love.golf has launched in North America and gained the support of PGA Professionals, the PGA of Canada and Golf Ontario at a pilot event in Canada.
The love.golf approach, which focuses on learning golf on the course with a group of peers rather than through technical lessons on a driving range, was piloted to a group of eight passionate Canadian coaches at Blue Springs Golf Club, Ontario, ahead of a roll out in 2020.
The pilot took place over two days and included a mix of theoretical and practical education. It was supported by the PGA of Canada and Golf Ontario, and headed up by love.golf Head Coach and Founder, Alastair Spink.
Matt Allen, Chief Innovation Officer for the PGA of Canada, who first explored the possibility of bringing love.golf to the country, commented: “There have been many attempts to grow female participation in Canada which have not worked.
“From the moment we met Alastair we saw real value in what he and love.golf are doing, and the pilot is a vindication of PGA of Canada’s belief in the concept and product. It’s a potential game-changer.”
During the second day, a number of women took part in a love.golf session so that Canadian professionals could see the initiative in practice. Afterwards, these women were invited to share their feedback and reflections with the group.
“This was truly a watershed moment for the coaches in attendance,” reflects Matt. “They have been trained to coach technique for the majority of their respective careers, so this switch to seeing the benefits of emotional and aesthetic learning was a profound one.”
love.golf Head Coach and Founder, Alastair Spink, added: “I have been blown away by the enthusiasm and appetite of the Canadian coaching community.
“Their desire and open-mindedness to try something completely different was palpable during the two days, and I look forward to helping them develop and market love.golf in the coming months.”
A series of love.golf pilots are set to take place across Canada in early 2020 ahead of a nationwide launch, underlining the initiative’s commitments to The R&A’s Women in Golf Charter.
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