European Senior Tour players are sharing their unrivalled experience and expertise to support the Golf Foundation this summer.
Special clinics at European Senior Tour events are encouraging youngsters to try the game and learn more about golf’s benefits.
In partnership with leading golf charity the Golf Foundation, The European Tour group aims to make golf more accessible to children from all backgrounds and abilities.
The players are presenting clinics to local school and community groups at three European Senior Tour events: the ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship at De Vere Mottram Hall, the Speedy Services Wales Senior Open at Royal Porthcawl, which both took place in June, and the SSE Scottish Senior Open, at Fairmont St Andrews, in August.
The Golf Foundation was delighted to attend the first event at De Vere Mottram Hall courtesy of the European Senior Tour and the Professional Golfers’ Association, who run the event together. Here, coaching clinics were staged for a total of 24 children with appearances by four tournament professionals, John Harrison, George Ryall, Gerry Norquist and Gordon Manson, and four PGA Professionals, Robert Ellis, Jeff Mathews, Wraith Grant and Laurie Turner.
The children taking part in the first clinic were selected by their school in Liverpool after entering a national competition created by the Youth Sport Trust and the Golf Foundation. Both organisations promote positive life skills through their national initiatives and this prize was a reward to youngsters for good attendance and behaviour. The Foundation has worked successfully with the Youth Sport Trust in England to increase the golf offering in thousands of schools nationwide.
Children in the second clinic were selected by Matthew Turnock, PGA Professional at Mottram Hall. These youngsters have recently started their golf in the venue’s Junior Academy and are early users of the new Golf Foundation Junior Golf Passport, the official golf learning programme for young people which is endorsed by the PGA. The PGA is one of the Golf Foundation’s core supporters.
John Wood, Golf Foundation Regional Development Officer, led the clinics. He said: “It was great that these top professionals could take these youngsters through the basics of a good golf game while inspiring them with some wonderful shot making at the same time.
“We are hugely indebted to the European Tour for its support. This regular run of clinics at Tour events really helps our team to spread the message that golf can be for everyone. We would also like to thank the PGA for welcoming us and providing a great group of PGA Professionals to provide first-rate coaching.”
Brendon Pyle, National Development Manager of the Golf Foundation, said: “The European Senior Tour has created these opportunities for us to help youngsters and also to showcase our national HSBC Golf Roots programme to a wider audience. HSBC Golf Roots is the official grass roots junior programme for the England Golf Partnership and will reach hundreds of thousands of youngsters in 2013, offering them pathways to more golf options and the ‘Skills for Life’ benefits that golf can give to young people.”
