A friend in America recently commented to me that ‘young members are like oxygen for golf clubs… without them they simply cannot survive’.
In February, Seaton Carew announced it will be offering junior golf memberships for free to all players under the age of 18, part of a campaign to give back to the local community whilst developing a younger base of lifelong members who will no doubt share a lifelong relationship with the club.
One of the most tired and cliched remarks about golf is that it is a game enjoyed only by the affluent, inaccessible for people without the means to fork out £500+ on the latest driver and dominated by private clubs fundamentally unwelcoming to outsiders, not least of all kids.
I consider myself extremely lucky to travel around the country with this game, visiting clubs and soaking up the different ethos that makes every club completely unique, and while pockets of this above stereotype no doubt exist in a small handful of clubs, it is the minority and certainly not the norm.
Junior golf in this country is extremely accessible, equipment can be secured inexpensively and I don't think there is a better sight in golf than seeing kids racing around trying to fit as many holes in as possible before sunset.
This was the diet of golf I was brought up on; summer holidays spent looping the course, junior opens all over Worcestershire and Warwickshire; entries of about £7 included with 36 holes, 3 meals, making friends and the prospect of some prizes in the event that my golf was ok that day. For my parents the allure was no doubt some much needed respite, whilst the assurance I was in safe hands.
Readers reminiscing about junior golf will no doubt also recognise the social benefits of golf. It is a game where your character is tested, where you learn to handle both victory and defeat and an education in the lessons you will face as an adult.
An important milestone
Seaton Carew recognises there are too many other distractions for kids in this day and age. This isn’t just about avoiding screens and video games, County Durham in the north-east of England is underinvested and suffers from a weak local economy with average salaries 15% lower than the rest of the UK according to the ONS. High rates of unemployment go hand in hand with high crime statistics for the region and 28.6% of children live in low income families.
As the foremost club in County Durham, Alex Shaw (club manager at Seaton Carew) believes it should play a major part in reversing that trend. ‘’We see this as investing in our future and the future of golf in the region’’.
Seaton Carew is the 10th oldest club in England, meaning that 2024 marks its ‘sesquicentennial’ (150th) anniversary year. While a number of big celebrations are planned throughout to mark this huge milestone, including hosting the English Amateur Championship in tandem with nearby Hartlepool next month, it is this move that will leave the longest and most lasting impact.
The club have already got over 100 juniors enrolled in the scheme with the majority between the ages of 8-12 and again most of those kids come from non-golfing families, a break from the demographic makeup of a lot of its members. This programme is already clearly having a significant impact for those children.
The fineprint? Well there isn’t much. The only request Seaton Carew have asked for is that it is their home club, that they keep up with pace of play, and wherever possible play in groups rather than on their own.
As a result of its popularity, the club have put a temporary pause on further intake for a few months so they can work with the current cohort of juniors, getting them up to speed on the links before bringing the next phase of juniors into the club.
While golf for juniors in most clubs is heavily subsidised, it begs the question whether more clubs in the UK could do the same, and if so what would the impact be? While it might not move the needle for the juniors that already play the game, it might open up a new audience to golf and provide a different pathway for the next generation. This is the sort of ‘grow the game’ rhetoric I can get on board with.
History of junior support
Seaton Carew began life in 1874 as The Durham & Yorkshire Golf Club thanks to Dr Duncan McCuaig, who had recently moved to the area from Scotland. In 1925 another Dr – Alister MacKenzie – was commissioned to improve the course. Green sites and holes were reimagined and the artful touch of Mackenzie is obvious when you play. Mackenzie would go on to do rather well throughout his career, designing Augusta National, Cypress Point and Royal Melbourne along the way.
In 1952 one of the club’s long-standing members, Gilbert Bunting, who was then Vice-President of Durham Golf Union, was the driving force behind the inception of the Durham County Boys Championships. He had seen the need to foster golf among young players all over the country and felt that county competitions would encourage this to happen.
‘’As one of the smaller County Golf Unions, Durham has sometimes struggled historically to retain talented youngsters. It is hoped that Seaton Carew’s blueprint for developing junior golf will encourage more youngsters to take up the game. We have a long-held belief that our great sport can only continue to flourish by attracting young people to take it up’’, says Alex Shaw.
Seaton has a long-standing reputation for producing great golfers, including international players like Simon Robinson and Alex Robertson, and European Tour Pro David Whelan. The Club has significant plans for junior development, headed up by Martyn Stubbings PGA AA, James Maw PGA and Michael Skelton PGA at the spearhead of the junior coaching programme.
