Durham club wins grant to attract juniors to golf
South Moor Golf Club in Durham has won the backing of a community trust to help bring new players into the game.
The club hopes the money could even help it find a star of the future.
Officials at South Moor have won a £500 grant from the Project Genesis Trust, which helps groups and funds regeneration projects in Derwentside, a district in Durham.
The club will use the cash to reach out to local schools and offer fun coaching sessions for beginners.
Coaching will be offered to children attending two primary schools, Bloemfontein and St Mary’s, near the heather and gorse-lined course.
The programme aims to give youngsters who would not normally get to play golf the chance to try out a new sport, with fun sessions aimed at helping them quickly progress.
Club chairman Guy Carr said: “Most of the students will never have been exposed to the game, and the funds will be used to expose them to something other than football.
“North Durham does not have a very good history of top golfers, we need to start early to identify and nurture talent and primary school is the ideal time to do this.”
The club is ramping up its junior programme with a new academy for youngsters and the primary schools sessions could feed into this, officials hope.
Pupils who enjoyed the coaching in school will be encouraged to come to further group sessions at the club’s practice facilities, with equipment provided for them to have a go.
John O’Connor, chair of the Project Genesis Trust, said he wanted to support the golf club to get young people into the sport.
He said: “We were impressed by the plans to engage with young people from the South Moor area.
“We think it shows great foresight to be reaching out to younger people.”
The funding comes as new research carried out by Ipsos MORI for Sport England finds that a third of children aren’t nearly as active as they need to be and enjoyment is the biggest driver of activity levels for children. Despite the majority of children (68 per cent) understanding that sport and activity is good for them, understanding has the least impact on activity levels.
Mims Davies, minister for Sport and Civil Society, said: “The message is clear – fun and enjoyment is what gets and keeps children active. We know an active child is a happier child but too many are losing the confidence and enjoyment of sporting activities as they get older.”
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