EGU/ELGA Junior GolfMark
22 September 2004

POSITIVE RESULTS FOR JUNIOR GOLFMARK

It has been twelve months since the launch of the EGU/ELGA Junior GolfMark Award and the national accreditation scheme has received a phenomenal response from affiliated golf clubs nationwide.

The GolfMark initiative, which identifies junior friendly facilities based on ‘coaching and playing’, ‘club environment’ and ‘child protection/duty of care’ has now received almost 400 applications in its first year. To date 120 assessments have been conducted, with the majority having already reached the national standard.

Following these assessments, a number of positive trends relating to the development of junior golf have been identified, which also support more detailed findings from this years’ Golf Club Membership Questionnaire (due to be published at the end of September).

A high percentage of assessed golf clubs offer equal access for juniors to enter competitions, with 93% offering at least 10 junior competitions per year. In terms of coaching, nearly every golf club covers all aspects of coaching (including short and long game, putting, bunker play, rules & etiquette and course management) and 81% provide cut down clubs for juniors to use. In 73% of golf clubs the majority of junior members are classed as active and 92% of golf clubs have junior friendly amenities, with very few restrictions.

Other encouraging figures show that 73% of golf clubs have links with schools, 61% have their own junior handbook, 94% have a relaxed dress code and 82% have social events for juniors and their families. Interestingly, GolfMark has also had a significant impact in educating golf clubs on child protection policy and procedures and a high number now have a working understanding of this.

Richard Flint, EGU Golf Development Manager comments: “These are encouraging results that show the positive impact of the GolfMark Award and the significance golf clubs are putting on junior development”.

The application procedure is simple and the EGU and ELGA encourage affiliated golf clubs to do so. A regional development officer conducts the assessment and provides ongoing support to golf clubs and dedicated individuals such as organisers, parents, professionals, captains, secretaries and managers.

For more information on Junior GolfMark go to www.ecomallbiz.com/iwm17/golfmark and/or www.golfgirls.org

The Junior GolfMark Award is an integral part of the England Junior Golf Partnership (EJGP) and will continue to play a vital role in the EGU’s and ELGA’s club development work.

For further information please contact:

Richard Flint
EGU Golf Development Manager
Tel: 01526 354500
E-mail: development@englishgolfunion.org

January 2004 original story

In an attempt to identify and acknowledge junior friendly golf facilities in England, the Junior GolfMark launched in September 2003 by the English Golf Union and English Ladies’ Golf Association has already received 300 applications. Junior GolfMark evaluates golf clubs on the following three areas within their junior section:

Coaching & Playing / Club Environment / Child Protection & Duty of Care

The EGU and ELGA Development Officers are currently conducting assessment meetings, offering advice and guidance to golf clubs on how to further enhance their junior sections and develop best practices. To date 42 golf clubs have met the required standard and have received a certificate to display within their facility along with promotion via EGU/ELGA websites and through press releases, informing local communities of their hard work and dedication to junior golf.

Bryan Moore, Junior Organiser at St Neots Golf Club comments: “We are now the proud recipients of a GolfMark certificate, helping the club members understand the work that the junior organisers are trying to perform. The assessment criteria and follow up from the EGU and ELGA has been most valuable both with our plans for the present and also the future development of junior golf”. The Junior GolfMark Award is one of many initiatives that aim to help the development of junior golf in England and forms part of the England Junior Golf Partnership.

For further information on Junior GolfMark please click here, or call Kirstie Jennings, ELGA Golf Development Manager, T: 01295 254190, E: kjennings.elga@btinternet.com.

Golf Mark