Finalists in the 2005 championships
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The launch this week of the
Golf Foundation’s Junior Championships fails to disguise what appears to be a deep-seated disapproval at many golf clubs of our next generation of champions.
Lee Westwood, Justin Rose and Mhairi McKay are among those who have risen to the dizzy heights of world golf thanks to the springboard given them by these championships but there are still clubs who regard their under 18s as an unnecessary irritant.
We’re fortunate in the UK in that the vast majority of courses welcome and encourage youngsters to take up the game and improve through practice and competition. They’re also happy to share in the reflected glory of a junior making giant strides to a higher county or national level in events back by the Golf Foundation.
Indeed the thriving junior section at my own club is run by our club professional who organises training sessions and along with parents helps transport the kids to matches.
However, there are still those clubs and influential members who dislike the idea of junior members – able to devote their spare time to playing - mopping up the prizes in adult club competitions.
One Golfmagic member – a 17-year-old nine handicapper whose name I have chosen to withdraw through possible fear of reprisal from his home club – wrote to me this week obviously distraught with the treatment his club has meted out.
"I have recently been made junior captain at my golf club in Kent and I am very sad to say that it shows little respect towards juniors. The club always seems to frown upon a junior victory," he told me.
"I’m not saying that in men’s competitions juniors have rights over everyone but when I see that a junior has shot a gross 72, under full handicap, against all other adult players and in the same conditions but has not been given the medal which adults get, I feel that juniors are getting a bad deal."
