Junior Journey
Providing opportunities to inspire children and young people to play golf through the junior journey
Supported by
Introduction
“ With the aim of increasing the amount of young people playing golf, we recognised that by working together as two organisations, we can have a bigger impact and further reach in supporting the growth of junior golf.
Our recently-launched ‘Let’s Inspire More Golfers’ strategy for 2025-2030 includes a key focus on inspiring more young people to play the game, but we must also inspire golf clubs and those that work with juniors to encourage more youngsters to get into the sport and help them on their journey. It is crucial that we promote the inclusion of young people in the game, which aligns to our Respect in Golf movement, in making the game inclusive and accessible to everyone and anyone. By providing opportunities and a clear pathway, the aim is to inspire more young people to pick up a club and create a lifelong affiliation with the game, and go as far as they wish.”
England Golf CEO Jeremy Tomlinson
“The Golf Foundation is excited to be working with England Golf in promoting the Junior Journey. By pooling our resources and expertise, we aim to help schools, community groups, clubs and counties provide young people with an appealing and accessible offer at all stages of their golfing adventure, so that they want to engage with our sport and enjoy its many wider benefits.
As a charity, we believe in making the introduction of golf to young people FUN, inclusive, inspiring, innovative and enriching. Established programmes, such as Unleash Your Drive in schools and GolfSixes League in clubs, demonstrate all of these values and are playing their part in recruiting and retaining more young people in golf.
We look forward to all young people playing golf and enjoying their junior journey.…wherever it takes them.”
Golf Foundation CEO Brendon Pyle
State of play 2024 stats
Playing Golf
8,616 new juniors played regularly* on a course, including…
Schools & Community
225,335 children experienced golf in their own school or community group with 28,693 of these being delivered by PGA coaches
4,071 juniors taking part in the GolfSixes League programme with 27% becoming club members and 25% in each team being girls
39,125 juniors are on WHS™
26,173 juniors have a Handicap Index® 89.9% boys v 10.1% girls
Club
Introductio n
17,429 children had a club taster through an open day or school festival
42% of golf clubs have a junior academy/beginner coaching
Over 7,000 new children attended regular* coaching
Coaching & Skill
Developme nt
1,418 young people took part in
Get into Golf Rookies and Girls Golf Rocks in 2024
Love the Game & Membership
85% of golf clubs have at least 1 young person as a member of their golf club
45,986 affiliated juniors
11% girls - 4,692
Average number of juniors per club is 20
Key focus areas from the stats….
• Encouraging and increasing the number of girls in the game
• Increasing the number of juniors in membership
• Increasing the number of those transitioning from school/club tasters into membership
• Retaining more juniors into intermediate and adult memberships
Golfing Futures Research
Between April 2022 and May 2023, we conducted research to gain an insight into young people's journeys and perceptions of golf, parents’ influence on young people playing golf, and golf clubs understanding the approaches, successes and challenges faced in encouraging young people into golf.
There were 4 key focus areas and outcomes
Key focus area
Have a Junior Development Pathway that is
- Clearly communicated
- Accessible to ALL young people
What the research tells us
To have better promotion of junior golf to
- Promote the benefits
- Challenge the stereotypes
84% of juniors are more likely to ‘REALLY enjoy’ golf if their club
had a JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT PATHWAY
85% of clubs said it was important to have a sport-wide ‘development pathway’ for junior golfers to follow
What we are doing
Created the Junior Journey to:
- Highlight the steps a young person takes from being a beginner through to club membership
- Provide a clear pathway that clubs can adopt to support them in developing and growing the junior section at the golf club
24% of non-playing parents say the reason they don’t play is because ’they wouldn’t know how to go about starting’
81% of clubs said it was important to know how to promote the junior game to attract more junior golfers to our club, i.e. what message and where
Through the Junior Journey we have identified programmes and initiatives to support clubs in developing their junior offer and promotion to nongolfers and those in the school and community setting
Research
Golfing Futures Research
Key focus area
What the research tells us
Link Clubs with Schools to - increase visibility of golf in ALL schools
- extend the reach to ALL families
88% of clubs who go into schools are more likely to AGREE ‘the club is engaged and committed to junior golf’
76% of clubs that engage with schools are more likely to have a Junior Development Pathway, which also positively impacts the approach and culture at the club
What we are doing
Support golf clubs to improve the provision and set up for junior golf through:
- Volunteer support and development
- Guidance
- Resources
88% of clubs want to know how to promote the junior game and attract more junior golfers to their club
• Identified a specific stage of the Junior Journey that focuses on golf in schools
• Supporting clubs through the Unleash Your Drive (UYD) initiative
70% of clubs felt that they needed a blueprint for what makes a successful junior section and the steps to get there
The Junior Golf Guide and resources have been developed to provide information and guidance to golf clubs to support the development and growth of the junior section.
