Golf Development grant awarded to Chesterfield golf clubs

A group of Derbyshire golf clubs and coaches have joined forces to help spearhead the drive to encourage more people into the sport in the region.

The formation of the North East Derbyshire Golf Development Group involves 8 clubs in the area and has been set up to deliver a range of activities to make it easier than ever to learn how to play golf.

Now the group has received additional support after their small grants application to Sport England of £10, 000 for developing golf in the North East region of Derbyshire was successful. The grant will be used to raise the profile of golf out in the local community with an aim to encourage people to take up the sport and hopefully become golf club members.

Several community golf coaches will be engaged to take the sport out into local parks, schools, organisations and businesses, with the help of a new inflatable and portable net, which means someone can try swinging a golf club and hitting a ball away from the traditional greens and fairways of a course.

Currently Fame Tate (Tapton Park Golf Course) and Craig Pollard (South Chesterfield Golf Course) have signed up to deliver golf in the community through the project.

Fame, former Ladies European Tour player, commented:-

“I am particularly excited to be working on this project as my passion as a coach is getting more people playing the game.  Hopefully the sessions we are planning to organise will encourage a wide variety of people to give golf a go.”

The money will allow the NE Derbyshire Regional Golf Development Group – made up of Bakewell, Barlborough Links, Chesterfield, Matlock, Shirland Stanedge, South Chesterfield and Tapton Park golf clubs – to raise their profile out in their local communities even further.

Nigel Furniss, Development Officer for the Derbyshire Golf, said:-

“It is really encouraging to see clubs coming together and working in partnership to try and develop the game of golf.

“All clubs are facing the challenge of recruiting and retaining members and it is easy to take an individual approach to the problem.

“But this group has recognised the potential of strength in numbers and of pooling ideas and resources to the benefit of the sport and also their own clubs.

“The additional funding will help the group progress further and we are indebted to Sport England for their support.

“Our target now is to introduce 800 people to golf and hopefully excite them to want to continue in the game and hopefully join a club, but more importantly become a lifelong participant in a sport which brings so many health and social benefits.”