Knowle Golf Club Juniors
Introduction
We pride ourselves at Knowle on having a friendly and enthusiastic Junior Section. The age groups of our members range from 7 to 18 and have a range of abilities. We are lucky to have access to our beautiful parkland course along with short game facilities which support our young people’s progression with the game. Golf can take some time to master and here at Knowle we have a structured pathway which our Juniors follow.
Meet the team
Our Junior Committee include our PGA Teaching Professionals, Parents and Club Staff:
Junior Organiser – Rachel Jeffery (PGA Level 1 Coach)
PGA Teaching Professional – Tom Duke
PGA Level 1 Coach – Justina Prosser
Volunteers - James Rellie, Ryan Bates
League Team Manager – Graham Sneddon
1. Sunday group coaching sessions
Our Sunday coaching sessions are run by Tom Duke our teaching professional. The cost of an hour session is £5. We can provide equipment for those children trying golf for the first time, no experience is necessary and you do not need to be a member of the club to attend. Booking is essential as they are very popular.
2. Join as a Junior Associate Member
Once you have had a taste of the sport at one of our Sunday sessions you can apply to sign up as a Junior Associate Member. Junior Associate Members (JAMS) have access to our practice facilities – putting green, short game area and practice field and can attend our Monday Club Nights and JAM Competitions.
3. Monday Club Nights
Our Club Nights run from March until September from 5.30pm until 7pm and are a great way to make friends and have fun while learning and practising new skills within the game. JAM Members are split into groups with Tom, Rachel, Justina and Jason and will either have a coaching session or play the 5 hole course at the practice ground. At the end of the night we get together for prizes and sweets and an overview of the session.
For full junior members there is 9 hole play of the main course and entry into the Monday Night fun league with prizes at the end of the season.
4. Golf Passport
Our coaching programme is the golf foundation passport. The scheme is the official junior learning programme for England and Wales and has 3 levels:
START – it’s all about fun
LEARN – a bit more technical instruction
PLAY – apply learning to the golf course
For more information visit the website below:
www.juniorgolfpassport.org
5. Full Junior Membership
Once ready, our Juniors are offered full membership. This allows them access to the course and they are ready to start working towards obtaining a handicap.
6. Work towards obtaining a handicap
To obtain a handicap three cards of 18 holes must be entered or 6 cards of 9 holes (front & back 9) and must be under the handicap limit of 54. Once a handicap is obtained juniors can enter our 9 and 18 hole competitions.
7. Competitions
We have a large number of events that run throughout the year for our junior members. These include trophy competitions, stablefords and medals, knockouts and adult/junior competitions. Our competitions are open to all full junior members with a handicap and are very popular. Our presentation night is in November each year where all our trophies and vouchers are handed out and the juniors get to celebrate their successes and have fun with their friends.
8. Represent our Junior Team
Once you have a handicap and this is being reduced through entering competitions and general play cards you may be up for selection to our junior league team. Many competitions are singles but by being selected for the league you get to play as a team against other clubs. Our team enjoy playing at other clubs but most of all like playing as a team in matchplay events.
9. Join the Gloucestershire Golf Academy Coaching
An option which we encourage all our junior members is to apply for the Gloucestershire Golf Academy. These sessions are run throughout the year and are split into groups based on ability. To apply, all juniors attend an assessment day at the beginning of the year. Juniors work their way up through the academies and when ready have the opportunity to play for the County team.
10. Junior Open Competitions
Junior Open competitions are run at clubs throughout the county and are a great way to make friends, experience new courses, reduce your handicap and get your name recognised by the county organisers. Knowle runs its own Junior Open in the May half-term. for Boys & Girls.
11. Represent your County
Once your handicap reduces, you are a member of the academy, you have experience playing for your club team, open competitions and county competitions you will have the chance to be selected by your county organiser/team manager to play for your county. This is a great honour and a very rewarding experience.
Ethan Jay is currently playing for the Gloucestershire Boys Under 16's Team, Thomas Sneddon for under 14's and Zane Bignell the same for Somerset. Three of our Knowle Girls play for the Gloucestershire Girls Team and were recently selected for South West Junior Inter-Counties week in Devon in 2023 where some great memories were made.
https://www.glcga.co.uk/
https://www.gloucestershiregolfunion.co.uk/
12. Represent your Country
The next step in playing for your county is playing for your country. Previous Junior Members at Knowle include Sue Shapcott and Hannah Barwood who have all gone on to play for Great Britain & Ireland in the Curtis Cup. Mark Sanders, Shelby Smart and Jo Hodge played for England. More recently, Caley McGinty who has two Curtis Cups under her belt, played in the Augusta Women’s National Amateur Championship, European Ladies Amateur Championship and the AIG Women’s Open in 2022.
Benefits
There are so many benefits to getting involved with the game of golf. It teaches discipline, encourages young people to mix with a wide range of age groups, it is a sport that you can come back to later in life, you can play competitively or socially and you get out and experience the beautiful surroundings along with getting fresh air and exercise.
Further Information
For further information visit our facebook and Instagram pages – Knowle Golf Club Juniors or contact Junior Organiser Rachel Jeffery on 07921 996716 or [email protected]
