North Wales Gets Behind Launch
North Wales Ladies European Tour star Breanne Loucks has backed the launch of free golf and coaching at more than 100 clubs in Wales in the week after the Masters, under the slogan 'Pick it up for the Ryder Cup.'
Golf Awareness Week was described as one of the best schemes in Europe at the launch this week. It will tee off from April 12th-18th, with most Welsh clubs offering free tee times and membership special offers to encourage nomadic golfers to try out club facilities with a view to joining - along with free lessons and coaching plans for beginners and families.
Many courses across North Wales have got behind the scheme, with free golf on offer at courses such as Conwy, St David's, Porthmadog, Prestatyn, Pwllheli, Rhuddlan, Rhyl, Bull Bay, Abersoch, Abergele, Anglesey, Borth and Ynyslas and many more.
There are also special membership offers, such as Rhos-on-Sea offering £50 trial membership for three months, along with free coaching at times next week, a £40 six week trial membership at Anglesey, £35 for a month at Bull Bay and many others.
There will also be schools festivals at Maesmawr, St Giles, Newtown, St Idloes and Welshpool. Check www.golfdevelopmentwales for full details.
Children dressed in 1927 golfing gear, the year of the first Ryder Cup, and modern golfing dress, to celebrate this year's Welsh Ryder Cup, gathered to celebrate the official launch of Golf Awareness Week at Radyr golf club in Cardiff this week.
Wrexham's Loucks was delighted to support the scheme before flying out to Spain to join Solheim Cup star Becky Brewerton in representing Wales in the European Nations Cup.
"This is brilliant," she said. "When I started there were little county things to get involved in, but you see the scale of it now and it is incredible, it has moved on so much and it is really exciting to see how it has all moved on.
"The last few years North Wales ladies golf has kicked off nicely and done really well with myself and Becky Brewerton on Tour, I am really proud of my start and it is great to see Becky doing well - we really egg each other on.
"There are also some really good amateurs in North Wales with Amy Boulden, Tara Davies and Stephanie Evans who have all done fantastically. We are moving forward so much it is marvellous.
"Maybe in the past golf in Wales was South Wales based, there were more golfers in the South, and it has pushed us on to do more and the drive and the will to do well is huge.
"Golf is one of those sports anyone can play at any age, any time of your life then just go for it. I would like to hope we are out there to be copied, but if things improve in Wales then that is something we all care about."
Hannah Fitzpatrick, director of golf development at the Golf Union of Wales explained, "People playing golf 12 times a year or more has gone up by about 8 per cent in Wales and we want to convert these to golf club members to secure the future of golf clubs.
"Golf Awareness Week is a mass promotional week where we are creating opportunities to encourage people to pick it up for the Ryder Cup.
"It is brilliant that the golf clubs have embraced this scheme - this is the biggest Golf Development Wales scheme ever, creating an open environment for people to try golf.
"Golf club membership is great with the social element, a place to take the family, the handicap system so you can play against all people.
"SWALEC have sponsored the Start Golf beginner scheme with a full programme of golf and a trial membership. To name just two of the many examples of good work by the clubs, Clays, our regional centre of excellence, are running a children's festival and offering 365 memberships of their par three course - one for every day of the year.
"Caerphilly golf club have a great offer with 50 per cent off membership in that week and on one day they have opened up the club completely for people to go along and try."