Junior Golf Development Centres Launch Across Country
With a vision of establishing a network of Junior Golf Development Centres across Canada, the initiative will provide interested youth with the opportunity to access comprehensive age appropriate golf programming—delivered at a national standard—providing junior participants and their families the skills and experiences designed to keep them involved with golf for life.
“The model for Junior Golf Development Centres allows junior participants in communities across the country to experience world class instructors, coaches and programming all under one umbrella,” said Golf Canada Chief Sport Officer, Jeff Thompson. “The centres will provide a bridge between junior golf programming in schools and at facilities within the community to not only introduce children to the game, but also carry them through various stages of competitive or recreational programming.”
PGA of Canada CEO, Gary Bernard sees the national rollout of Junior Golf Development Centres as a tremendous opportunity for PGA of Canada professionals to deliver their coaching and instruction expertise to engaged junior golfers across the country.
“We’re introducing junior golfers to world class instruction and curriculum in a way that hits every touch point of a young golfer’s development,” said Bernard. “By identifying these Junior Golf Development Centres across the country, we are providing more opportunities for PGA of Canada members to deliver their expertise while making it easier for parents to identify facilities in their community that will provide their child with the very best golf experience possible.”
The launch of the Junior Golf Development Centre initiative nationally follows a successful pilot program conducted by the Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) in 2011. Following a tremendous response from junior participants, parents, instructors and the facilities involved in the GAO’s pilot program, the PGA of Canada, Golf Canada and the other nine Provincial Golf Associations will now introduce the Junior Golf Development Centre concept at golf facilities across the country.
“The GAO launched the pilot programs in 2011, which proved successful on many fronts, in particular delivering on the various stages of junior golf programming as well as providing training opportunities for coaches and instructors,” said Thompson. “As national bodies, both the PGA of Canada and Golf Canada believe what the GAO has done will serve as a great test project for the rest of the country with great learning’s coming out of their pilots in 2011, making the initiative even stronger for when the other provinces launch their pilots. The GAO should be applauded for their foresight and proactive approach on this initiative”.
The GAO’s pilot program in Ontario saw 25 facilities across the province become recognized Junior Golf Development Centres. The PGA of Canada and Golf Canada hope’s to see all 6 regions of the country represented with Junior Golf Development Centres by the end of 2012.
Junior Golf Development Centres utilize golf’s Long Term Player Development (LTPD) guide as the foundation for program development and provide a clear golf developmental pathway with comprehensive coaching support from PGA of Canada members for golfers between the ages of five and 18.
The curriculum framework looks similar to an inverted pyramid, with a goal to have a large base of players feeding into the Canadian golf system with age and stage appropriate programming. As a player progresses, he or she will filter through the stages of Junior Golf Development Centre programs becoming more specialized as he or she progresses.
The player and his or her family will have a choice on whether they want to be involved in programming that is more competitive in nature or a stream of programming more geared to recreational participation.
The competition stream will be run by PGA of Canada members who have been trained and certified through golf’s National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) Competition Stream—as part of the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC)—while both PGA of Canada members and Future Links Leaders will administer the recreation stream.
“We recognize that not every junior golfer needs to be introduced to high performance programming because the vast majority will ultimately become recreational enthusiasts,” said Bernard. “By providing both a recreational and competitive stream, we can deliver the most comprehensive development system regardless of the child’s skill set or abilities.”
A Junior Golf Development Centre has no start-up cost and can operate at private, public or municipal golf courses, however, there are a number of criteria a facility must meet to become accredited .
Facilities looking for more information on how to become a certified Junior Golf Development Centre should contact jthompson@golfcanada.ca.