Junior Golf

With the school holidays upon us, it is time for children to get out and about, and sample the delights of sun and fresh air, away from their computer games. Parents ! Why not steer them to the nearest golf club, where a whole new sporting adventure awaits?

Many Wiltshire Golf Clubs are now GolfMark accredited - meaning they are Junior friendly and have rigorous child protection policies in place. Most offer a mixture of free, subsidised and group coaching conducted by experienced PGA Professionals - and a Junior Organiser arranges regular events through the holidays.

Many boys & girls now receive basic golf coaching at school. The Summer Holiday period is the perfect time to put that work into practice - and in an environment in which they will make quality lifetime friends while getting much needed fresh air and exercise.

For the more competitive, most clubs also arrange their Junior Open during this holiday - when many boys & girls from around the county converge on a single club for a golfing bonanza. The following selection may be useful:

Thur 28 Jul - Marlborough

Wed 3 Aug - Broome Manor

Mon 8 Aug - West Wilts

Wed 17 Aug - Chippenham

Thur 18 Aug - Manor House

Fri 19 Aug - Kingsdown

Sat 20 Aug - The Wiltshire

Thur 25 Aug - Bowood

Thur 27 Oct - North Wilts.

The price for most of these is £5 - 10, including food. The EGU Golf Central website will guide you to much more information on these, as well as Entry Forms. Also, if you are away on holiday in England, the EGU Golf Central website will help you discover what is going on near your holiday destination.

With luck, you may find you have a budding Rory McIlroy on your hands. You will also be helping to keep Wiltshire at the top of the English golf tree. You might also like to try the game yourself - golf is a great family game offering real quality time together, and one of the few that you can enjoy as a player when age or injury rule out other sports. Further help on any of these matters is available from Wiltshire Golf Partnership's Development Officer, Joe Goulding, on 07789 813268 and 01249 248983 and at wiltscdo@live.co.uk