Starting Up
Curra West Golf Club is situated in South East Co. Galway, is privately owned by the McCormack family and has a membership of about 200. So on the scale of things its considered a relatively small club but as you will see they have boxed well above their weight and have achieved a lot at junior level.
They have set up a good junior section which could be replicated in every club, big or small. In 2005 Curra West took on board the Junior Golf Ireland (Manual 1) coaching programme under the tuition of Sean Whelan, PGA Professional. They gathered 12 juniors to participate in this 6 week programme. As they hadn't got a big membership the programme was advertised on the club noticeboard and by word of mouth amongst members.
There was no problem getting the initial 12 juniors and since then the club holds regular 'Manual 1' coaching programmes for beginner golfers, both boys and girls U12 years of age. Some of the initial juniors have advanced to the JGI 'Manual 2' coaching programme and are now playing regularly in the weekly men's and women's competitions. From a club point of view it has brought in new sponsorship for the junior section and has renewed interest in golf for some lapsed members whose children are now playing golf.
Connecting with the community
In 2009 Curra West ran 2 JGI/PING Summer Camps in conjunction with PGA Professional, John Coyle. This created an interest in golf for a new batch of juniors, many of whom would have previously had no connection to golf. They are now embarking on a 'JGI Manual 1' coaching programme.
The club itself is very junior friendly and has a junior committee which is made up mainly of parents who have a good interest in development under the stewardship of the Junior Convenor. They run regular juniors competitions (3, 6, 9 & 18 holes), depending on the age and ability of the junior golfers. The holes are also shortened by moving the markers up the fairway and changing the pars on various holes in order to help the juniors get a 'par' on at least 1 or 2 holes!
A great success
From its starting position in 2005 of little or no juniors Curra West now has 5 juniors on GUI/ILGU provincial panels. The club has won 2 Kenny Cups and 1 Junior Foursomes over the last 4 years. In addition they had their first inter-provincial representative, Roisin O'Byrne, at U15 level in the ILGU Western District.
However this success has been a supplementary achievement rather than its main aim. More importantly they have created a fun environment for young people to learn and enjoy golf who will undoubtedly form the backbone of this club in the coming years!
Congratulations to all those involved in Curra West - we wish them all the best with their golfing endeavours in 2010!
