Ryder Cup initiative

Oct 1 2010 by Gordon Bannerman, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

Ryder Cup initiative

MORE than 1200 local school kids sampled golf at Gleneagles in the countdown to the 2014 Ryder Cup.

While Colin Montgomerie and his European team are bidding to win back the trophy at Celtic Manor over the next few days, golfing talent of the future is being nurtured in Perth and Kinross.

Youngsters from schools across the district ignored the dreich autumn weather to enjoy a two-day festival of golf to coincide with the Junior Ryder Cup unfolding at Gleneagles.

To mark the occasion the Junior Ryder Cup European Development Trust donated £5000 of golf equipment to the local authority to help develop the national junior golf programme, clubgolf.

As a direct result of the successful Gleneagles 2014 bid the Scottish Government committed to introduce every nine-year-old in Scotland to golf and clubgolf was set up to create initiatives to support the development of young golfers.

It will ensure The 2014 Ryder Cup leaves a lasting legacy for many years.

Running alongside this week’s event at Gleneagles, clubgolf organised a festival showcasing its fun introduction to golf.

Thrilled kids got a chance to tackle the Wee Course at Gleneagles and seek out former Open champion Paul Lawrie for an autograph.

Clubgolf project manager Torquil McInroy said: “We've gone a long way so far locally in getting the strategy rolled out and at Gleneagles we've seen children from every school in Perthshire having a shot at golf. This equipment will give them the opportunity to take the programmes forward in the schools and hopefully move the children on to golf clubs.”