is delivered by a PGA professional,” said clubgolf’s Highland Manager, Willie MacKay.  “The Summer School provided the first taste for Orkney juniors and I’m delighted it was such a success. 

“Orkney Golf Club hope to supplement their Summer School coaching with a video link remote coaching project.  Promising juniors can then have their swing technique videoed, “fire-wired” to a PGA Professional that will then use video analysis to add graphics to the swing and give constructive feedback.”  

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