Students in Staffordshire are being encouraged to take on course work with a difference.
County development officer Sean Hammill and local PGA professionals have visited freshers weeks as part of the Golf 4 University programme to highlight the wide range of offers available across the county.
Students at Staffordshire, Keele and Wolverhampton universities are being invited to get into golf through free taster sessions, low-cost coaching, discounted green fees or student golf memberships.
The project is being run by the Staffordshire County Golf Partnership as part of the nationwide drive to encourage more people into the sport.
Students starting a new year at university in Wolverhampton took the opportunity to learn about how easy and affordable it is to get into golf.
Even if some of the playing gear was somewhat unusual!
Even the university mascot joined in!
The team have so far spent six days at the county’s universities, attracting interest from more than 300 students.
A dedicated student page listing full details of the offers available and contact details can be found here.
Free taster sessions are taking place throughout October at the John Letters Academy, Calderfields, in Walsall, Stone Driving Range and Newcastle Academy of Golf, based at Keele Driving Range.
Follow-on group coaching is also available with five lessons costing just £10. The venues taking part include The Chase Golf and Country Club, Cannock; 3 Hammers Golf Centre, Wolverhampton; Lichfield Golf and Country Club; John Letters Academy, Walsall; Stone Driving Range; Newcastle Academy of Golf, Keele; and Lightwood Driving Range, Stoke.
Discounted green fees and special membership deals are also available at a number of clubs, including:
• Onneley (Keele/Newcastle under Lyme) – weekday green fees from £5
• Greenway (north of Stoke) – green fees of £12.50 after 12 noon
• Izaak Walton (Stone) – weekday green fees of £10
• Stafford Castle (Stafford) – green fees of £10 (Weds afternoons) & student memberships at £150pa
• St Thomas’s Priory (Lichfield) – green fees of £8
• Walsall – green fees of £20 & student memberships available at £155pa
• South Staffordshire (Wolverhampton) – green fees £12.50
• Lichfield GCC – green fees £12.50 after 12noon on Wednesdays
• Barlaston (south Stoke) – weekday green fees £17 and student memberships at £150pa
Says Sean Hammill, county development officer for the Staffordshire County Golf Partnership: “This scheme offers a number of benefits to an important age group for the future of golf at a time of life when some people can drift away from the sport or think it is too late to start playing.
“The free taster sessions and beginners coaching offer a way into the sport for anyone who missed the chance while younger.
“The discounted green fees and student memberships then encourage them to continue with their golfing interest at a time when money is tight, while also encouraging those who already play the game or who have done so in the past to continue with their golf alongside their studies.”
Get into golf is a national campaign to inspire new golfers run by the England Golf Partnership through its network of County Golf Partnerships, which work to grow the game.
Get into golf opportunities include free or low-cost beginner courses with PGA professionals. They are a fun and sociable way to start golf – and a great way to make new friends.
Further details of Get into golf activities across the country can be found at http://www.getintogolf.org/
