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Over £900,000 for Scottish golf
18/12/2007
An annual investment of £911,000 in Scottish golf will be allocated through the Scottish Golf Union and the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association.
This is one of the largest awards to be given to a sport in Scotland and will see benefits right across the board, including £500,000 for the National Junior Golf Programme clubgolf.
clubgolf has been developed through a partnership between the Scottish Golf Union, the Scottish Ladies' Golfing Association, the Professional Golfers' Association, the Golf Foundation and sportscotland.
The programme is the result of the Scottish Government's commitment to create the opportunity for every nine-year-old in Scotland to experience golf, on the back of the successful bid to host the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.
Stewart Maxwell, Minister for Communities and Sport, said:
"This is a significant investment in Scottish golf which I hope will help us to continue the excellent work that's been done recently to introduce new players to the sport.
"It's particularly important that more young people will have the chance to try out golf through the clubgolf programme, which is already helping youngsters to discover their passion for the sport and building a pool of fresh talent to produce our golfing stars of the future."
Originally co-ordinated by sportscotland, clubgolf has gone from strength to strength since its inception in 2003 and last year its management was transferred to golf's governing bodies. This change is reflected in the funding package announced today.
In 2007 clubgolf achieved some significant milestones:
- Within schools, 26,000 P5 children introduced to golf through firstclubgolf, bringing the number of children who have experienced the programme to over 50,000
- 5,852 children in structured coaching programmes at golf clubs and facilities comprised of: 4,895 children involved in Stage 1 programmes; 527 children in Stage 2 programmes; 430 children coached by PGA Pros on Stage 3 programmes
- 945 clubgolf volunteer coaches active in clubs
- 182 golf clubs and facilities delivering clubgolf
- 21 PGA Pros delivered Stage 3 programmes
In another development, 13 year old Ryan Gordon from Alford was recently selected for the SGU Academy at Grampian (under coach Neil Marr) becoming the first youngster to progress through every step of the clubgolf pathway.
Having started with firstclubgolf at Alford Primary School and continued his development at Alford Golf Club. Ryan's achievement proves clubgolf's structure not only increases participation in golf amongst youngsters but provides the opportunity for talented golfers to emerge.
With a handicap of 9.7 down from 15.0 at the start of this season, Ryan is an exciting young talent and he is hoping that a place in the SGU Academy programme will help improve his all round game and enable him to realise his dream of becoming a professional golfer.
Ryan said:
"I have certainly benefited enormously from the clubgolf programme. The coaching ensured that I developed good habits right from the start and I would like to thank all the clubgolf coaches, in particular Neil Cobban -Alford's clubgolf coordinator and a PGA Level 2 coach - and PGA Pro Andy Locke who have both been really supportive."
"Getting into the Academy programme is just a fantastic opportunity and has enabled me to get the help of a really good coach in Neil Marr. It has given me the extra motivation to follow my dream, I feel like I am a step closer to reaching my goal and I look forward to working hard to make my wish eventually come true."
Julia Bracewell OBE, Chair sportscotland said:
"We are delighted to offer the SGU and the SLGA our continued investment and support. clubgolf is a fantastic example of using a major event like the Ryder Cup as a catalyst for delivering a lasting legacy in terms of increasing participation and improving performances in sport. I would like to congratulate everyone involved in clubgolf on the significant progress being made and wish Ryan every success in the future.
"I am also sure that we can learn some important lessons for the Commonwealth Games in 2014. However, just like clubgolf, we need to have the vision and aspiration along with the long-term planning and investment and we must start now if we are to make a legacy a reality."