Dubbo Golf Club, situated in the Central West of New South Wales, is leading the way in growing junior golf in regional areas with a solid Pump Golf program running year round. PGA Head Professional Craig Mears oversees the program, with the enthusiasm of his third year Trainee John Swan helping to drive the program to new levels. John recently took some time out to share his thoughts on their program.
How many juniors are there in your junior program?
Two and a half years ago, there were 12 when we first started the program now there are around 45 juniors per clinic. There are 70 regular juniors at clinics and in the cadet program.
Tell us more about your Pump Golf program?
We start with clinics in the first two holidays which are a three day camp for 1 ½ hours per day and are based around basic skills, fun games and activities to get junior golfers interested.
Once they have done the holiday clinic they then move on to the term clinics. Each term is comprised of eight week clinics run every Sunday for an hour. These clinics are more in depth, teaching more skills including course etiquette and rules, posture, stance, chipping, putting iron play etc.
Once they pass the clinics they then have the opportunity to move into cadet golf which is a 9-Hole competition.
We run a Family Day at the end of the eight week term clinic with a BBQ and parents come along. We have a bit of fun with them an run a parents versus junior golfers skills challenge, its great to get the parents involved- even those who are not golfers.
What are the highlights of Pump Golf for you and your juniors?
Pump Golf is fantastic as it has provided us with a structure to develop their skills. We use the Junior Passports to work through the skills, and then assess at the end of each session. It is good to keep track of where they are at in terms of moving into cadet golf.
The ‘extras’ associated with Pump Golf are great as it gives the juniors something to focus on during the week and keep them interested. We encourage them to visit the website and enter the prize draws, which of course they love.
Being part of a national competition is also key as it provides a goal – they all want to win the trip to the Pump Golf Junior Festival through the Shootouts. They all talk about possibly winning their way to Queensland and meeting one of the stars, so it creates ongoing interest.
Do you run a Pump Golf 9-Hole Shootout and do your juniors enjoy playing in the event?
We will be running one this year and may look at doing some in the surrounding clubs, as Dubbo has quite a few smaller clubs in the area who all have a few juniors.
All the juniors are talking about the chance of winning a prize or better still winning a spot at the Festival, so it is creating a real buzz.
To find out more information about Pump Golf visit www.pumpgolf.com, or call the PGA Events Division on (03) 8320 1999.
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