Youngsters on course for coaching from Paul Lawrie
26/02/10
City youngsters taking part in a national junior golf programme received coaching from former British Open Champion Paul Lawrie when he visited the Clubgolf festival at Aberdeen Sports Village, Linksfield Road on Friday, 26 February.
Active Schools Aberdeen, in partnership with The Paul Lawrie Foundation, The Golf Foundation and Clubgolf, offers children in the Torry, Kincorth, St Machar and Northfield areas of the city, the opportunity to take part in a golf programme where they can learn and develop their golf skills in a fun and friendly atmosphere.
Each school was offered a block of four one-hour lessons to ensure that every nine year old has an opportunity to experience the game. The Clubgolf Aberdeen initiative is being rolled out by the Active Schools team.
The schools were presented with a class size golf bag complete with colourful golf clubs, with special grips and oversized heads and targets which they can continue to use to develop their skills while at school and at after school clubs. For the youngsters, the in-school experience was just the start.
The schools have had a taster in the schools and will now take part in the festival.
The programme consists of:
- four weeks of indoor coaching at Aberdeen Sports Village where the children shall pick up the basics of the game from putting to full swing drives through fun activities and learning tools. This will be delivered by coaches from local golf clubs;
- the opportunity to attend Level 1 coaching sessions, subsidised by the Paul Lawrie Golf Foundation, at either Bon Accord Golf Club or Caledonian Golf.
Clubgolf is Scotland's national junior golf development programme, which was launched in 2003 as part of the Scottish Govenment's pledge to create an opportunity for every primary five child in Scotland to experience golf. The programme is now well established and participation is growing every year.
Clubgolf emerged as part of Scotland's successful bid to host the Ryder Cup in 2014 and has been developed under a partnership between the Scottish Golf Union, Scottish Ladies' Golfing Association, the Professional Golfers' Association, the Golf Foundation and sportscotland.
Mr Lawrie said: "I am delighted once again to be working in partnership with the Active Schools team in Aberdeen City to provide opportunities for youngsters within the regeneration areas of the city to participate in golf."
Active Schools Aberdeen Manager Jo Conlon said: "We are extremely grateful to the Paul Lawrie Foundation for continuing to support this project within Aberdeen City.
"This project is having a huge impact within these areas by helping to make golf completely accessible and remove every barrier, real or perceived so that children can participate."