School golf

garyinderry

garyinderry

Ryder Cup Winner
Joined
Jan 7, 2012
Messages
13,426
Visit site
Is there much of that going on in the UK? It wasn't something that was really pushed at my school. I heard murmurs of a school golf team in my final years but it wasn't common place at my school or any of the others in the area.

Surely there is at least one golf nut in every school willing to take the kids on inter school matches.

The only time golf was mentioned was when we had a recreation hour in final year. the only people that went to it where the guys who were not sporty and wouldn't even make their class football team. They went to the range to smoke and avoid running.

Sometimes all it takes to get people into golf is actually getting them to have their first trip to the range. Most kids fall at this hurdle due to having no one to take them, show them what to do or even having a club to swing.

More needs to be done at this level to grow this game. Clubs shutting up and down the country and we have a conveyor belt of potential new players not being given the chance to find out about this great game!

Interested to hear if things are different elsewhere. I believe the scots are at least moving in the right direction with this.
 
We have a really active junior section + junior lessons from one of the assistant pro's, we often see loads of little rug rats with clubs & bags bigger than they are, its good to see.
 
The English Schools Golf Association used to have county, regional and international matches.
I once drove the Wiltshire team down to St Austell in a Mercedes mini bus that was restricted to 50mph, that was fun!
Scotland don't seem to do much as far as I can see at match level but have a very successful Cubgolf structure.
Wales were quite active.
 
Last edited:
My high school didn't do a great deal. There was a local county schools comp once a year and we managed to put a team in and win, largely thanks to a low single digits handicapper a couple of years above me who sorted out all the entries and played fantastically on the day.

My 6th form / college were a bit more pro-active in that they organised for us to be entered into the county knockout comp. My team did OK and got quite far (and managed to play at Formby) but some of the others were knocked out early and that was golf over for the year.

IMHO no where near enough facilities in school, but in fairness, it's a hard sport to organise for 30+ kids at once. If you took them all to the driving range, that would be expensive and most schools don't have the facilities / money to get enough gear for a class.

At GCSE, you pick your strongest four sports I believe which go towards your final grade - you're not going to pick up a new sport if you don't already play it, as you won't score very well. Pre-GCSE, the classes are much bigger and don't really count towards anything grades-wise and so it's much easier for the teacher to organise a 15 a side football, rugby, hockey or rounders match and let the kids have a run around.

I think if you were to introduce golf into the curriculum, you'd get a lot of Daily Mail readers complaining that the kids aren't getting a proper exercise at school.




Then again, all of the above could be entirely different at a posh school - I would have no idea!
 
Last edited:
Quite a bit at 'Public' Schools, some of whom have their own courses (Wellington College's is a gem!). mNot a lot at others unless there's a course really close.

My (ex) step-son was in a scheme at School with a local Club which was also a feeder to (their) County. Became complicated as School and Club were in different County from his/our home.
 
In the last 2 years at my school you could play golf in the summer instead of cricket. There was an arrangement with Burley Park Golf Club. Problem is that the numbers were very limited and aimed very much at existing experienced golfers rather than as an opportunity to learn the game.
 
Way back in the 1970s we had a golf section. We used to go out to Turnhouse GC on the west side of town to get coaching and use their large practice area. There were singles and pairs knock out comps every year and there probably was a golf team but I was never going to bother them at that level ;)

Think there is still some golf within certain schools in Edinburgh, but not many.
 
In the Summer term our Pro is involved in coaching for local schools every Monday, they get bused out to our course and spend an hour on the practice ground and as one lot come off the next group is ready to go on. Looks to be about 20 in each group and I'm guessing 5 groups a day.
 
If anyone had mentioned Golf at my old school they'd more than likely have had to have their entire bag contents removed from their colon... We had either Rugby (league) or football if you weren't man enough to play Rugby... We did have a running club at middle school that myself and David Lynn (clang) ran for.. But that was used mainly as a fitness class for Rugby League...:D
 
We entered a team in the Aer Lingus sponsored national schools comp and the regional event was played at Royal Wimbledon. We only had a few pupils that played regularly so I was asked to organise a trial at my home club. Some looked like they had never seen a course. There were a couple of decent players. We came nowhere. I had a pleasing 79 off 7
 
In the summer we had an option to play it, it was mostly just chipping into an umbrella but a couple of rounds a the local pay n play at the racecourse were fun.

I frequently won the chipping comps even though I only had a mild interest in the game.

Would be a good 10 years before the bug bit me and I finally started to play the game properly.
 
bluewolf said:
If anyone had mentioned Golf at my old school they'd more than likely have had to have their entire bag contents removed from their colon... We had either Rugby (league) or football if you weren't man enough to play Rugby... We did have a running club at middle school that myself and David Lynn (clang) ran for.. But that was used mainly as a fitness class for Rugby League...:D
Click to expand...

Was exactly the same for me when I was at Standish High. Playing Rugby at dinner time on the (tarmac'd) tennis courts.
 
Duckster said:
Was exactly the same for me when I was at Standish High. Playing Rugby at dinner time on the (tarmac'd) tennis courts.
Click to expand...

Gidlow Middle and Deanery for me. I remember once deciding that just for one PE session, I was gonna play football. The Rugby coach marched over and dragged me back on to the muddy playing fields (that are now the DW stadium) and made me do an hour of holding the tackle bag for the forwards....Brutal..:D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

dazlight
Golf shoes / Bad Toes
Replies
14
Views
636
need_my_wedge
need_my_wedge
G
Is technical instruction a hinderence?
4 5 6
Replies
107
Views
3K
SwingsitlikeHogan
SwingsitlikeHogan
S
The mental health benefits of golf
2
Replies
38
Views
1K
Tashyboy
Tashyboy
Golfnut1957
Golf on Christmas day
2 3
Replies
50
Views
2K
Tashyboy
Tashyboy
Crow
Golf Opens in the North West of England
Replies
4
Views
147
Crow
Crow
Top