KirkwoodGolf: Land of Burns Community Youth Golf Festival

Monday, March 30, 2009

Land of Burns Community Youth Golf Festival

Monday 25th May 2009

Land of Burns Community Youth Golf Festival

Ballochmyle Golf Club, Mauchline, East Ayrshire


Ballochmyle Golf Club with support from East Ayrshire Council, clubgolf, and East Ayrshire’s Active Schools Department, will host and welcome all young people in the region to use this fantastic opportunity to discover if they have the drive to play golf during a special festival at Ballochmyle Golf Club, Mauchline, East Ayrshire on Monday 25th May 2009.

Ballochmyle Golf Club is clubbing together with East Ayrshire’s Leisure Development services, and Active Schools Partnership to support The Inaugural Land of Burns Youth Golf Festival and encourage children to take up the game.

The all day festival is free of charge to visitors and activities on the agenda include: PGA professional tuition, competitions, pitch and putt as well as advice about equipment and where to play.

The festival is part of an Initiative to encourage Youth Golf, Healthy Living, and East Ayrshire Region golf club’s junior development programme.

It is exactly the type of initiative supported by the national junior golf strategy, clubgolf, and a partnership between the Scottish Golf Union, the Scottish Ladies' Golfing Association, the Professional Golfers' Association, the Golf Foundation and sportscotland.

Developed as a direct result of the Scottish Government’s commitment to introduce every nine-year-old child in Scotland to golf, clubgolf created the opportunity for 33,600 children to experience golf in 2008

Speaking about the event Ian Cardle, of The Land of Burns community youth golf festival organiser said: “We’re really looking forward to the golf festival, which will be the culmination of months of planning.

“The region’s clubs have organised golf days in the past but never anything on this scale before. We’re hoping to get around 300 young people through Active Schools and the regions clubs to come along and learn about the sport and have fun while they learn.

“Golf is sometimes thought of as a sport for the older generation but the successes of famous young players such as Tiger Woods, Justin Rose and Michelle Wie show that is not the case. Hopefully, The Land of Burns Community Youth Golf Festival will spark the interest of the region’s very own scratch players of the future. At the very least, it will demonstrate that golf is a great sport that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.”

Active Schools Manager, Cheryl Brady, said: “East Ayrshire Active Schools Team are delighted to support this golfing event in partnership with Ballochmyle Golf Club. The event is an excellent opportunity to introduce children and young people to the sport of golf.”

Councillor Jim Roberts, spokesperson for Lifelong Learning, said: “I am very pleased to have been involved with this festival from the outset. The Council has also been eager to lend support to such a worthwhile community project and I am sure that the day will be a great success with everyone working together to encourage our young people to try their hand at a new sport."

Representatives from all of the region’s golf clubs have been invited to attend; and golf practice areas have been set up to accommodate them, as well as golf, the children will learn about healthy living, through the East Ayrshire Councils Neighbourhood Healthy Living Partnership and other exhibitors during the event.

Secretary of Ballochmyle Golf Club, Jim Davidson, said: “We are delighted to be involved in this event. The young people participating in this will hopefully go on and become junior members of the local golf clubs.”

There has also been a further event added to the festival with the Land of Burns Youth Trophy match, which will be staged on the day at Ballochmyle Golf Club for keen young golfers with a club handicap invited to play in the trophy game and those with less experience can watch them tackle the course, adding this dimension to the festival allows for the beginners to really get a taste of what they can look forward to in their future golf experience.

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