Promoting girls’ golf – a shared responsibility
The ability for a child to become interested in a sport is only developed by their sense of accomplishment and fun.
The fact that golf could be considered as one of the more boring sports, being able to engage a child’s interest is even more difficult. Due to the fact that hockey is a very popular sport in Newfoundland and Labrador, and that golf is a great complement sport to hockey, some kids are becoming interested in golf.
However, historically men or boys are generally more interested in golf than females — Golf Newfoundland Labrador and its member courses are trying to change that.
After receiving a grant from the Golf Canada Foundation with the purpose of promoting girls’ golf, Golf NL implemented a “She Swings...she Scores” program to promote golf to younger females in the province. Due to large number of girls who play hockey in the province, the association attended three girls hockey tournaments to help promote the game, one in Grand-fallswindsor, one in Bonavista and one in Stephenville.
A designated area of the arena was used to setup a hitting cage to place clubs in these youthful hands and provide an information package on Girls’ Golf. This program was implemented with the sole purpose to engage more females in the game of golf.
Golf professional Wayne Allen has been able to capture the interest of female golfers on the west coast of Newfoundland for several years. Allen has started a “Girls Club” at Blomidon Golf Club in Corner Brook to promote golf to young girls. With a steady attendance of a 24-plus girls, the Girls Club at Blomidon is gathering more and more girls towards the game.
The focus towards attracting girls toward the game is extremely important to the longevity and sustainability of the sport in this province and across the country.
Golf is an extremely rewarding sport to play and be a part of, with the ability to instruct life lessons, make new friends, and promote a healthy and active lifestyle encompasses every aspect that a sport should entail.
So, if you know of a young female who might be interested in golf, get them to give it a swing, you’ll be glad you did.