Innovation from Essex Golf Club

Boyce Hill GC in Essex - thinking ahead

An innovative Essex golf club has introduced free golf to every child aged 10 or under who are the child or grandchild of any member of the club.

Boyce Hill, which has a reputation for promoting family golf, hopes the initiative will encourage more children to play the game.

The child has to play with his or her adult member parent or grandparent to receive the free round, explained Alex Woodward, Boyce Hill’s general manager.

Get 'em youg

“Family golf is something that Boyce Hill Golf Club has been driving hard for in recent years, with a relentless programme of promotion to get golfers and their families out on the course together,” he said.

“This has included rule changes to allow juniors to play in club competitions, much less restriction on their access to the golf course, a reduction in the junior fees and the creation of a ladies’ pathway to membership with three new categories of academy membership having taken on the findings of Sygenta and love.golf on female participation.

“Today the club has a resurgent junior academy with roughly 60 children receiving regular coaching, is a Golf Foundation HSBC Golf Roots centre and has had over a dozen ladies on the academy pathway. What’s really encouraging this year they have started converting people from both initiatives to full membership.

“Now the board of directors have gone even further to offer courtesy of the course to the children and grandchildren of members who are 10 years of age or under. There are some criteria to meet such as the parent of grandparent being a full member, they must play with their child, provide proof of insurance and register the child with the general manager before play.

This makes great sense to us. The best way of getting kids into golf has to be through immediate family, and if there is a further incentive to do that then all the better.

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