Girls Golf Rocks has been hailed as a huge success after inspiring over 500 girls in nine counties to enjoy a taste of the game.
“There’s been a tremendous response,” said Lauren Spray, England Golf’s Women and Girls’ Participation Manager. “Over 430 of the girls who attended taster sessions have gone on to take structured coaching courses. We’ve also involved more than 100 girls from county squads who have acted as ambassadors to inspire the next generation of girl golfers.”
The Girls Golf Rocks project is run jointly by England Golf and the Golf Foundation, working with the county associations and sports partnerships in Cheshire, Buckinghamshire, Dorset, Durham, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Norfolk and Nottinghamshire.
Currently, figures show that only 1% of golf club members are girls, with an average of just two per club. Girls Golf Rocks aims to change that by attracting beginners to have fun, learn a new sport, get active and play alongside friends, with the encouragement of the young ambassadors.
Each county offered free taster sessions at local clubs, followed by structured coaching programmes provided by PGA professionals and the finale of a fun par three competition for new young golfers and their ambassador mentors.
It started as a pilot in Essex last year and was so successful that it was rolled out to the other eight counties this spring. The Essex project gained national recognition this year when it received the Golf Foundation’s Laddie Lucas award for creating opportunities for girls, with strong links to clubs.
The results from Girls Golf Rocks coincide with the Women and Family Golf Months, run by England Golf in June and July to highlight Get into golf opportunities across the country.
The Get into golf campaign inspires people to take up golf and play more often. It is supported by Sky Sports and aims to bring 500,000 new or lapsed golfers into the sport in the UK by 2018.Visit t www.getintogolf.org to find an activity near you.
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