Weipa, in Far North Queensland is known for its quality bauxite (a sedimentary rock which contains aluminium) but what about golf?
Weipa boasts Carpentaria Golf Club, a nine-hole course that mixes 18 different tees to make the course challenging and unique to play every time.
Welcoming enthusiastic students of the tropical North Queensland town, Golf Queensland staff members Scott Simons and Adrian Hewat treated the local community to three days of golf.
Students were introduced to MyGolf, Australia’s National Junior Golf Program and were taught the skills of golf in a fun and interactive way. Thursday’s MyGolf sessions were delivered to over 150 students at the Western Cape College in Weipa. As golf is not often delivered by the school, it was a great opportunity to give students a taste of the game and grow the sport in the region. Their eyes were opened to another healthy after-school activity that most had not considered.
Although at times a very technical sport, the students embraced the challenge and fun activities presented to them, evident from the laughter and cheers that could be heard across the school oval.
A smaller group greeted Adrian and Scott in Friday’s session, with nine keen female golfers taking to a variety of golf sessions which included chipping, putting and hitting. The sessions were followed by a lunch and an afternoon game, where they got to put their learned skills to the test, while still having the benefit of supervision from the pros.
On Saturday’s final session, fifteen juniors from the Carpentaria Golf Club participated in an introductory MyGolf program. Participants engaged in a variety of games to learn more about chipping, pitching and hitting the golf ball. To finish off the MyGolf session, the juniors participated in a teams-based game , followed by lunch at the clubhouse.
Golf is a great activity for social inclusion, connectedness and building community resilience. Continuing to provide opportunities for adults and children with access to quality coaches and safe practice facilities will only provide the community with greater access to golf and a healthier lifestyle.
Golf is a game that teaches many important life lessons and all who engage will benefit from this, especially those new to the game.
Please visit Golf Queensland’s Ladies, Let’s Golf program website to find out more about hosting events.
Interested in having a MyGolf session run in your town? The MyGolf website houses a multitude of helpful tips on how to get started.