POSITIVE RESULTS FOR JUNIOR GOLFMARK
It has been twelve months since the launch of the EGU/ELGA
Junior GolfMark Award and the national accreditation scheme
has received a phenomenal response from affiliated golf clubs
nationwide.
The GolfMark initiative, which identifies junior friendly
facilities based on ‘coaching and playing’, ‘club
environment’ and ‘child protection/duty of care’
has now received almost 400 applications in its first year.
To date 120 assessments have been conducted, with the majority
having already reached the national standard.
Following these assessments, a number of positive trends
relating to the development of junior golf have been identified,
which also support more detailed findings from this years’
Golf Club Membership Questionnaire (due to be published at
the end of September).
A high percentage of assessed golf clubs offer equal access
for juniors to enter competitions, with 93% offering at least
10 junior competitions per year. In terms of coaching, nearly
every golf club covers all aspects of coaching (including
short and long game, putting, bunker play, rules & etiquette
and course management) and 81% provide cut down clubs for
juniors to use. In 73% of golf clubs the majority of junior
members are classed as active and 92% of golf clubs have junior
friendly amenities, with very few restrictions.
Other encouraging figures show that 73% of golf clubs have
links with schools, 61% have their own junior handbook, 94%
have a relaxed dress code and 82% have social events for juniors
and their families. Interestingly, GolfMark has also had a
significant impact in educating golf clubs on child protection
policy and procedures and a high number now have a working
understanding of this.
Richard Flint, EGU Golf Development Manager comments: “These
are encouraging results that show the positive impact of the
GolfMark Award and the significance golf clubs are putting
on junior development”.
The application procedure is simple and the EGU and ELGA
encourage affiliated golf clubs to do so. A regional development
officer conducts the assessment and provides ongoing support
to golf clubs and dedicated individuals such as organisers,
parents, professionals, captains, secretaries and managers.
For more information on Junior GolfMark go to www.ecomallbiz.com/iwm17/golfmark
and/or www.golfgirls.org
The Junior GolfMark Award is an integral part of the England
Junior Golf Partnership (EJGP) and will continue to play a
vital role in the EGU’s and ELGA’s club development
work.
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