Keeping Junior Engagement at the Front of the Mind4 min read

How PGA Professionals can ensure they engage junior golfers to support the future of the sport…

To ensure a bright future for the game, junior golf engagement should be at the forefront of PGA’s and PGA Professional’s minds. The CPG’s guiding principles of Togetherness, Collaboration and Development remain at the heart of the organisation – a view that is shared by CPG Partner, GolPhin who believe that the key to increased junior golf engagement is innovation and collaboration.

GolPhin, based in Scotland, the Home of Golf, explain their purpose as being able to inspire golf’s next generation via product innovation, education, wellbeing programmes and age-appropriate competition, in a way that is designed to help children and young people realise their full potential.

The business and development case for PGA Professionals supporting junior golf is undisputed but is also often overlooked or something that is pushed towards solely trainee Professionals rather than being an important part of any PGA Professional’s thought process.

So how can a PGA Professional, of any ability/level, ensure they are doing what they can to support junior golf and foster the next generation of players?

GolPhin suggest the following key areas to keep in mind:

• Recruitment – Making golf an exciting proposition to kids.
• Induction – Easy access and induction in to the sport, reducing areas of friction or barriers to entry. For example seamless sign-up to a PGA Pro’s system such as MyPathway2Golf with video guides to support use of the GolPhin app, making it as easy as possible to engage.
• Fun – Instilling a sense of fun and play fro the very beginning through the use of games, quizzes and challenges to inspire junior to practice anywhere, all through a lens of a growth mindset.
• Progression – Clear ability to show progress of learning and skill levels motivating juniors to attain the next level and reward active junior golfers.
• Retention – Encourages kids to continuously enjoy themselves, aim for the next level and become active members of a facility.
• Interaction – Continue engagement outside of purely the lesson/learning environment. GolPhin’s mobile app, for example, encourages safe, easy and secure communications with kids and their families and your facility’s PGA Professionals.

Many will know GolPhin for their design and manufacture of innovative kinds golf clubs – but they have also developed the MyPathWay2Golf digital platform that builds on the previously mentioned principles to help PGA Pros / coaches and golf facilities increase junior participation and retention at their venues…

The MyPathway2Golf Mobile App – Access to the app includes functions for both PGA Pro/facility and the junior golfer themselves:

• High quality instructional videos, both pre-installed and the ability for PGA Pros to upload their own.
• Skills challenges to monitor your students’ progress.
• Class scheduling and management with calendar sync to keep on top of your sessions.
• Manage students’ progress through leaderboards and individual oversight of students’ results.
• Customisable course creation and content to encourage practice and skill development.
• Direct messaging from coach to student, allowing instant updates and remote coaching guidance, all helping to encourage engagement between lessons, etc.
• Personalised profiles for students to ensure valuable engagement and interaction and monitoring of progress through GolPhin’s six levels of attainment

Users of the system also have access to a Learning Resource E-Book, including:

• Fun games and skills challenges, safety instruction and advice on practicing on the course and at home.
• Plan your junior coaching sessions through a structured format including a variety of games to keep kids engaged, both indoors and outdoors.

Ensuring the key areas mentioned earlier on are a part of a PGA Pro’s work is key and the MyPathway2Golf system can support this by:

1. Helping PGA Pros and golf club management track how many kids are participating and are actively involved at a facility.
2. Encouraging parents / guardians to interact with their kids’ experiences and progress, as kids upload their achievements on the MyPathway2Golf app.
3. Providing PGA Pros, volunteers and parents with new ideas on fun games to play, how to track kids’ progress and improve communications with their students.
4. Keeping kids focused and engaged with exciting skills challenges, on course practice, regularly updated quizzes and class leaderboards.
5. Supporting the development of a facility’s junior and adult membership, or a PGA Pro’s client list, by creating strong and long-term connections.

Ensuring you understand the importance and value of the next generation of golfers, and how you can work with them effectively to ensure valuable and fun experiences where they keep coming back for more, is vital in ensuring the long-term health of facilities and for the sport overall.

Fun and comprehensive packages of resources, as well as 45-minute webinar presentations, are available for PGA Professionals, managers, junior organisers, captains etc. by contacting GolPhin at info@golphin.co.uk.

VISIT GOLPHIN.COM