Junior Section Ban For Parent Spectators.

[Scouser]

thank you. Could I ask what you mean by a 'club mark'? There is no info on the Golf Club website nor the junior board in the clubhouse.

No probs ... have a look at this link. If the club is registered i would suspect these would be interested in knowin about any bans and the reason behind it...

If they are not registered it may be worth seeing if they are in the process of applying. Either way Id be choosing another club unless things change.

http://www.golfmark.org/default.asp

 

[oakey22]

http://www.golfmark.org

 

[shagster]

a stupid decision.
i hope you get this resolved, but if you are getting no joy, a letter to the board and a word with the pro, asking why, and what safe gaurds they have in place etc.
hopefully you can get some useful advice from people with more hands experience
shagster

 

[richart]

Not sure what the rule is at our club, but the parents do seem to wait in the clubhouse, rather than walk the course. I imagine this is due to the children themselves not wanting the parents to close, and possibly trying to coach from the sidelines. Also there would be a safety aspect with some parents not being golfers themselves and not knowing where to stand etc. There may also be some sort of public liability problem with allowing parents to be on the course, should they injure themselves, or be hit by a ball.

From my experience arranging tennis matches for children, the parents can be very competitive on behalf of their children, and many try coaching from the side. They also try to get involved with line calls, and generally are best kept as far way from the action as possible.

 

[Janey01]

Thanks , As the club is in Wales, this may not apply. I shall look into this.

 

[richart]

Anyone involved with coaching, helping kids etc, should be police checked. My daughter is a qualified swimming teacher and life guard, but even before she was 16 she had to be police checked to work with children. The club will have a child protection officer who you should be able to speak to as well.

 

[Leftie]

Thanks for the'helpful' post Lefite, I thought this might be a good place to get some constructive advice!

My apologies Janey.

The way your post came across to me sounded so ridiculous that I assumed it was a wind up.

I fully appreciate the problems that some other sports (football, rugby, tennis, etc) have with touchline parents but golf should be different as many of the parents are themselves golfers and aware of the correct etiquette. At our club, many parents will watch their child tee off on the first and may watch the last couple of holes. If a more important comp, they might actually caddy for their child.

The final decision is always the child's or the parent's but it has to be said that if the the juniors organiser identifies a potential problem they may suggest to the parent that it might be better if they didn't get too involved in the whole round. No compulsion, just gentle persuasion.

 

[Janey01]

Thanks Leftie, yes I agree, only a few parents will walk around part of the course, not many will walk the whole course unless the kids are pretty young. I tend to watch my son tee off, and then walk the last 2 or 3 holes. I always feel a little uncomfortable leaving him, as the course has a couple of public footpaths running through it, and as it is a holiday area, there are often a lot of strangers around.
As the organisers do not supervise the children at all, and even sometimes leave the golf club for the duration of the comp. On occasions not even bothering to be there to make sure they all finish ok and collect the score cards, I think it is an unreasonable rule. I shall wait and see what the club have to say.

 

[viscount17]

As the organisers do not supervise the children at all, and even sometimes leave the golf club for the duration of the comp. On occasions not even bothering to be there to make sure they all finish ok and collect the score cards, I think it is an unreasonable rule.

As a former Scout Leader I would have serious issues with this. Health and Safety, and Child Protection issues have had a major impact on how you are required to act there and, though I've not been involved in Chidren's sports, I don't believe it will be much different. (In fact knowing the hoops a friend had to go through as an athletics coach, I know they aren't much different.)

The two issues you outline need a radical rethink by the club concerned. I wonder if the Club Committee are even aware of these practices. I would not surprise me to hear that the Junior Organiser is also the club's Child Safety representative and that everything is left in their hands.

 

[DCB]

The club should have a designated Child Protection Officer, as for this person to contact you regarding your concerns.

Whilst I can see where you are coming from, I can also see reasons why the club had taken this stance. The CPO should be able to clear up any issues and may not be aware that the Jun Organiser (or another appointed person) is not around during Junior Comps.

 

[USER1999]

At my course there are two volunteers who run the junior section. They are normally members with kids in the juniors, or have recently had kids who were juniors. During comps, they take a buggy out, and patrol the course, to make sure there are no issues arising from pace of play, arguments, fights, rules questions, etc. This also helps with the saftey aspect of kids being out in the woods on their own.
Parents sometimes follow the games from a discreet distance, but clearly there can be health and saftey issues with people unfamiliar with golf courses and the hazards they present.

At the very least, I would expect the junior organiser to patrol the field in a buggy, if only to keep things moving along.

 

[bladeplayer]

Where as i can see both sides of the argument here, it is good to actualy see a parent with an intrest in their childs past time, (let alone security). we all see the parents that use clubs as creches etc. what puzzels me is If parents have been allowed to watch their children can a new volunteer coach change or adapt or introduce club rules without it been passed by the commitee ? doesnt the club have a duty of care to all members esp juniors ? so they should have adults (not necessiarly parents) on the course to help , guide & PROTECT juniors . wouldnt like the new coaches ideas , also as others have said check & see that the new coach been vetted by the correct authorities , let us know how you get on with this

 

[Janey01]

Thanks, Im waiting to hear from the Club. I dont know if they have made this a rule, or even if the have a current child protection policy, although I would have thought that they do. Just need to clarify this before the end of the month when the competitions start.

 

[Mark_G]

Perhaps you would like to caddy for your child? I know I would for my daughter, given your situation. Good luck with getting a common sense outcome.

 

[Sponge1980]

It might be due to the police checks that need to be carried out. I'm invloved with our clubs Junior Coaching programme and some of the parents used to come along and help out, not with any golf stuff but just as an extra set of eyes. We had to get them all checked through Disclosure Scotland first.

 

[Doh]

I was a junior organiser for about 8-9 years. I’m sure she has no authority to ban anyone from playing.Ask her how she intends to keep your son/daughter safe whilst they are playing. Ask to see the child protection policy and can she provide a document or minutes where it says the committee have made a ruling where it says she can ban juniors from playing if their parents turn up to watch.
I am sure that it would have to go to the committee for approval.

 

[Neilds]

I was a junior organiser for about 8-9 years. I’m sure she has no authority to ban anyone from playing.Ask her how she intends to keep your son/daughter safe whilst they are playing. Ask to see the child protection policy and can she provide a document or minutes where it says the committee have made a ruling where it says she can ban juniors from playing if their parents turn up to watch.
I am sure that it would have to go to the committee for approval.

I suspect things may have changed in the 11 years since this was posted!

 

[PhilTheFragger]

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