Update for Junior Members and Parents
/
With spring now upon us, the weather improving and the light nights just around the corner, we hope you are all looking forward to the new golf season here at Peebles Golf Club! After the challenges of 2020, we hope that this year will see a return to something of a normal season and fortunately the golf course remains open with relatively few restrictions.
As ever, we are committed to providing a great experience for junior golfers, whether those at the beginner level or established players who compete in competitions, and we wanted to give you some information on what’s in store for 2021 …
Junior Competitions
The opening Junior Competition takes place this Friday 26 March, starting with a 9-hole junior competition open to those with a handicap or putting a card in for a new handicap. We have included a few 9-hole competitions in the fixture list to encourage more juniors to play, aimed at those who perhaps don’t have time to play a full 18 or those who might prefer to just play 9 holes before they are ready for the full 18. The online tee-booking system is now live, with tee-times available between 14.33 and 15.27. It would be great to have a good turnout for the first competition, so we would encourage all those who are eligible to take part to get their name down.
Competitions then continue on a regular basis on a Friday afternoon, with tee-times going live 7 days in advance. Please note that with the Clubhouse shut at present, competitors will be required to use the HowDidiDo app to sign in and input their scores. The new Worldwide Handicap System (WHS) is now in operation, but your new handicap should be updated on the App.
ClubGolf Junior Coaching
We are pleased that ClubGolf Junior Group Coaching is permitted under the current guidelines and our sessions will commence on Sunday 18 April. Once again, the sessions will be split into two and initially based on age groups, with the P1 – P4 group taking place from 10am to 11am, followed by P5 – S2s from 11.15am to 12.15pm, taking place at the Driving Range. Sessions will be delivered by the Club’s Volunteer Coaches, with new coaching resources being provided by Scottish Golf designed to improve how the coaching is delivered.
Coaching will take place on Sundays throughout the season from April to October, generally every 2 weeks, but please check the website for the full list of dates.
18-Steps Coaching Programme
After last season’s enforced layoff, we will be restarting the 18-Steps coaching programme, led by our PGA Professional Steve Johnston with support from some of the Junior Coaches. This programme is designed to bridge the gap between ClubGolf coaching and competitive golf, with more technical coaching, course management and advice provided, for those youngsters ready to take the step up. Our team will identify those who we feel are ready for this group and an invite will be sent to parents for those boys and girls selected for this season, with further information and dates shortly.
Junior Team Matches & Coaching
We are also hoping to resume Junior Team Matches this season by fielding a ream in the Edinburgh Junior League and Junior Development League. The fixtures have still to be finalised, but these will communicated to those involved once published. Our intention this year is also to provide coaching to those players involved in the squad, delivered on a monthly basis by our Pro Steve Johnston, focused on improving the skills, technique and course management of those players in the team or with the potential to play for the team. This will require commitment from the players selected (there may be some homework involved!) but we should see the players’ handicaps coming down and ability levels going up as the season progresses.
9-Hole Junior Scramble
To kickstart the junior season, we are hosting a 9-Hole Junior Fun Scramble on the afternoon Sunday 4 April for junior members, parents and junior coaches. Tee-times will go live on Sunday 28 March, so get the date marked in your diary look out for more details on this in the next Club Newsletter.
Permission Forms
Peebles Golf Club values the involvement of children in our sport. We are committed to ensuring that all children have fun and stay safe whilst participating in golf. To help us fulfil our joint responsibilities for keeping children safe the golf club has introduced Safe in Care Guidelines. These Guidelines tell you what you can expect from us when your child participates in golf and details the information we need from you to help us keep your child safe. If your child is rejoining the club this year, we need you to you complete this form for the start of the season and to let us know as soon as possible if any of the information changes. All information will be treated with sensitivity, respect and will only be shared with those who need to know e.g. a team manager or first aider.
Membership Renewals
And finally, all current members should have received their Membership Renewal Invoice for the 2021/22 season via e-mail, with payment required by 1st April. We are committed to providing excellent value for money golf membership for juniors at Peebles and the membership prices are among the most affordable for any sport in the local community, with the chance to play golf all year round, benefit from our various coaching programme and use our fantastic facilities. If you require further information on payment or how to pay, please contact a member of our office team on 01721 720197 or email clubadmin@peeblesgolfclub.com.
Thank for your continued support, and we look forward to an exciting golf season for our juniors!