‘There’s no barriers’: Meet the local golf club opening the sport up to all
Golf has long had a reputation for exclusivity. The luxurious, members-only clubs that characterise the sport may be impressive to some while scaring off others.
However, one local club – Strawberry Hill Golf Club, or SHGC – is looking to change golf's image for the better.
"Unusually, for a golf club we're surrounded by houses. We're a community-oriented club," explains Alan Plumb, a former club captain and England Golf Volunteer of the Year.
Whilst almost a third of SHGC members are women – much higher than the national average of 14-percent – the club is working hard to diversify its membership base further.
One common way clubs try to recruit new members is through taster sessions. Lasting anywhere from an hour to a full day, these trials offer a way for novices to see if golf is for them.
Alan says these sessions provide a good introduction to basic golf skills.
"However, after four hours of group coaching for example, many beginners still wouldn't be ready to play on the course, so for them a full golf membership would not be a viable option."
Even Strawberry Hill's compact nine-hole course is daunting with only a few hours under your belt.
This high barrier to entry means those who enjoy taster sessions are often left in limbo between these courses and a full membership. Not only that, but the social pressures of approaching a tradition-laden sport like golf can be just as much of a barrier to rookies as driving their first ball down the fairway.
"I think people are a bit frightened to walk into a golf club," says Alan.
One way the club is trying to fill this gap is with its Adult Academy coordinated by Alan. This includes a series of ten, 30-minute individual lessons with Peter Buchan, the club's popular and approachable golf professional, designed as a pathway to get wannabe golfers to a level of on-course competency, able to play and enjoy themselves out on the course.
Monthly golf 'roll ups' allow Academy members to play on the course together under guidance of volunteer helpers and introduce them to one another as well as to the wider golf community. Also, golf rules and etiquette sessions prep players for play on the course.
However, the Adult Academy is just the start of Strawberry Hill's work, says Alan.
The club's sizeable female demographic has been fostered with a number of initiatives, spurred on by its status as a signatory of England Golf's Women in Golf Charter helping to undo the male-only image synonymous with the sport.
Beyond that, SHGC has begun working with Age UK Richmond in creating a four-week senior course both to help older people back into golf and to introduce new players discovering the sport later in life.
At the other end of the age spectrum, the club recently hosted a Richmond Schools 'Golfway' festival, with seven local primary schools competing with one another using special balls and clubs. Each school entered a team of five boys and five girls, so more than 70 juniors in total.
The club also provides group coaching for secondary schools, including those with special needs.
Outreach with their surrounding community has netted SHGC an impressive 65 junior members. The club also offers junior group coaching at weekends during term-time mainly to non-members.
What's next for the club? Alan says SHGC has been selected by England Golf to deliver 'Girls Golf Rocks', a fun initiative to encourage more girls to take up golf.
"We shall be running two one-day camps in August for girls between six and 18," he explains.
If you are interested in getting involved yourself, or seeing what else Strawberry Hill Golf Club has to offer, more information is available on the club's website here.
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