Scottish government's golf initiative would be welcomed here in Canada..

Now I haven't read every paragraph of every page of Golf Canada's mission statement, and I am sure my friend Scott Simmons and his staff have forged good relationships with all levels of government here, but I am willing to bet they would welcome the initiative recently announced by the Scottish government in lieu of Gleneagles being awarded the 2014 Ryder Cup

They are committed to introducing every youngster in the country aged 9 to the game of golf by 2014 !!

All of us who care, and you know I have been on this hobbyhorse for years both on the air in this space, to get youngsters whose families can't afford it into this game we need either the private sector or the government to donate parcels of land across this country to be turned into simple 9 hole courses,with no agenda to make a profit.

A simple budget to cover staffing ( which must include 2 CPGA pros for proper instruction ), maintenance and rental equipment will be required,and the courses will be designed for youngsters, not adults,to play.

The courses will be feature simple, straight forward, fairways, void of bunkers or water, to large open greens.

The cost to play will be negligible, enough to help cover administering play, say $5.00 which will include the rental of a half set of clubs.

Youngsters will be required to attend a class  which will cover the basic rules of play and etiquette before being allowed to play, and details of all of this will be provided in conjunction with Golf Canada, the local government and the local school boards..

Sound like I'm dreaming... I have been for years, but there is a ton of land in this huge country of ours that is tied up by very wealthy Canadians and by the Federal and Provincial governments and I can't really imagine there would be a public outcry for this initiative !!

This program is not for kids who's parent/parents who can afford to buy them a junior membership at a private club.. This is for the masses, the kids who would love to get a chance and who would benefit from all the values that golf teaches us..

Tip of my cap to the Scottish government. I hope I'm still alive when I hear the same thing here !!

Here are excerpts from the announcement.

More than 1,200 local school children and World Cup-winning rugby coach Andy Robinson will be at The Gleneagles Hotel next week for the 2010 Junior Ryder Cup.


The biennial event will not only showcase the cream of young golfing talent in Europe and the United States, but is a chance to celebrate the progress being made at grass roots level in Scotland as a result of the country winning the bid to host The 2014 Ryder Cup.

When it was announced that The Gleneagles Hotel would be the next home venue for golf’s greatest team competition, the Scottish Government committed to introduce every nine year old in Scotland to golf by 2014, and Clubgolf was subsequently set up to create initiatives to support development in young golfers. It will ensure The 2014 Ryder Cup leaves a lasting legacy for many years

Clubgolf have organised a festival showcasing their fun introduction to golf at the Junior Ryder Cup, with 600 children taking part each day on Monday 27 and Tuesday28 September on The Gleneagles Hotel’s Wee Course. It will be the first time the Junior Ryder Cup has welcomed such large crowds.

Through the hard work in recent years, there are now more than 10,000 Scottish children in Clubgolf coaching programmes in more than 300 clubs and facilities.


The aim is to provide opportunities and create pathways from entry to elite level and, with its partners the Scottish Golf Union, the Scottish Ladies’ Golfing Association, the Professional Golfers’ Association, sportscotland and the Golf Foundation, Clubgolf is making golf more accessible to thousands of children.


Perth and Kinross Council’s Lifelong Learning Convener, Councillor Liz Grant, said: “This is a really exciting opportunity for lots of children from around Perth and Kinross to see top junior players in action at Gleneagles. Our youngsters will also have the chance to try out clubgolf, a fun way to start playing the sport.


“I am also delighted that the Ryder Cup European Development Trust has made an extremely kind donation of £5000 worth of clubgolf equipment which will help us continue delivering sessions for pupils across the area.”

Bryan Angus  bryanangus4@gmail.com