The Royal Melbourne Golf Club, host of the 2015 ISPS Handa Women’s Australia Open, adopted the MyGolf program in order to bring more structure to its junior development program.
Running the MyGolf program for the first time in Term 1, 2015, Royal Melbourne has well and truly set the bar high with a staggering 93 participant registrations.
MyGolf co-ordinator Daniel Whyley expected the club would have a solid response to its program as Term 1 is renowned as the strongest term participation-wise.
However, even he was quite surprised with the total number of registrations.
“There must be some good ‘word of mouth’ marketing happening in the community,” Whyley joked.
Royal Melbourne will look to run a two-day MyGolf program during the Easter holiday break and will also run a program in Term 2.
Whyley is confident that Royal Melbourne will experience strong numbers again in Term 2, as the club has many juniors on its Term 1 waiting list who are very keen to get into the club’s MyGolf program.
“It will be interesting to see the retention rate from such a solid start in Term 1, but we anticipate it will be strong because of the overwhelming interest and support we have received during our first term,” Whyley said.
Whyley strongly feels the MyGolf program provides a clear plan and structure that is easy to follow for both the deliverer and the participant.
“It has been noticed that the participants display a lot more enthusiasm, especially throughout the additional games,” he said.
“They also maintain attention for longer whilst they develop a variance of golfing skills throughout their sessions.”
Royal Melbourne Golf Club hosted the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open recently and, as part of the tournament, current MyGolf members were able to participate in an exclusive MyGolf clinic with LPGA Tour player Chella Choi and Ladies Masters Champion and Golf Australia Rookie Squad member Su Oh in recognition of the centre’s performance.
When asked how other clubs, large or small, can run a successful MyGolf program, Whyley had the following tips:
1. Make sure your club committee is supportive of junior golf development.
2. Put the hard work required into the preparation of the program to ensure it is well delivered.
3. Get your logistics right i.e. facilities, coaches, timing, resources.
4. Always maintain communication with parents, staff and club members.
5. Most importantly, keep the sessions fun, lively and interesting for the kids.
Congratulations on a fantastic result Royal Melbourne Golf Club, keep up the good work!
To find out how to become a MyGolf centre of the month, simply log into the MyGolf website and you will find an information sheet under co-ordinator resources.