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clubgolf latest news - US Kids Golf donation for Scottish junior golf

Posted by Big G under Junior, Scotch Corner

Over 60 Scottish golf clubs and facilities running junior development programmes through the national junior golf development programme, clubgolf, will benefit from a substantial gift of 2000 junior clubs and bags from the world’s No.1 junior golf brand, US Kids Golf.

Pictured above – clubgolf Project Manager Torquil McInroy (left), with Peter Jackson, US Kids Golf Sales Manager

This equipment, worth over £35,000, is US Kids Golf’s first donation outside the US and is believed to be the largest ever single gift of clubs for Scottish junior golf.

With golf clubs and volunteer coaches the length and breadth of Scotland gearing up to teach clubgolf to thousands of Scottish primary school children this summer, the timing of the donation could not have been better.  Each golf club will now have a comprehensive range of junior golf equipment to help children make a perfect start in the game.

“Several years ago, while travelling to Scotland on a family vacation, I became aware of the country’s desire to have its kids learn golf,” said Dan Van Horn, President and Founder, US Kids Golf.

“This was an effort that was consistent with the US Kids Golf mission of helping kids learn to play golf at an early age.  Therefore, we are very pleased to make this first donation outside the US to clubgolf and strongly support its vision.”

Emerging out of Scotland’s successful bid to host the Ryder Cup, clubgolf is a partnership between the Scottish Golf Union, the Scottish Ladies’ Golfing Association, the Professional Golfers’ Association, the Golf Foundation and sportscotland. The programme has been developed as a direct result of the Scottish Government’s commitment to introduce every nine-year-old child in Scotland to the game.

In 2007 alone, 26,000 children experienced the programme’s six-week introductory game, firstclubgolf, which uses modified equipment to give children in primary schools an enjoyable first impression of the game.

Many of them progressed to a local club for Stage 1 of the clubgolf programme, a 40-hour course taught by volunteer coaches over two years covering the fundamentals of putting, chipping, full swing, rules and etiquette, taught by the club’s fully trained volunteer coaches.  It is this, and the next two stages of the development pathway, that will benefit from the donation.

“In the past kids haven’t really had access to custom fitted golf clubs but with the US Kids Golf clubs you can give a child a great start with a club that fits them properly,” said Kurt Mungall, PGA pro at Edinburgh’s Lothianburn Golf Club, which joined clubgolf this year and started delivering Stage 1 this month.

“A lot of juniors use cut down gents clubs which are really too heavy for children.  By getting 20 properly fitted junior clubs from US Kids Golf, the children coming to us through clubgolf, who are new to golf, will have the perfect start with clubs that are the correct length and weight.”

Said clubgolf Project Manager, Torquil McInroy, “This is a sizeable consignment of clubs which will benefit the entry level coaching programmes at over 60 clubs and facilities across Scotland due.  On behalf of clubgolf and our participating golf clubs I would like to thank US Kids Golf for this generous gift.”