Junior Golf
22.10.2019

Although there are moves over the world to grow the junior golf game, there is currently a clear absence of peer reviewed research on junior golf. This means golf associations, clubs, coaches and junior sections are left to base their ideas on other sports, traditional ideas or popular opinion. The Swiss PGA joined forces with the education team from the PGA GB&I and experienced sports researchers, Richard Bailey and Ed Cope, with the aim of starting this discussion and hopefully encouraging more parties to get involved and ensure the future of golf is backed by evidence based ideas.

The research started at the PGA Junior Summit in 2017 and attempted to answer the following two questions:

• What should be done to attract more children and young people into golf?
• What barriers currently exist to more children and young people coming into golf?

Although the findings of this study might not provide many shocks or new strategies, it acts as a reminder of the ways to make golf more attractive. As such, coaches and clubs should focus on these ‘basics’: target your local market; make the playing environment suitable and ensure the social and club environment is inclusive and welcoming. The paper served to highlight specific strategies and recommendations, but these need to be practically tested and the results need to be shared and built upon. How does the club actually become more welcoming? How does it build sustainable links with schools and other local groups? It is hoped future research will examining how strategies are operationalised and the findings are shared as widely as possible for the benefit of all.

The PGA wish to thanks its members who took time out to create the data and Swiss Golf who supported the desire to complete this research.

Link to Summary of research: https://www.golfsciencejournal.org/post/330

Link to Full Research Paper: https://www.golfsciencejournal.org/article/10464-engaging-young-people-in-golf-a-delphi-expert-consensus-study