Young leaders to play part in bid to make golf 'Scotland's Game for Everyone'

They often say that golf is an older people’s game, but Scottish Golf is bidding to prove otherwise through an exciting new initiative aimed at making the sport ‘Scotland’s Game for Everyone’.

The governing body has launched a Young Leaders’ Programme (YLP), with 11 talented youngsters from across the country having been enlisted to “help address potential barriers and shape the future of the sport in Scotland”.

The group includes three 16-year-olds - Erin Huskie from Stirling, Royal Dornoch’s Jasmine Riordan and Annanhill member Rory Abercrombie - while fellow 21-year-olds Calum Stockton (Arbroath Artisan) and Jakob Dalland (Dundas Parks) are the oldest.

The other Young Leaders are Cameron Kpedekpo (Mortonhall), Cristiana Capaldi (Bearsden), Elise McQueen (Dullatur), Emma Jane Fraser (Cawder), Erin Wilson (Fairmont St Andrews) and Keir Samson (Bishopbriggs).

The new programme, which will run from now until September 2026, aims to encourage young adults aged 16 to 24 to contribute significantly to the development of golf in Scotland.

Participants will engage in various projects focusing on key themes such as leadership, raising golf's profile and career opportunities in golf. The programme includes peer-to-peer learning, development opportunities and collaborative projects with golf clubs and partners.

Scottish Golf is aiming to make golf ‘Scotland’s Game for Everyone’ and is getting youngsters on board to drive new ideas | Scottish Golf

“It is such an exciting opportunity for Scottish Golf to be working with a group of passionate young leaders,” said Alan Oliver, the Rosyth-based organisation’s Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Manager.

“I’m sure they’ll bring lots of personal insights, creative ideas and ultimately new perspectives on where and how the game of golf can be developed. We are very much looking forward to bringing all the individuals together and I am confident that we will have positive new ventures being devised across the scope of the two-year programme.”

The programme attracted a “high calibre of applications” and Scottish Golf CEO Robbie Clyde is excited to see how the younger generation can have a positive impact on the game in its birthplace, where 80 per cent of club members are adults.

“Scottish Golf’s mission is to make golf Scotland’s Game for Everyone,” added Clyde. “Many young people enjoy golf, and will be able to play it for their whole life - it is a unique sport in that respect. And we want more young people to take up golf – more girls especially - to enjoy all the benefits it can bring.

“In order that young people feel welcome in our sport, we need to listen to their experiences, take on their ideas about how we can support their ambitions, and showcase that golf can not only be a great sport to play, but it can provide a fulfilling career.

“This Young Leaders’ Programme is an incredibly exciting first step into creating pathways into golf, highlighting career opportunities but also for us as a governing body to learn about where those young people – who are the future of our sport – would like the game to go.”

According to one of the Young Leaders, an effort needs to be made to make golf more appealing to girls. “This is right up my street,” said Riordan, who was encouraged by Royal Dornoch teaching professionals Gary Dingwall and Ally McNaughton to apply for the programme.

“I have enjoyed team-building courses in the past and I am looking forward to having input to this project. Golf is still seen as a male-dominated sport, but girls are made very welcome at Royal Dornoch and nowadays the split among younger members of the junior section is pretty much 50/50.”