How good is your Junior section?

[gryffindor]

I wonder if ours is exceptional?

The club offers:

• Saturday afternoon roll up for new juniors
• At least 15 matches against other clubs and another 10 or so internal matches per year.
• Junior skills days - competitive skills tests in the morning and playing with the pro's in the afternoon
• Scholarships - 4 each year which include free membership and about £500 worth of lessons
• Full entitlement to play in all adult competitions (once congu attained)
• Academy sessions - about 4 groups of 8 golfers each, ten times a year for training.
• Total acceptance in the clubhouse - they seem to have their own 'self claimed' area in the spike bar.

Admittedly a lot of this is down to a very committed junior organiser and pro's, but also the membership in funding the scholarships.

It seems to me that if you can attract the 8-14 year olds, then you may get their parents as members as well which in the current climate can only be a good thing.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Good to see a forward looking club making correct decisions.
How many junior members, where are you and what is the range of the junior members handicaps.

 

[DCB]

I'd say your is exceptional.

Whilst we do a lot for Juniors we can't match that. It must take a hell of a lot of work from the junior organiser to deal with all that. Good on him.

 

[gryffindor]

Good to see a forward looking club making correct decisions.
How many junior members, where are you and what is the range of the junior members handicaps.

Probably around 50 junior members - at least 30 of who are active every week.
10 are off 12 or less, the balance the full range up to the wee ones off 54.
Based in the Surrey 'W' triangle BUT not one of the better known W's!

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Good for you, more power to your elbow.
I bet you put the other W clubs to shame.

 

[cookelad]

Probably around 50 junior members - at least 30 of who are active every week.
10 are off 12 or less, the balance the full range up to the wee ones off 54.
Based in the Surrey 'W' triangle BUT not one of the better known W's!

Blummin eck! I was the only junior at my old place for a long time!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Not a big section but they seem to be active enough and have a decent local fixture list. We are trying to develop a junior academy

http://www.royalascotgolfclub.co.uk/the-club/tuition-golf-academy.html I hope it continues to develop as there has been a good take off for the first lot of coaching

 

[need_my_wedge]

I wonder if ours is exceptional?

The club offers:

• At least 15 matches against other clubs and another 10 or so internal matches per year.
• Junior skills days - competitive skills tests in the morning and playing with the pro's in the afternoon
• Full entitlement to play in all adult competitions (once congu attained)
• Academy sessions - about 4 groups of 8 golfers each, ten times a year for training.
• Total acceptance in the clubhouse - they seem to have their own 'self claimed' area in the spike bar.

Admittedly a lot of this is down to a very committed junior organiser and pro's, but also the membership in funding the scholarships.

It seems to me that if you can attract the 8-14 year olds, then you may get their parents as members as well which in the current climate can only be a good thing.

We offer all of the above, plus we have a junior high handicap stableford every second Sunday through the summer. My lad turned 13 last week and has been a member for 3 years, he plays off 18 and won the adult medal two weeks ago and the junior medal the week after. The juniors at ours are the reigning Tavistock trophy holders for the second successive year and are well respected by the majority of our members. We recently held a junior open day where we closed the course so that friends of the juniors could come and play the course, and have a go at some skills challenges. Our head pro is also heavily involved with the county setup and runs a county academy programme. I'd say our club does an awful lot to promote junior golf.

 

[SocketRocket]

We have a thriving Junior section and the Club, Pros and some members work hard to encourage them. I can see the benefit to them as young people but would question the long term benefit to the club as most leave at around 16 YOA and do not always come back when older.

 

[AmateurSwinger]

As a junior at my club I get nothing, not even a lesson or our own comp, whereas at my friends course he gets 8 free lessons a year, junior comp every other Sunday, private junior locker room, 25% off food and drink and 10% off in the pro shop.

 

[JustOne]

We have a backwards thinking pensioner brigade who want the course to themselves, don't want to repair pitchmarks and have a nice pot of tea with a scone afterwards - 12 players under the age of 16. The club is slowly dying because narrow minded idiots (committee) run the place.

 

[jimbob.someroo]

Ours is pretty good and have matches against other clubs or internal comps each week. Really competitive between themselves which results in a lot of low handicaps - including one lad who's made Final Qualifying for The Open!

 

[Imurg]

What's a Junior Section.....?

Most Juniors around here go to the other local clubs, better clubs that charge peanuts for Junior players.
We get pay'n'play kids during the Summer but they don't stick around...
I doubt the Club will do anything about it, the Non-future of the Club is already mostly decided so there's not much point...

 

[gryffindor]

Just thought I should point out that my opening post wasn't meant to be bragging - my only connection with the section is that I have a son in it. The organiser is an absolute hero in my eyes and has been doing it now for 10 years (way before we joined)

I am not sure how much it actually brings to the club financially, but with the juniors having annual, hard fought matches against the Tuesday Boys, Saturday boys, Ladies section etc plus of course the monthly medals it does at least show some of the 'Daily Mail reading' brigade that not all kids are hoody wearing thugs.

It is also very good for the kids - without exception they are polite, fair, smart and enthusiastic. they have to learn respect for the course, their playing partners, the club members and their equipment - whilst having a good time playing golf. It beats hanging around the town centre every saturday and the value for money is terrific.

 

[SocketRocket]

We have a backwards thinking pensioner brigade who want the course to themselves, don't want to repair pitchmarks and have a nice pot of tea with a scone afterwards - 12 players under the age of 16. The club is slowly dying because narrow minded idiots (committee) run the place.

Then join the committee and start changing things.

I quite like tea and scones :lol:

 

[JustOne]

Then join the committee and start changing things.

That's actually the plan (I think).... but it'll still be only my one voice against the many..... and that would be if I even get in (round pin in a square hole).

We'll see.