"JOINING A GOLF CLUB HAS JUST BEEN MADE EASIER BY THE EGU"

Following a survey of the 1890 affiliated golf clubs, the English Golf Union has identified that over 75% of those who replied have membership vacancies,
a total in excess of 25 000. The majority of these clubs, no matter whether they are private members, municipal or proprietary have requested help in
filling junior, male or female vacancies.

These figures confirm the need to invest in grass roots initiatives to encourage more people into the game and ultimately help them into golf club membership.

So what are the EGU doing to address this?

The EGU is now in a position to provide an opportunity to every standard of
golfer, to help achieve whatever they wish in the game. A bold statement to make, but nevertheless a true one! A structure is now in place for attracting people into golf and onto golf club membership, opening up the possibility for individuals to be coached and play at club, County and International level.

It begins with 'free golf coaching for beginners', allowing people to experience golf for the first time - a series of coaching days around England this summer provides beginners with an opportunity to receive FREE coaching from a qualified PGA professional.

If they like what they see then the EGU's 'Associate Membership Scheme'
gives the non-golf club member an opportunity to gain official recognition
of their ability through an EGU handicap and a host of other benefits.

Although juniors can take part in the above initiatives, there is a specific program called 'Junior Club Coaching' that helps youngsters develop the required skills to enjoy the challenge of playing golf.

The latest EGU initiative and final link in the chain is making the golfer aware of which golf clubs have membership vacancies and creating an easier route for them to ultimately join the club. For further details on this and for a full list of golf clubs with vacancies go to http://www.englishgolfunion.org/