Our goals for junior golf
Collaboration between England Golf and Golf Foundation to
Introduce children and young people to golf
Create positive perceptions of golf and golf clubs
• Create opportunities to play regularly and develop lifelong skills
• Create fun, inclusive and competitive experiences across the junior journey
• Drive membership and inspire a lifelong love for the game
There are three key areas that will support golf clubs to create an environment in which juniors can thrive in. England Golf will provide support in these areas to build the foundation which the junior section can grow and develop.
SafeGolf and Respect in Golf – Creating safe and inclusive environments and places for juniors to play golf
Providing a pathway – a stepped approach from first swing through to membership
Workforce and volunteers - individuals and a team working to encourage and support the development of the junior section
Junior Journey
is to inspire enjoyment and inclusion for children and young people in golf, whether it be from the first swing at a school to getting the most out of golf club membership. We are committed to creating sustained participation and love for the game. The journey highlights the steps a young person takes from being a beginner through to golf club membership.
Introduction to Golf
Through schools or community
Developmen
Our vision is to provide opportunities to inspire more children and young people to play golf through the Junior Journey
We have designed the Junior Journey and each stage to create a stepped approach which, through working with and supporting golf clubs, aims to inspire more young people to play golf. Each stage has its own focus area creating more fun, inclusive experiences for young people. We have highlighted the support available to golf clubs to support them in developing their junior sections, along with initiatives, programmes, resources and guidance to grow the game.
Support and engage with primary and secondary schools and communities to promote and provide Unleash Your Drive programme.
Supporting links to clubs for young people to progress on the Junior Journey.
Supporte
d by
Vision
stage
Introducing more children and young people to golf clubs
Fun in a new environment “I like it here”
Focus golf clubs
Engage with golf clubs to create links between school and community activity.
Supporting clubs to create a welcoming environment to support children and young people attending for the first time
Supporting delivery of introductory activity to give young people the first experience in the golf club environment.
Access to Unleash Your Drive Club Introduction programme.
Engaging with golf club and professional staff to support with resource and guidance on providing structured, fun, skill-based sessions to beginners.
Supporting golf clubs to encourage young people to take their first steps to playing the game.
Access to Girls Golf Rocks and Get into Golf Rookies programmes
Vision
Supporting clubs to integrate juniors into the club and playing on the golf course regularly and obtaining their first Handicap Index®.
Supporting golf clubs with recruiting and retaining junior members, continuing to develop their golf through fun playing opportunities, developing skills and enjoyment. Continuing the development of the junior golf community at the club.
Goal
To identify and showcase clubs that are the ‘right place’ for juniors to try, learn and love golf
Objectives
To create an award which is aspirational for clubs to achieve Increase the awareness of club's commitment to developing junior golf
Criteria before working towards the award
Coaching/Skill Development
Criteri a
conjunction with follow-on
Deliver a series of activities or coaching programmes focusing on skill development.
Clubs have scheduled coaching sessions for the year, this could be continuous or in blocks
Evidence Required:
Structured coaching offer e.g. academy or group coaching or Get into Golf Rookies or Girls Golf Rocks leads into structured coaching or other coaching sessions
Required:
Evidence Required (either): Junior membership offer which is available for all At least two levels/options of junior membership
Junior Journey
Should you require this document in an alternative format (e.g., accessible Office 365 version, Easy Read or clear/large print) then please contact pr@englandgolf.org For more info contact: juniorgolf@englandgolf.org