Junior Golf for Age 6+ Dublin/Meath Area

MayoSalmon

Hi Folks,

Does anybody know of ANY club in the Dublin/Meath area that has a Junior section and excepts Juniors Aged 6+.

My fella is 6 and half is very proficient and is playing Irish Junior Open Tournaments at the minute.

We currently play Grange Castle 7 holes at least once a week and he gets lessons with a PGA pro once a month.

Have rang around lots of places and keep getting either no section or we only take them at 8.

In Offaly they have a huge junior academy set up and up in the North they take them in Age 5+ in places like Lurgan/Hollywood etc.

Any help appreciated.

Dr Turk Turkelton

Are you going to join the club as well as your son?

spacecoyote

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058356550/junior-golf-for-age-6-dublin-meath-area

Maybe check in with the guys in Castlewarden, just down the road from Grange Castle.

Have noticed plenty of juniors out recently, and they do group training sessions with them.

Not sure about age limits though

MayoSalmon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122279839#Comment_122279839

Not the plan.

I will be with him on course regardless and that won't change whether he is 6 or 8 to be honest.

Dr Turk Turkelton

Ah ok. Was just thinking it would make it a lot easier to get a kid in if you were also joining.

One of mine got in at 6 for a reduced rate a I was a member.

billy3sheets

St Margaret's have a new junior section with no official minimum age requirement.

MayoSalmon

So just to follow up on this for anybody that is curious

Out of interest I have basically contacted every single golf club in Dublin and surrounding areas to get an understanding on the Junior scene.

It couldn't be any more random and varied from club to club lol

From no junior sections to everything in between….one thing that was pretty much permanent was that not one club regardless of a childs proficiency will take a Junior basically before the age of 8.

I mean we are not a proper golfing country so none of this really surprises me but it just really needn't be the case.

Again plenty of clubs up North are way ahead of us down here and have obviously taken on the lessons learnt from Rory's development path etc. Sure there are world championships held every year in the US for 6 year olds lol. Do Golf Ireland think these 5/6 year old are playing mini golf and pitch and putt lol

Anyways ill keep him at Grange Castle for the time being while I send some strongly worded emails to Golf Ireland and the state of junior golf in this country.

ec18

to go slightly off topic but nearly every sport is the same in Ireland other than the big 3 (GAA, Soccer, Rugby) there's nothing for under 8's

DaveQuinn2020

Personally, I think the clubs are right to maintain this approach for a load of reasons. That much structured and organised golf at that age is a recipe for burnout. It all sounds very intense for a 6 year old. Rory was one in a million, so I really wouldn't be basing my 6 years golf activity on that future path to be honest.

Saying Ireland is not a proper golfing country because we aren't developing elite 6 years old for the World Championships is a bit unfair. We have one of the highest participation rates in the world, a booming club scene and relatively equal and good value access to golf for all! That sounds like a seriously successful golfing country to me! We have a decent number of good amateurs and pros coming through, but that should always come second to developing grass roots participation and access.

I really don't blame any clubs for not accepting a 6 year old when their parent isn't a member. Lots of potential issues there. I had my kids out on the course at that age in my club, but I was supervising them and responsible for their wellbeing.

Is your child involved in any other sports?

MayoSalmon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122338539#Comment_122338539

Not all all.

Most Tennis clubs in Dublin take them on as members from 5, same for the Cricket Club besides me.

Local BJJ and Judo club also tale them from 4 or 5, same for Swimming, Basketball etc

Golf is antiquated and I heard all the various reasons under the sun why they couldn't be arsed from club pro and golf director over the last 2/3 weeks.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122338795#Comment_122338795

For young kids it's really just about fun, it's not really structured golf. It's mostly just games and activities that kids play that have a golf flavour on them. As they get older, they start introducing some basic golf fundamentals, but still it's all games-based.

My dad's club up north has an academy for 5+ year olds and it is very successful. Kids love it.

MayoSalmon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122338795#Comment_122338795

What structure are you talking about?!

