In golf many young players have a lack of appropriate support and guidance at a critical stage in their development which means that their progress is either slower than it could be, or in some cases restricted. Young people who take up the game at a later stage also tend to get left behind players on the talent pathway that specialised in golf at an earlier age. This often results in poor performances and for many players a loss of interest in the game or burnout.

Funded by Sport England’s Club and Coach Fund, the National Training Initiative is a county wide coaching programme aimed at identifying and encouraging talented and enthusiastic junior golfers from all backgrounds, who are just below the County criteria for inclusion in county squad coaching. This enables Counties to cast their net wider and find more talented youngsters who, with the right encouragement and coaching, might be able to make the step up to County standard.

Only Counties where the County Union, County Association and County PGA work together to coordinate golf development through a County Golf Partnership (CGP) are able to access this programme, following submission of a County wide training plan.

This training plan is predominantly delivered at accredited ‘County Training Academies’ by handpicked coaches who are best suited and positioned to coach young people and have shown a long term commitment to developing talented players. These academies are based at GolfMark or RangeMark accredited golf facilities, short courses or driving ranges which ensure a safe and welcoming environment for juniors and minimum operating standard in child protection.

High quality coaching and training is combined with appropriate physical training, lifestyle management, psychology, and nutrition advice. Each player follows an individualised training programme according to their own ability and maturation with players and parents also provided with guidance on how best to balance the competing demands on the young player and maintain their interest.

Significant investment is also made in the training and up skilling of both professional and volunteer coaches within the county to support the programme. Each coach is issued with an individual training needs analysis and training plan ensuring the quality of coaching across the whole county is improved. Parents can also be signposted to high quality providers.

The outcome is a much improved and co-ordinated system that provides a comprehensive pathway in a supportive and appropriate environment for young players to achieve their potential.

Developing players are identified through close links with existing golf clubs and schools that provide golf coaching and playing opportunities for young people. Additional open assessment days also provide players who might not have engaged through the other processes above an opportunity to access the programme. This process caters for late developers, late specialisers or young people who want to transfer from other sports.

Golf, like many sports struggles to encourage large numbers of girls to take part. To encourage more girls a minimum level of funding is dedicated to girls only coaching in each county. Funding is also allocated for young golfers with a disability, with multiple training opportunities provided for coaches to work with this group.

The National Training Initiative will deliver the following key outcomes:

1.  Enhancing the quality of coaching across the development spectrum.
2.  Enhancing the quality of the players developing in the club network which will ensure that better quality players emerge into the full county ranks.
3.  Identifying the best coaches within the county so that young players and their parents can be signposted to these coaches if they do not have appropriate coaching provision within their locality.
4.  More youngsters retained in the sport leading to increased participation levels for junior players as well as in the adult ranks. 
5.  To increase the number of people involved in coaching at all levels of the development system.
6.  To develop existing coaches through specific training programmes and individualised development opportunities.