By Serrin Bertino
If there is one club that exemplifies outstanding support to junior golf development, it is Toukley Golf Club on the Central Coast of New South Wales.
With formalised programs for juniors to participate in running most days of the week plus an established junior foundation that subsidises these opportunities, junior golf is booming at the club.
To expand upon these terrific offerings for juniors, the club has signed up to deliver the Australian Golf Foundation (AGF) Junior Girls Golf Scholarship program for the first time in 2023.
“Mick Lamaro and Jason Millers from the Central Coast District committee made me aware of the program,” said Andrew Cranston, Junior Coordinator at the club.
“As we already had a number of girls floating between our programs, we thought ‘what a great way to bring them together’.”
Upon recruiting, the club instantly attracted six girls, but this quickly grew to 10.
“We have been proactive in the junior space for years but were never sucessful in attracting many girls,” Cranston said.
“The scholarship program has given us instant success and the club is ecstatic. Like all things junior golf at the club, including the junior foundation, members and our professional golf team have come on board and have been extremely supportive.”
The junior foundation was established 10 years ago by some club members and has grown to include a huge annual fundraiser. Up to 240 members and golfers attend this event and together raised $16,000 (in 2023).
This funding is used to offset participants’ clinic costs so children never pay more than $10 per session plus fund the cost of travel and entry to Jack Newton Junior Golf (JNJG) events.
“There is so much positive talk around the club about the girls scholarship program, I am sure they will also benefit from our foundation in years to come,” Cranston said. Australian Golf Foundation is the national foundation for golf in Australia. The AGF supports Golf Australia’s vision to grow golf by investing in targeted initiatives to inspire all Australians to enjoy and play the game.
Find a local scholarship program near you. Visit australiangolffoundation.org.au for further information.
Australian Golf Foundation is thrilled to partner with NEXTGEN Group as the principal partner of the AGF Scholarship Programme in 2022, with significant further support provided by Golf Australia, Golf Victoria, Victorian Golf Foundation, Golf Queensland, Golf South Australia, Golf Tasmania, Golf Western Australia, Western Australian Golf Foundation, Golf Northern Territory, Golf Management Australia, WPGA Tour of Australasia and PGA of Australia, as well as a number of additional generous private benefactors. The scholarship program has come to fruition thanks to the foresight and generosity of Bonnie Boezeman AO, Director of the Australian Golf Foundation, who originally established the program at Killara Golf Club, NSW.