Golf Roots Facilities

Golf Roots helps clubs and facilities actively engage with the community through work with individual schools, school sport partnerships, young people's organisations and local authorities. It also provides a young person with an introduction to a club or golf facility and the opportunity to progress through the national learning programme, the Junior Golf Passport.

The aim of maintaining a network of Golf Roots Centres is to:

• Increase the number of young people playing the sport and, therefore secure its long term future.
• Enable more young people to try the game in their school or community environment.
• Enable young people to try the game in a welcoming club or facility environment at little or no cost where the child is put first.
• Make the young person's introduction to golf a fun and safe experience.
• Ensure that beginners receive expert tuition on the basic skills and swing technique delivered through an emphasis on learning through games and activities.
• Teach beginners the principal rules and etiquette of the game.
• Provide young players with the opportunity to progress through the Junior Golf Passport to a level where they can play 18 holes in 110 shots or better.
• Strengthen the links between clubs, schools and the wider community.

As a minimum, a Golf Roots Centre will offer:

• Taster sessions in local schools using the Tri-Golf and Golf Xtreme programmes.
• Registration on the Junior Golf Passport for all participants.
• Appropriate child protection measures.
• Coaching at the facility for beginner juniors that are non-members at a locally affordable level.
• Follow-on coaching and playing opportunities for all participants.

Golf Roots Centres will in turn receive the following benefits:

• Registration as a Junior Golf Passport user including a free core pack.
• A listing on the Golf Foundation website.
• The Support Pack containing promotional letters and posters for use in schools and at the club, 18 session plans, a guide to understanding and working with schools and sample press releases.
• Support from England Golf Partnership Development Officers.
• Access to a variety of levels of discretionary grant-aid.

Levels of support

Higher levels of funding and support will be available to Golf Roots Centres that also include volunteer training and deployment, links with the local School Sport Partnership and club accreditation through GolfMark for affiliated clubs.

www.golfmark.org

Safeguarding and protecting children – every one’s responsibility

Golf is a regular activity for many children and young people and its influence on their lives is significant. The Golf Foundation recognises that every child and young person has the right to have fun, be safe and free from harm when participating in organised golfing activities at school, community venue or golf facility.

Government guidance (Working Together to Safeguard Children 2006 – section 2.8) makes it clear that safeguarding children and young people is everyone’s responsibility including sports clubs and national governing bodies. Therefore, as part of the Children in Golf Strategy Group, a British forum set up to safeguard and protect the welfare of children within golf, the Golf Foundation asks for all facilities to demonstrate minimum child protection operating standards.   

Facilities accepted as Golf Roots Centres have made a commitment to ensure that all coaching staff and volunteers working with children and young people should have attended a Safeguarding and Protecting Children workshop and gained police clearance from the Criminal Records Bureau.  These facilities should also have a child protection policy.

For further information please visit www.childreningolf.org

This website provides guidance on child protection in golf and the responsibilities of clubs and facilities when working with children. It also provides information on the Safeguarding and Protecting Children workshop, and guidance on child protection policies and procedures through the helpful and practical Children in Golf Resource Pack.

What happens next?

If you would like more information about this initiative then contact the Golf Foundation on 01992 449830