Adelaide Shores Golf Academy and Westward Ho Golf Club in South Australia have teamed up to deliver the MYGolf program. Registered since January 2012 they have already had an enormous impact on junior golf in the area with 35 participants registering in less than a month!! The following questions have been answered by Westward Ho Board member and member of the Junior Foundation Steering Committee, Brian Oats. Why do you run a junior program? Our starting point was the Westward Ho Golf Club Inc. Junior Golf Foundation Charter which was approved by the Board of Management in May 2011. It appointed a Junior Golf Management Group comprising Board member, Brian Oats, the Club Secretary, Kevin Dearing, Club Captain, Martin Luvera and PGA Professional at Adelaide Shores Golf Academy, Nathan Kent, who were to facilitate the implementation of a Junior Golf Development Program. The focus for the Charter was to provide every opportunity for young people to access the skills, etiquette, rules and safety needed to play as members in the Club and to enjoy the whole process whilst learning with their peers. The aim of the Charter was to provide an influx of junior golfers into the Westward Ho Golf Club so that the Club can grow and retain a widespread membership from all ages . The facilities were ideal with the Driving Range, the Adelaide Shores Golf Academy with 3 PGA Professionals, and two courses, one of which is very suitable for young people starting. Once the Junior Golf Co-ordinator, Bob Reade was appointed as a volunteer from the Golf Club, he and Nathan Kent chose the MYGolf program as the best way to implement the Charter. The MYGolf coaching program is subsidised by the Westward Ho Golf Club which received part proceeds from the SA PGA Seniors Championship promoted by Adelaide Shores PGA Professional, Peter Ormsby. Westward Ho & Adelaide Shores have also has put in place a Special Membership Offer to MYGolf participants when they reach a suitable level of achievement. Who runs the program? On a day to day operational basis, Bob Reade makes it happen. The response from members, advertising locally and word of mouth was amazing. Three groups started, each consisting of approximately 10 students. The welcome happened in the Club rooms after the first session and helped the students, their parents and the staff to get to know each other. The Club turned on pies, pasties & drinks etc. for the juniors, which provided the scene for the kids and their parents to mingle from day one. How have you found the MYGolf program and the benefits? A survey, conducted after the first 5 sessions has shown that everyone thinks the program has more than met their expectations. The BEST aid has been the Skills Challenge chart which measures skills achievement. All students know what they have achieved and what goals are ahead. Their Pro coach, Nathan, knows all of their names, the parents talk to him and to each other and the Club volunteers, some 8 in all at the present. They are organising to take the students out on the course for 3 or 6 holes during the First term school holidays. This plan has met with great enthusiasm from all, as have the Junior Golf caps and ball markers generously provided by Allan Telford at Golf SA. Any tips and ideas you can give to run the program successfully? A tip or two Get the Golf Australia MYGolf Registration completed before starting MYGolf classes, and then the Kit is ready for use when the program starts. Seek out volunteers as soon as possible, because if you get a large enrolment like we did (30 plus and still receiving enquiries), they are ready. Thirdly, make use of email as much as possible for communication with volunteers, class group parents, the Pros, your key contacts and your Board. The Westward Ho Golf Club, through the framework of MYGolf and with the support of the Adelaide Shores Golf Academy and the financial donations raised from the SA PGA Seniors Championship, has never before experienced such enthusiasm for a Junior Golf Program. The excitement builds ..