Royal opening for new Orkney facility

October 2009 — View Gallery

HRH The Princess Royal opened a practice facility at Orkney Golf Club which will help transform junior coaching on the Islands.

Last autumn sportscotland’s Building for Sport programme awarded the Kirkwall club a £44,960 grant from for an indoor practice facility. This proved the catalyst for further grants and support from HIE Orkney and Orkney Island Council, The R & A, OGC Ladies section, The Auld Boys, and members and parents of club juniors.
 
The new facility has a covered three bay practice area, a two bay outdoor practice area and nets, four all weather tees and a Huxley putting green and means that coaching can now keep growing and developing through the winter. 
 
Despite a short season and wet summers the club has, in conjunction with clubgolf, transformed its junior section in just four years.
 
Within weeks of its five members becoming qualified clubgolf volunteer coaches in 2005 junior coaching numbers soared from 20 to 40.  This year 75 children registered for coaching.  The number of qualified volunteer coaches now stands at 12.
 
Over the same time period the numbers of children entering the club’s weekly competitions has shot up from three to 60.  The club’s third Junior Open this summer attracted 88 children, 14 of them girls, from as far afield as Wick, South Ronaldsay and Stromness.
 
“We are thrilled that HRH The Princess Royal supported us by opening our new facility,” said Vice Captain, Fred Rutlidge.:
 
“The day was to be for the juniors and it certainly turned out that way.  The Princess spent a lot more time with us than we had anticipated, most of which was spent talking to the juniors before unveiling the commemorative plaque.  .”
 
sportscotland Chief Executive Stewart Harris said: "As we build towards the Ryder Cup in Scotland in 2014, it is fantastic to see clubs such as Orkney Golf Club embracing the clubgolf programme and putting junior golf at the very heart of the club.
 
"We are delighted that our investment of £44,960 enabled this important project to go ahead.  The numbers of young golfers already lined up to use the practice areas demonstrates that providing the right facilities in the right location is instrumental in driving sports participation.  Orkney Golf Club has created a fantastic facility which I'm sure will serve the needs of the community for many years to come."