English children as young as five years old are being invited to take part in a nationwide golf initiative, which has won the backing of The Professional Golfer's Association (PGA) and the Golf Foundation.

The driving force behind the success and concept of The Wee Wonders, an event for girls and boys aged 5-8 years old is Alasdair Good, a scot and head professional at Foxhills Club and Resort in Surrey.

For the last two years Alasdair has attracted a field of 50 budding golfers to the event and is now extending it to 8 regional qualifying rounds including two events in the south - to be run by the PGA at 9 hole, par 3 courses across the UK. Each qualifying competition will invite entries to four different age groups for both boys and girls aged 5-12 years.

The winning boy and girl from each age group will go forward to the Final at Foxhills on 10 September.

The event focuses on the fun element of golf and take the format of a flag competition. All competitors are given 36 shots and the winners represent those players who progress the furthest. Last year Max Williams aged 8 years from Banstead in Surrey completed the 9 hole, par 3 course at Foxhills in 36 shots and went on to take 5th place in the World Junior Championships in America.

Commenting Alasdair Good said: "Golf has to be made fun for any youngster to get seriously involved and the Wee Wonders event sets out to do just exactly that. The purpose of the event is to encourage kids of all abilities to swing into action and I'm just delighted that more children will be introduced to the game as a result of our success."

Foxhills will also be staging a qualifying round for the South region on 10-11 June and venues and dates for other regional events will be announced shortly. Interested participants should contact The PGA on 01675 470333.