West Wales Gets Behind Launch
West Wales Ladies European Tour star Rhian Wyn Thomas 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.
Golf clubs in West Wales have really got behind the initiative, with free tee-times at courses such as Machynys, Ashburnham, Tenby, Clyne, Aberystwyth, Cardigan, Carmarthen, Fairwood Park, Garnant Park Glynhir, Glynneath and many more.
There are also some special membership offers during Golf Awareness Week, such as a month's trial membership at Clyne for £40, Tenby £75 for three months, Fairwood Park £150 for three months, Aberystwyth £185 from May until the end of the year, Glynhir are offering free membership to Under 18's and Tawe Vale a 30 per cent discount.
There will also be a schools festival at Gowerton golf club.
Thomas, from Llanwenog near Lampeter, is delighted to see the scheme take off while she starts her professional career less than six years after first trying out the sport at a similar Golf Development Wales opportunity.
"It was at the Royal Welsh Show about six years ago and I just went along to the Golf Development tent and had a go at golf for the first time. David Llewellyn, the Welsh coach, was there and it all kicked off from that really," said Thomas, who started her professional career with a top 30 finish in Morocco, following it up with a top 10 in France.
"It has been a great journey, playing for Wales, Great Britain and now it starts all over again on the European Tour so I am loving it.
"If it had not been for the development work that week in Builth Wells, I probably still would not have tried golf - now it is my career thanks to Golf Development Wales. Hopefully now we will find some more good golfers through Golf Awareness Week.
"In West Wales and the whole of Wales it is important to get the kids going to try golf, they seem to love it when they are given the chance, so hopefully more children and girls will start to play golf."
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.