Pitlochry Golf Club on course

Apr 1 2011 by Gordon Bannerman, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

PITLOCHRY Golf Club and professional Mark Pirie are on countdown to an eagerly awaited Junior Open Day and Festival of Golf.

Mark is rolling out development plans aimed at luring more and more Highland Perthshire youngsters into the sport.

He is taking golf into five local primary schools in partnership with Karen Todd, the Highland Perthshire schools sports co-ordinator, who has helped forge bonds between the schools and the golf club, and clubgolf, Scotland’s national junior programme which seeks to give every Scottish nine-year-old an experience of the game.

Mark will also be holding taster coaching sessions at the Atholl Leisure Centre during the Easter holidays, all building up to a Golf Festival/Open Day at Pitlochry on Sunday, April 24.

Youngsters, from the age of eight upwards and of various abilities, are invited to mix and enjoy activities on the day and receive coaching from two PGA pros.

The Pitlochry club also has eight trained Level 1 golf coaches who will support activities on the day.

They are helping to expand junior golf provision at Pitlochry.

Mark said: “The wonderful support from Karen Todd through the local schools, the support from clubgolf and the enthusiasm towards the juniors from all the Level 1 coaches and with more members becoming involved, will ensure that we continue to make strong progress.

In the past eight years, Mark and his partners have introduced more than 450 kids to the game of golf.”