A swinging opportunity for Shetland younsters

Wednesday 3 September 2003

The Shetland Isles is not traditionally known as a hotbed of golf. However a group of nine youngsters from Shetland are determined to buck the trend and are visiting the National Golf Academy at Drumoig in Fife this week as part of the ‘clubgolf’ initiative, which aims to encourage more youngsters to take up the sport.

The children aged between 13 and 15 years from Anderson High School and Whalsay Junior High will tee off on Friday 5th September with some expert coaching as part of a programme of golf schools being run for primary and secondary pupils all over the country.

Organised by clubgolf – a partnership between the Scottish Golf Union, the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association and sportscotland – the half-day sessions cover all aspects of the game from coaching tips to diet and fitness, with a particular emphasis on having fun!

This is the second year in a row that the clubgolf schools have been held at Drumoig and once again they are proving popular. Last year, almost one thousand children took part in the programme, which is open to all secondary schools which are part of the School Sports Co-ordinators Programme.

This year in an effort to widen access to the sessions, the initiative has also been opened up to younger children, with local authorities being invited to involve their schools with Active Primary School Co-ordinators.

Alan McMillan, Scottish Junior Golf Manager, has been greatly encouraged by the youngsters who have taken part so far and said: “The children coming to the golf schools do learn a lot on the day and our ultimate aim is that they go home having had a positive, fun experience and one that they would like to repeat.
Many of the youngsters attending have not had the opportunity to join golf clubs and so it is important that they are offered another avenue into the game. The clubgolf schools do just that!”

School Sports Co-ordinator Heather Hogg said: “Shetland has a strong sports co-ordinator programme with lunchtime and after school activities in place to encourage a more active lifestyle. Both schools have links with the two golf courses in Shetland where all the boys play. Despite the long distance to travel, this is a fantastic opportunity for the students to play golf outside Shetland and to receive top class tuition at the national academy as part of the clubgolf programme. They are really excited at the prospect of spending the whole day at the academy and then playing a round at Hazlehead on Saturday before we catch our ferry home.”

This programme of coaching is the latest in a co-ordinated string of initiatives introduced by clubgolf as part of its aim to develop and implement a national junior golf programme for Scotland.

The youngsters taking part are:
Ramsay Hogg 13 years
Jordan Leask 13 years
Darren Laurenson 13 years
Ryan Grant 14 years
Duncan Hogg 15 years
Stuart Shearer 15 years
Tammy Stewart 15 years
Bobby Hutchison 15 years
David Smith 16 years