“Our Junior section was on its knees… now we have over 70 members”

A north Glasgow golf club has brought the feelgood factor back by shaking up its junior section during lockdown. 

Clober Golf Club, in Milngavie, had just 15 kids in the mix before COVID hit but now has over 70 thanks to a concerted effort to make the club more ‘kid friendly’. 

The club has links with former Masters champ Sandy Lyle, its honorary president, and was bought from the Lyle family in 1997. 

“We looked at a couple of different things that were going wrong and the first was the cost and the second was that there were too many other options out there for kids,” Gary McFarlane, the club’s head pro and secretary, explained to bunkered.co.uk.

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“We decided to bring the price down to £20 to join for the year as a junior member. The other thing we needed to change was the old stipulations on age, dress code and tee times. We tried to get rid of that stuffiness to create a more friendly environment.”

To further welcome the kids, a practice facility was been created featuring nets, a bunker and short game area. As well as this, a new miniature six-hole course was created solely for junior sessions, with each hole no longer than 70 yards. 

“It’s all about creating a pathway from our practice area, right through to getting out on the actual golf course. We have had a great response from both the children and the parents.

“We have actually had to create a waiting list for our junior section at the minute as we won’t be able to provide the same level of quality if we are inundated. We had about 40 kids turn up to our first session, which was brilliant.”

McFarlane added: “I would say to clubs who want more juniors in the door that it comes down to costs. Don’t overcharge for your junior membership, get the numbers in and get someone who’s enthusiastic behind it like your professional or junior convenor. I think that’s important as well is that clubs need to give up more time for juniors. You have to let the kids get out there and play.” 

The club’s junior convenor, Grant Rutherford, who has been a member for over 40 years, has been delighted with the uptake and says the club is trending in the right direction during a tough time.