Oundle Golf Club awarded GolfMark seal of approval

Oundle Golf Club receives its GolfMark award (left to right) Martin Izzard (Northamptonshire County Golf Partnership Chairman), Dave Foley (Oundle GC GolfMark Committee), Pat Wilkinson (Oundle GC GolfMark Committee), Sam Beckett (Oundle Assistant Professional – at back), Terry Beckett (Oundle GC GolfMark Committee), Richard Keys (Oundle GC Professional - at back), Malcolm Evans (Northamptonshire Golf Union President), David Davies (NCGP Development Officer) and Richard Cole (Oundle GC GolfMark Committee)

A NORTHAMPTONSHIRE golf club, which has launched an innovative membership scheme, has received national recognition for its approach to attracting a new generation of players.

Oundle Golf Club has been awarded GolfMark, a seal of approval for junior and beginner friendly facilities, which play an important role in the development of the game.

The club – which can be found in Benefield Road, Oundle – offers a special Lifestyle membership, which recognises that not everyone interested in playing the sport can afford to commit the time or money to becoming a full golf club member.

The category is based on a ‘points for play' system which sees golfers pay a reduced membership fee in return for a number of points, which are then used to play rounds of golf at a time to suit the player.

The present cost is just £275, which includes a £50 administration fee that includes Affiliation Fee payments to England Golf and Northamptonshire Golf Union and a £25 joining fee, which is credited to the member's bar card.

The new player receives 100 points, with a weekday round costing eight while it is ten points to play at a weekend.

Players can establish a handicap for themselves, receive 10 per cent discount on bar and food purchases and can upgrade to full membership.

Oundle GC – which was founded in 1893 and is the second oldest club in the county – also has an active junior section under organiser Andrew Ireson.

Club PGA professional Richard Keys visits local schools to promote golf and has also recently been running taster sessions to encourage more ladies to take up and enjoy golf.

The club set-up a committee to work towards GolfMark, which included past captains Terry Beckett, Richard Cole and Dave Foley along with 2012 Ladies Captain Pat Wilkinson and club professional Richard Keys.

Dave Foley says of the Lifestyle membership scheme: “We wanted to offer a flexible membership option for people who may not have the time to play a round of golf every week, but who still wanted to dip their toe into golf club membership to see how things are organised and what is available to them on the social side as well as sporting aspect of club life.

“Not everyone has the time or money to be able to commit to full membership, but this gives them a real taste of the many benefits of club membership.”

GolfMark is a national scheme that incorporates ClubMark and recognises junior and beginner friendly golf facilities that focus on Coaching and Playing, Club Environment and Child Protection, and Duty of Care, all of which are extremely important to parents and children alike.

Says David Davis, County Development Officer for the Northamptonshire County Golf Partnership: “GolfMark offers parents the reassurance that the right duty of care policies are in place. It means a parent dropping off their child at the club knows they are in a positive environment with the emphasis on the right care and responsibilities.

“GolfMark also means the club is an ideal place for any beginner to start enjoying the game of golf with the right structures in place to offer positive coaching and a route into possible club membership.”

“Oundle have put a lot of hard work into achieving GolfMark and are to be congratulated on both taking a proactive and novel approach to club membership as well as their award.”

For further details on Oundle GC visit the website https://oundlegolfclub.com/ or ring 01832 273267.

NOTES 

GolfMark is an initiative jointly provided by the EGU and EWGA via the England Golf Partnership's ‘Whole Sport Plan' for golf and is an integral part of the England Golf Partnership's vision to ‘Grow the Game'.

The England Golf Partnership (EGP) brings together the amateur governing body, England Golf and the PGA, to grow the game with the support of the Golf Foundation and Sport England.

County Golf Partnerships, involving the county men's women's and professional organisations, are part of the EGP's Whole Sport Plan for golf and an integral part of its vision to make England the world's leading golf nation by 2020 .

In Northamptonshire the partnership is supported by the Northamptonshire Union of Golf Clubs, Northamptonshire County Ladies' Golf Association, the Northamptonshire Professional Golfers Association and the Northamptonshire Millennium Trust.

For more details of the activities in Northamptonshire visit www.northamptonshiregolf.org.uk/

For more information on the work of the Northamptonshire Golf Partnership contact David Davis, County Development Officer, Northamptonshire County Golf Partnership.

Website: www.northamptonshiregolf.org.uk/

Mobile: 07846 142297

Email: d.davis@northamptonshiregolf.org.uk