Virginia Irwin Finalist Womensport Queensland's Coach of the Year

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Virginia Irwin from Virginia Irwin Golf, based at the Indooroopilly Golf Club in Brisbane, was recently announced as a nominee for Womensport Queensland’s Coach of The Year award.

Virginia has been a member of ALPG since 2001 and has been actively involved in her teaching business together with a role in Golf Queensland’s high performance program.

ALPG spoke with Virginia on the eve of the Womensport Queensland awards night.

ALPG: Thank you for your time today. We congratulate you on the nomination and your achievements so far.

ALPG: What would you say are your best professional career highlights?

Virginia: Until this announcement it would be coaching the Junior Queensland Girls State Team to victory 3 out of the past 4 years in a variety of circumstances. Creating good humans and being part of the Golf Queensland Coaching Panel Shaping the pathway for junior golfers in the state is something I am very proud of.

ALPG: And this announcement?

Virginia: Being a finalist for Womensport Queensland Coach of the Year therefore being recognised among some incredible coaches, Sally Pearson&aposs coach for example, someone I respect immensely and admire as a person. Coaching my clientele at Indooroopilly excites me every day, it is a passion and an expectation of myself that I deliver the very best information I can to each and every student. I am lucky to do something that I enjoy and it drives me to strive to be the best in my field.

ALPG: Before turning professional, you had a great amateur career and profile. What was your highlight as an amateur?

Virginia: My best personal moment was as an amateur when I won the Qld Championship for the second time under difficult personal circumstances. It was a challenging time for a variety of reasons and winning that particular event although not significant at a professional level showed me the person I could be.

ALPG: We know that you are heavily involved with women’s golf programs. Would you consider participation level or elite level as your main passion?

Virginia: My main passion is golf participation at every level. I am in a great position being involved with aspiring golfers with drive and enthusiasm to perform at the highest level, but seeing a new golfer experience a new concept and achieve a "first" for them is also what excites me and that is why I am in one of the most rewarding positions.

ALPG: What are your thoughts on the progress of women’s golf in Australia?

Virginia: We need to keep creating new pathways for women&aposs golf to continue to develop in all areas. We need to offer something different that will appeal to female golfers, to introduce new players and also retain current players. Finding a balance between the old and the new. Women&aposs golf needs to adjust and we must adjust the mindset of current members and educate players at entry level. Making it more about the game and less about the golf swing. Adapt or we lose. It has definitely changed and progressed but we need to start to target the market more like the AFL, cricket, targets the market. They paint an exciting picture for the future players of the game.

ALPG: It would be fair to say that the reintroduction of crèche facilities in golf clubs is making a big wave in getting more women golfers involved. How has the introduction of a crèche in Indooroopilly Golf Club changed golf at the club?

Virginia: The crèche was introduced as a feature for the Poinciana bar for Sunday breakfast to encourage local families to come and eat with the option to place their kids either into a golf clinic or the crèche. The product took off and the golf club saw it grow and develop. The flow on effect was throughout all departments in the club from Poinciana Bar, Golf Shop and Coaching. It was a fantastic initiative from the club that has been well received from the membership and the general public.

You can follow Virginia on Twitter @VIrwinGolf and Facebook on www.facebook.com/virginiairwingolf. Her website contains a blog and articles about her teaching philosophies on www.virginiairwingolf.com.au

Queensland WomenSport of the Year award