While some of the world s best golfers were fighting it out on-course, MYGolf was ensuring some of golf’s youngest fans were enjoying their time at the 2011 Emirates Australian Open, held from the 10th 13th November at The Lakes Golf Club in Sydney. The Chip It activity located in the PlayGolf Zone at the Open attracted fans of all ages as they attempted to chip the ball into the blow up target and win themselves a prize. This proved a greater challenge than many expected with Mums, Dads and even Grandparents jumping in to give it a go! Once a target was reached, the lucky winner earned themselves a prize ranging from a PlayGolf wristband to a Golf Australia gift bag. Situated next to the driving range, this area was incredibly popular as people tried to emulate the shots they were seeing the pros hit! Thank you to the many volunteers from the Jack Newton Junior Golf Foundation who helped man the area during the week and make it such a success. On the Friday afternoon of the Open, a crowd started to build at the driving range in preparation for the MYGolf Junior Clinic. After playing a round at Eastlakes that morning, children from Forbes, Bourke, Coonamble, Cumnock, Cowra, Warren, Mudgee and Henbury set upon The Lakes to see the stars play before waiting patiently for Geoff Ogilvy and Bubba Watson to give them some tips. Lead by Golf Australia s High Performance Director, Brad James, with some help from National Squad members Ryan McCarthy and Cameron Smith, the kids were shown the best way to approach their golf practice sessions. Warming up was the key, before hitting shots in the order you would expect to hit them on the course came next. Both Ryan and Cameron not only demonstrated how they go about their training, but shared their experiences with the kids and gave them an insight into what it s like to travel around playing golf and getting the chance to be amongst the pros at tournaments like the Emirates Australian Open. Finally, the moment they were all waiting for arrived Geoff Ogilvy and Bubba Watson stepped straight off the course and onto the range to share some knowledge with the young fans. Whilst interested to hear about how the two pros were playing that week, it was clear that all the kids were itching to see just how far Bubba could hit the ball! Bubba did not disappoint, pulling out the driver almost immediately and in front of a very captive audience, ripped shot after shot that travelled just as high as they did long. Perhaps the highlight for many though, was watching Bubba bend the ball around a TV crane overlooking the 11th fairway before getting it to land in the middle of the driving range. Not content with being overshadowed, right handed Ogilvy then stepped up and he and the left handed Bubba Watson proceeded to cross over their airborne balls, much to the delight of all in attendance. Sadly the clinic had to come to an end as both players needed to prepare for their third round the next morning, but not before some very lucky kids had the chance to grab some autographs from the pair. For more photos from the MYGolf Clinic – click here.