My 6 year old tees it up from 100/150 yards out and is making pars and bogeys most holes. We actually have to play through members all the time as they are the one hacking there way up the course from the back tees. lol

Have a look at what they are doing up in Lurgan for one example. This isnt about creating a Rory McIlroy for heavens sake its about junior participation in the sport.

https://www.lurgangolfclub.com/juveniles

What potential issues are you talking about? Nobody is dropping a 6 year off at a club to play on their own..I wouldn't be doing that even at 10 years old.

We are not a serious golfing country at all…great participation sure but just like football which has great participation levels we have an extreme lack of development structures in place.

Like I said Golf Ireland have high performance teams set up at U-14…however they think these high performance golfers just organically spring out of clubs in Ireland which as I have demonstrated have absolutely no coherent junior programs in place…its hilarious.

Like heres more of it.

KPMG Irish Kids Golf Tour runs annual golf tournaments for juniors starting at 6 years old. These tournaments are run on great curses like Carton House, Killeen Castle etc. So a 6 year old can compete in these tournaments; however if I rocked up to these clubs either looking for a junior membership or to simply pay green fees for a round I would be told I can't because lil fella is too young..lol

VW 1

Id say a 6 year old making pars and bogeys from 150 yards is an exception.

My young lad started in a club as he turned 10 at the start of this year having been coming the range since he was 5 or so and then par 3s from 7-8 on.

When I was a kid I wasn't allowed club membership to the same club til I was 12.

In general, for most kids, they won't have the awareness or attention span to spend a couple of hours,safely, on a course at 6-8.

Dr Turk Turkelton

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122338452#Comment_122338452

Yeah for sure. It's every one else's fault that you don't want to join a club for your kid to avail of all the services provided by them.

Ireland has one of the highest participation rates in the world for golf. No one wants to walk around behind you and your "prodigy" for 18 holes after paying their membership so he can pay 100 quid a year.

If you were at least a member it would be tolerated and juveniles are the future of golf just like any other sport.

The club I'm a member of has 200 junior members ranging from 6 years of age to 18 and have golf camps and kids and family days out all summer but most of the parents are members and give back to the organisation of these events.

The younger members all have parents who are members and who help out as well.

If you want this for it kid give something back rather than just waking around with them.

Participation rates for golf worldwide:

Some participation result for Ireland considering that we don't support junior golf. Lol as you point out so often

MayoSalmon

Funny you keep bringing up this joining point as maybe 1/2 actually had this requirement and they were high end clubs to begin with.

Also you haven't a clue what your talking about if you think there is any 6 year olds playing 18 holes...or if you think all the kids playing under 7/8 on the Irish junior open tour or the KPMG tours are prodigy's.

Golf worldwide is experiencing a boom since COVID and like I said Football (soccer) in this country also has huge participation levels but just like golf has little to zero development structures in please.

Irish Junior golf development structures is... go to driving range every now and then, go out on course with your mother/father and then join at 8 or 10 years old and get a few lessons off the old club pro every now and again. This is how Lowry, Harrington and all the greats got involved with the game..and there some here that think this is actual model to be replicated lol. Go look at Lurgan to understand what junior golf development looks like. It has nothing to do with holding up members on courses or any of that antiquated guff.

This is NOT the case in other European countries who take their sports and golf serious such as Sweden, Germany, and obviously England.

well, this escalated quickly 🤣

Dr Turk Turkelton

The point I'm trying to make is that if you and your son join a club and get involved in the Junior section of it you will be welcomed.

The more people that get involved the better as far as junior golf is concerned.

Golf Ireland are currently promoting the hell out of junior and women's golf so now is the time.

I've seen myself at some of the events that are organised for the kids parents just rocking up and dropping them off for the 2 or 3 hours and fecking off.

These are invariably the people who are non members and are been targeted to try and get their kids into the game.

The big push that's now on is to get kids their handicaps.

What I'm trying to say is that Golf Ireland are doing loads to promote junior golf so there is no point complaining to them.

What's needed are members who are willing to sit on committees and bring kids out to play and interact with other kids and help out.

MayoSalmon

Again this is a brutal attitude.

Just ask parents to volunteer like they do in every other sport.

