Formed little over a year ago as an offshoot of the Guernsey Women’s Golf Development Squad, the initiative is designed to introduce new players to the game in a fun and interactive way and spearhead Angela Goddard reported that it has exceeded her hopes and expectations so far.
‘It’s going very well. We have 23 juniors and through the summer we have done a lot, taken them out on the course, and there is some really good potential,’ said the chairwoman of the Women’s Development Squad.
‘We have already moved two from the junior section into our “A” group, so they are having a lot of training, which is great.’
GIGS has been so successful so far that there have been two groups made within the squad, one for those who are slightly more advanced and another for the newer players.
They were allowed to come up with the group names themselves and opted for the Dolphins and the Puffins.
‘When we started, we did not know how it would work out or how many we would have coming,’ said Goddard.
‘It’s very exciting and as we are growing, more people are hearing about it and wanting to find out how they can get involved.
‘We have had some meetings with the Guernsey Sports Commission to put the word out and the Ray Lowe Foundation have been supporting us as well.’
Royal Guernsey Golf Club head professional Phil Sykes praised the work done with the squad by his assistant pro Simon Ward, who is leading the coaching side of the programme.
‘Simon joined about four months ago, he has done quite a bit of junior coaching in the UK, and he has written this programme that allows the girls to be introduced to the game,’ he said.
‘We cannot quite believe how into it people are.
‘But it’s not just about teaching, they are coming along, having fun and making friends. Angela has got a good group of helpers and without them this would not be possible.
‘It’s nice that you can see some girls already developing in that competitive mindset, but it is great to see those who are just having fun as well.’
Goddard added: ‘The very first lesson we had with Simon, that hour was incredible. The girls could hardly hit the ball for the first 20 minutes, but by the end their faces were a picture – they were like, “did you see that?” having hit one brilliantly.
‘Simon has got a great way with the girls because you have to remember, they are kids, they have to have fun and you’ve got to make it fun.
‘Hopefully we will get some good golfers for Guernsey from it.’
One of the GIGS helpers is Guernsey women’s team regular Di Aitchison, who was full of praise for what she has seen, both from the youngsters and those behind the initiative.
‘These kids have real potential. Out of these girls we already have about half-a-dozen who we can see have the makings of golfers,’ she said.
‘I was so impressed with them out on the course. It’s exciting to see.
‘The module that has put together – starting with the women’s squad initially – has been amazing. Then extra to that now we have got these kids and it is fantastic.
‘These two [Goddard and Sykes] have to be applauded. People would be crying out for this sort of thing at other golf clubs.’
Goddard believes having the likes of Aitchison getting involved with the squad sessions is helping the youngsters with their development.
‘It’s great because we have a pathway to hopefully keep them interested and to go into the development squad. Playing with the likes of Di and the better players is something to aspire to,’ she said.
Considering GIGS has only been up and running since May last year, it has been a rapid progression.
‘It’s growing and we have a stand at the upcoming Guernsey Sports Commission Funday at Saumarez Park, on Saturday [this coming weekend], so hopefully we will get a few more come down from that,’ said Sykes.
‘The main thing is to keep them enthused and keep them keen.’
Goddard also mentioned the possibility of going into schools to spread the word.
‘It’s exciting times. Who knows how many of them will go on to play at a high level?,’ she said.
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