County/Provincail Teams

[Tadhger Woods]

So Im a 15 year old hoping to make a county or provisional team in the next 3 years.

Are there many people here that have played on teams and if so what handicap were you off at the time?

Also was there any special coaching or such and what was the whole experience like.

Thanks
Tadhg :swing:

 

[bladeplayer]

Hows it going Tadgher good to see another southener on here , have you played much representive club golf ? Jimmy Bruen , inter provincial towns etc ? maybe as a junior you might not be let by tour club ..

My advice would be to get experience of these comps under your belt , are you currently geting lessons or anything ? at your age it would be the way forward, your handicap seems to be going the right way anyhow ..

What club are you playing out of ? do you have a junior organiser or committee they should have details of anything the GUI might be running to help you along ,

 

[need_my_wedge]

My son was in the Beds County under 12 squad last year. They had a try out at the start of the season, which we were notified of by our club professional. After the trial he was asked to join the squad. As part of the squad he was expected to attend 6 training sessions through the season, these were between 3 and 5 hour sessions, and the squad had 5 or 6 matches scheduled through the season.

In Beds, we also have a county academy, which is the feeder for the squad. I wasn't too happy with the squad setup last year, their communication was dire, and I was left to continually chase them to find out if the boy was playing or not, or if the training was cancelled or not etc. Admittedly the weather didn't help last year, but that wasn't the point. This year they have changed the setup a bit, the course running the coaching last year didn't want to do it this year because of lost revenue whilst the county training was in place.....

Consequently, this year I have put him in the Academy as opposed to the squad, the benefits being that the academy is run at our home club this year, and our club professionals (who normally coach my son) are running it. Suffice to say that communication has been excellent and I think he's getting far more out of it in the two sessions already this year.

I don't know what it's like in Ireland, but the suggestion above of talking with your club (if you are a member), or why not go to a local club and ask - junior membership is usually quite cost effective.

I also know that one of the local driving ranges here also feeds prospective youngsters into the Bucks county academy. If you're not associated with a club, or close to one, try the pro at your local range.

good luck.