I would be happy to do so like I do with other sports my kids are involved in. I shouldn't have to pay 1000+ euro for my kid to play golf at 7 years old lol

ec18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122341869#Comment_122341869

you don't though. You have the option to continue as you are and pay green fees to play. Maybe get your kid some lessons with someone without shelling out for club membership.

Other sports aren't that comparable since they've huge state aid in grants backed by professional revenues from the senior events like internationals and county championship that Golf clubs don't get.

If you think the market is that demanding of it then, join a local club and get involved and set up what you want to see. Copy what they're doing in the north. A club would welcome you with open arms if you went in with a plan like that to grow their membership and popularity

MayoSalmon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122342178#Comment_122342178

Im already doing that. Have you even bothered to read the thread?!

Tennis and Cricket are able but golf is some outlier is it?!

Not even gonna bother with the rest of your post as it's just riddled many excuses that proper sporting countries would never accept.

ec18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122342259#Comment_122342259

You're not interested in hearing any suggestions or getting involved to try and change it. I don't know anything about Tennis or Cricket so I can't comment on what their junior set up is like for 6 years olds.

You've had your moan about golf in Ireland, hope it's helped. Continue on with what you're doing or get involved and try improve it for your kid and others.

Hope you have a nice weekend.

MayoSalmon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122342292#Comment_122342292

Heres a very simple set up Golf England do in conjunction with clubs for kids getting into golf age 5+.

Golf Ireland do absolutely nothing to promote kids getting into the game. Even the summer camps they run out of the Golf Ireland academy are over priced and only start at age 7 and are for about 2 hours a day.

All the lads probably sitting around wondering why we have Zero pros with cards for the European/DP World tour right now lol.

https://www.englandgolf.org/get-into-golf-rookies

awec

I think lots of clubs just don’t have the facilities for it. I’m guessing the clubs that can offer it for kids do have the facilities for it. Obviously playing on the actual course is beyond most 5/6 year olds.

The likes of Lurgan have academies which are held in their range and practice facilities. The range is covered etc so not exposed fully to the elements.

Dr Turk Turkelton

"This is NOT the case in other European countries who take their sports and golf serious such as Sweden, Germany, and obviously England."

How many majors have the golfers from these much more populas countries won in the last 20 years?

Sweden has a population of around 11 million.

Germany around 85 million.

England around 55 million.

The Island of Ireland (which the gui covers) has a population of around 7 million.

Irish golfers have won 10 major titles since 2007.

Maybe the gui aren't doing such a bad job.

MayoSalmon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122344024#Comment_122344024

Jaysis you probably think the Fijian golf Federation take all the credit for Vijay Majors aswell. I know for a fact Padraig Harrington had ZERO assistance from Golf Ireland throughout his development and in fact passed him over for many a squad. Fact is We have zero DP Tour players

Spain, England, Germany, Scotland, Wales even Italy have dozens.

Golf Ireland does not have ONE single program established to get juniors into golf.

The only one they have is golf sixes and sure that's already when a junior is in a club so defeats the whole purpose.

It's pathetic but some on this thread think this is normal and that we are actually doing a great job lol

MayoSalmon

Glad to see Golf Ireland are FINALLY waking up to the reality that they actually need to put programs in place to encourage greater junior participation as golf clubs are absolutely brutal at it.

Key paragraph from the article...

"We cannot afford to wait for children to be of age to join golf clubs because while they may mostly be friendly environments they can be very overwhelming and depending on the strength of a club’s junior sector, it could take you away from your peers and leave you isolated."

https://irishgolfer.ie/latest-golf-news/2024/11/06/legacy-of-grassroots-development-more-important-than-major-events/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2vnuXeVu_tB9LGhAx3IFNQHEduUA4gVbOodzDojncWY-zom3O4Bk5wuBk_aem_wMVMGibI4yaCjrmFUbgt9w

Deep Thought

I and my son play in Kilcock

We have really men pushing the juvenile/ junior aspect and have weekly lessons.

We now have 70+ juvenile / juniors

For juniors we are now putting on Month golf fitness sessions to help them