Junior Membership Journey

Website

Junior pathway

Junior forums and opportunity to feedback

Social Media

Academy membership

Membership Give it a shot

Promotion within the membership

Getting a handicap

Integration into the other sections

Promote the junior offer and membership

Different playing opportunities

Transition to intermediate membership

Junior coaching sessions for non-members

Forward tees and shorter courses

Junior team matches

Link with a local driving range

Family membership offers

Link to the county

School and community groups Junior open days Holiday camps Membership: Give it a Shot

STAGE ONE

STAGE TWO

STAGE THREE

RECRUITMENT

MEMBERSHIP

RETENTION

1. Website – ensure that the junior page is up to date with all the latest

1. Junior pathway - have a junior membership and

1. Junior forums and feedback – get feedback from

2. Social media – use this to advertise what is going on at the club

2. Academy membership - introductory membership

activity, sessions and competitions

pathway which supports all juniors and abilities

3. Promotion within the membership – promote the junior section, sessions and membership to the membership and encourage them to promote it

4. Promote the junior offer and membership – promote the benefits of

being a member and remember to promote the benefits that the parents could access. Consider what may be attractive to parents who are nongolfers as well as those who are not e.g. discount on bar card, reduced room hire, social membership if they are non-golfer etc

5. Link with a local driving range to offer/advertise membership to juniors

which offers limited access giving new juniors a pathway into the club. For example – only access to the practise facilities, access to members only coaching sessions, junior social events

3. Getting a handicap - providing the support and

guidance for juniors to get their first handicap e.g. starting on a shorter course and building them up to play off the longer courses at the club

4. Different playing opportunities - both social and competitive opportunities to meet up with the other juniors or improve their handicap

6. School and community groups – reach out to the local groups in the community and offer a free taster

7. Host a Junior Open Day – to give children the opportunity to have a go at the game. Information and guidance on running an open day can be found here here

8. Holiday camps – throughout the school holidays running holiday camps where the children can get full day access to the club, experiencing different aspects of golf through fun game-based sessions

5. Forward tees and shorter courses - shorter

courses that are measured and rated is a great starting point for juniors to get experience on the course. It provides an introduction to playing and a starting point to get a handicap

9. Membership: Give it a Shot – recruitment checklists and resources to support the club with ideas to recruit more juniors

the juniors about what they like at the club and what they would want more of. Consider the juniors when the club is making changes

2. Membership Give it a shot – retention checklists and resources to support the club with ideas to retain the juniors at the club and beyond junior membership [hyperlink to come]

3. Integration into the other sections – juniors

getting involved in the men’s and women’s section competitions and representing the teams as they improve

4. Transition to intermediate membership – ensure the transition to intermediate and full members is achievable for the juniors. Cost and time can be a barrier as they get older. Support them to continue playing and being a member of the club

5. Junior team matches – both within the club

against each other and other sections, friendlies against other clubs and joining a league.

This provides alternative formats and other opportunities to play

6. Link to the county – provide a link to the county to offer the next step and progression in the junior’s game

Programmes and Initiatives: •

Girls Golf Rocks – encourages beginner girls aged 5-18 to learn and play golf in a fun and friendly way.

The programme involves taster sessions followed by a coaching course involving six, hour-long sessions spread over six weeks with the last lesson being out on the course

•

Primary school programme – Golf Foundation programme using adapted Golfway equipment. The Primary Schools Programme will ensure that boys and girls of all abilities and from all backgrounds are introduced to the sport over a period of 6 weeks in fun and meaningful golf sessions, delivered by a PGA Professional Coach

•

Get into Golf – utilise the junior and family resources and support documents to organise and run beginner activity at your club

•

GolfSixes League – involves children playing six holes in pairs using the highly inclusive Texas Scramble format, accumulating points for their team of six. This format is designed for non-handicap players, or 37 and above

•

Junior passport scheme – coaching programme aimed at 6 – 12 year olds, and led by PGA professionals, the multi-layered scheme progresses a complete novice golfer into a junior golfer, ready for membership at a golf club