1. EGU Coaching Grant

Information on the 2010 Club Coaching Grant will be detailed in March 2010.
Please note: in 2010 only clubs awarded GolfMark will be eligible to apply for the 2010 Grant. The grant year will start on the 1st April 2010 to 31st March 2011. For information on GolfMark visit http://www.golfmark.org/

2. DCGP Coaching Grant

The Durham County Golf Partnership are offering a £250 grant to affiliated clubs who are Golf Marked or working towards the accreditation to recruit more people into the game. The grant can be used to increase participation by running taster sessions and open days at your club.
This grant will be available on the 1st April 2010 and will be allocated on a first come, first serve basis.

For more information please download an application form by clicking “here”

3. PESSYP (Physical Education and School Sport for Young People)

School Club Links is a government funded programme aimed at delivering a junior golf programme locally in both schools and clubs as part of the national Physical Education and School Sport for Young People (PESSYP) strategy. In golf, this is delivery through 'Golf Roots'. The key challenge is to ensure that young people can progress from school based activity into regular club activity. The England Golf Partnership has defined a School Club ‘link’ as a written commitment between a School Sport Partnership and a golf club that has achieved GolfMark club accreditation or is working towards GolfMark (to be achieved within 2 years). Other Golf Roots Centres are also invited to enhance the link by working alongside the GolfMark facility and offering further coaching and playing opportunities.

The Role of the Regional Development Officers (RDOs)
Working together under the England Golf Partnership through a team of Regional Development Officers, the Golf Foundation will support the recruitment of juniors in schools and the community while the English Golf Union and English Women’s Golf Association will support retention of players in clubs. Essentially, the Golf Foundation RDO will work with the Partnership Development Manager, providing training and support on the schools programmes, Tri-Golf and Golf Xtreme. The Golf Foundation RDO will also liaise with the club (usually the PGA Professional Coach) about the introduction of the pupils to the golf club and their beginner coaching experience. This introductory experience might include a schools golf festival hosted at the club.

The English Golf Union / English Women’s Golf Association RDO will liaise directly with the club (usually the secretary, general manager or junior organiser) about the development of the juniors within the club and the policies and procedures in place at the club to support both juniors and adults, through GolfMark. Guidance on volunteering, child protection and equity initiatives will also be given

The Role of the School Sport Partnership Coordinator
The schools coordinator, usually the Partnership Development Manager, will oversee the roll-out of Tri-Golf in primary schools and Golf Xtreme in secondary schools, providing curriculum and after-school golf opportunities for pupils and training for teachers through the Golf Foundation workshops. They will also be responsible for liaising with the club(s) about providing entry opportunities for the pupils at the club(s).

The Role of the Club Coordinator
The club coordinator, usually the junior organiser, PGA level 2/3 coach or secretary, will oversee the programme of coaching at the club, utilising the Junior Golf Passport, and lead the club in working towards GolfMark. They will also be responsible for liaising with the school coordinator.

The Development Plan and Grant Award
Together, the Partnership Development Manager and club coordinator(s), supported by both Regional Development Officers, will write a 2-year Development Plan detailing the activities in schools and clubs, a timescale and the level of funding for each activity. This will be submitted alongside the Partnership Agreement to the England Golf Partnership for a grant of £2,000* to support the programme over 2 years. The award will be made to the School Sport Partnership due to its remit for developing School Club Links as a strand under the PESSYP strategy and its opportunity to enhance the programme with further Big Lottery funding.

• Please note that an initial award of £1,900 will be made to the project whilst teacher training manuals and Junior Golf Passport materials to the value of £100 will be allocated to the project.

• The England Golf Partnership reserves the right to ask for full funding to be returned should the activities programmed on the development plan not take place.

For more information about School Links, contact John Wood (North East and Yorkshire RDO – Golf Foundation on (07766) 883004.