Youngsters get a taste for the game with 'Golf for Schools'
Programme uses teaching kit, "ShortGolf", making it easy and fun for children to learn basic skills with plastic clubs and soft balls
The Hong Kong Golf Association has launched a programme to introduce the game to youngsters, making it easy and fun to learn and more accessible.
Targeting primary school children aged from six to 12, the programme uses a teaching kit named "ShortGolf" to help youngsters learn the basic skills of the sport.
The clubs have a weighted head made of shatter-proof plastic and a fibreglass shaft, while the ball is soft and the size of a tennis ball. Targets and mats are also used, and it can be played indoors and outdoors.
It's now time for us to expand our base of players to help us produce enough talent to compete in high-level competitions
An initial HK$750,000 budget for the "Golf for Schools" programme will be covered by the R&A, sponsors and the governing body of the game itself. Participating schools only need to pay for an administration fee to enter.
The Hong Kong Golf Club, Clearwater Bay, Discovery Bay and Shek O clubs are behind the project and will provide a venue for participating schools to conduct training.
"We hope to start with five schools near these golf courses by Christmas, and then reach 10 schools by the end of this school year next July," said HKGA president Ning Li.
"Our junior development has had good success in recent years. Players like Tiffany Chan and others have outstanding achievements. So it's now time for us to expand our base of players to help us produce enough talent to compete in high-level competitions in the future," said Li.