Golf: Students chip in for youngsters

STUDENTS at an Edinburgh college have joined the drive to introduce every Edinburgh P5 child to golf this spring through the national programme, clubgolf.

In 2009, 3,067 children in 82 of Edinburgh's primary schools played golf through clubgolf's introductory game, firstclubgolf. This year's target is for 3,509 P5 children at all of Edinburgh's 94 primary schools to take part.

To support these new young golfers Active Schools and clubgolf are jointly funding the cost of new bags of firstclubgolf equipment so that every Edinburgh school now has access to equipment through their Active Schools Co-ordinator.

The challenge of introducing so many children to the game is in having sufficient staff to coach them. This month Active Schools, clubgolf, Edinburgh Leisure and Stevenson College found a solution by training the college's HND Sports Coaching students.

"We are aware that clubgolf needs coaches to go into schools to deliver the game and we know that for our students to become more employable they need to develop as diverse a range of practical skills and qualifications as possible," said Stevenson College lecturer and Scotland A rugby player, Darren Burns.

"By training our students and giving them the experience of coaching classes of children means that everyone benefits.

"This is a good model for getting volunteer coaches because students have to deliver coaching sessions and they benefit from it."

Last week the Stevenson College students were trained to become firstclubgolf coaches and met Active Schools Co-ordinator, and Olympic and Commonwealth Games athlete Shirley Webb who will be one of the Co-ordinators working with them in local schools.

"We want to make sure every P5 child gets the opportunity to play golf so it is a big help that these students are able to support us in delivering sessions," said Webb.

"I look after three primary schools in the Boroughmuir cluster and seven P5 classes and the students will help deliver some of these sessions. It will be a great experience for the students and it's fabulous that every P5 child gets the chance to play golf, something I never got the chance to do when I was at school."

Introducing more than 3,000 children to the game should be welcome news to Edinburgh golf clubs. Whilst challenges face many club memberships, clubgolf is creating a groundswell of junior interest which will reverse those trends if clubs choose to become involved.