Vale Royal Abbey Golf Club, near Northwich, is launching a new Junior Golf Academy

A CHESHIRE golf club is holding a special open day to encourage more young players into the sport.

Ben Derbyshire, the new Head Professional at Vale Royal Abbey Golf Club, near Northwich, is launching a new Junior Golf Academy with a free Open Day on Saturday, March 4.

The Open Day, which takes place from 10am–2pm, is a chance for budding junior golfers to meet Ben and his team, have some fun, enjoy free golf tuition, free refreshments and learn about what the club has to offer young golfers.

During the day, at 1.30pm, Ben will be holding a Junior Golf Education Seminar for parents to learn about the Academy and how the children will be coached.

The Open Day will be followed by eight-week blocks of seven lessons and a competition week.  This programme will start in mid-March, with sessions being organised for three different age groups – 4-7 years, 8-12 years and 13 years plus.

Ben Derbyshire said: “Both myself and my assistant golf professional, Brian Cassidy, are extremely excited to be starting this new Junior Academy at Vale Royal Abbey.

“In our previous role at West Middlesex Golf Club in West London, we built a Junior Academy with more than 60 juniors attending on a weekly basis.  In addition to the standard programme, we ran weekly on-course playing lessons, fitness camps and psychology sessions for the children.

“The junior section became a thriving part of the club, bringing youth and energy as part of the club’s life – and our goal is to do exactly the same at Vale Royal Abbey.  The Open Day is a great opportunity to learn first-hand what the Junior Academy is all about.”

Alison Lysons, Cheshire County Development Officer for England Golf, says: “Ben arrived at Vale Royal Abbey Golf Club towards the end of last year with a passion for teaching people the game of golf and he has a great deal of experience coaching all ages and abilities.  It’s great to see the plans he has put into place to encourage more young people to take up the game in 2017 and I’m sure the Junior Academy will be a great success.”

For further information about the Junior Academy at Vale Royal Abbey Golf Club, contact Ben Derbyshire, Head PGA Professional, on 01606 301291 (option 4) or email golfpro@vra.co.uk

Get into golf is a national campaign, run by England Golf through its county network, to inspire new golfers.  Opportunities include beginner and follow-on courses with PGA Professionals.

They are a fun and sociable way to start golf – and a great way to make new friends.

To find your nearest centre visit getintogolf.org and look at the activity map or call 0800 118 2766. Follow Get into golf on Twitter twitter.com/getintogolf or on Facebook at facebook.com/Getintogolf

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The Red Rose county has posted impressive figures – with club membership rising by 1,636 in 2016.

The 4.2% increase was the best county performance in the country.

Now the Lancashire Union of Golf Clubs wants to continue the growth of the sport in the county by supporting a wide range of initiatives designed to encourage more young people to give golf a go.

Action from the first tee at Houghwood Golf Club at the end of season competition for players on the under 14 coaching programme

The LUGC launched a county development plan two years ago and after hitting all their initial targets, the emphasis will now shift to junior golf for 2017.

The county has already developed a junior pathway, which caters for around 250 youngsters from beginner level up to the elite players who are chosen to represent Lancashire in county matches and national competitions.

It has also launched a special programme for under 14s, with coaching provided by PGA professionals and supported by volunteers. This costs just £25 for three days of coaching during the summer based in six regional centres – North Lancashire, East Lancashire, South Lancashire, Bolton and Bury, Southport and Manchester.

Three young players weigh up their options on the practice putting green at Houghwood Golf Club at the end of season competition for players on the under 14 coaching programme

Players take part in a series of skills challenges designed to improve their putting, bunker play and short game, for example, with an end of season competition – at Houghwood Golf Club, near St Helens – giving them chance to put their know-how into practice. It is open to existing club members and entries are still open for this year’s programme with further details from the LUGC website at www.lancashiregolf.org/talent_development_programmes. Closing date is March 1.

The Lancashire Union of Golf Clubs wants to further expand its support of the work going on at club level to bring new, younger players into golf.

Ideas include working with the clubs and their PGA professionals to develop a model for golf camps in the school holidays.

Says county secretary Phil Harvey: “It is something you see in other sports, such as football or rugby, and we are looking to put together a pilot scheme with half a dozen clubs to develop a model that could be used across the county.

“A two or three-day camp, for example, is a good way to introduce beginners to the sport, show them the skills needed to play and how easy it is to make new friends.

“This works well for those who already have an interest in playing the sport, or who want to add to their playing experience. We hope to enthuse, motivate and inspire clubs to get involved in this kind of project.

“We believe there is a variety of ways to attract juniors to the sport, whether that be through the family and friends of existing club members, working with local schools or community groups, by holding family open days or taster sessions or by using social media to promote a club’s activities. The first aim is to get people hitting a golf ball and then to show them how it can become a sport for life.”

The county union will offer support to clubs looking to set up or revitalise their junior section, with Phil adding: “There are great examples of best practice at clubs across Lancashire and we want to share that experience with others. For example, often clubs rely on a single junior organiser who may drop out when their own child has outgrown junior golf, but the successful clubs have a group of people, including the PGA professional, which provides a more robust organisation.”

Phil Harvey, county secretary of the Lancashire Union of Golf Clubs

The Lancashire Union of Golf Clubs, which collects an annual affiliation fee from the 40,000 plus golfers in the region of just £4, delivers a number of benefits for all club members including advice on handicaps, course rating, grant funding, talent development, organising championships and county members events as well as running representative teams.

It offers a free county card to club members, which provides discounted golf at more than 1,400 courses across the UK.

It also works to increase participation in the sport and is an integral part of the Lancashire Golf Development Group – which seeks to attract more players, more members and create stronger clubs – alongside the Lancashire Ladies County Golf Association and the Professional Golfers Association in the region, with the support of two England Golf county development officers.

Phil Harvey,

County Secretary, Lancashire Union of Golf Clubs

Tel: 01772 731 330

Email: secretary@lancashiregolf.org

Website: www.lancashiregolf.org

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