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Junior Files

By on May 31, 2013

Junior golfers are the future of the game of golf whether they become international professionals or members of our local club.

This page is to highlight organisations and events promoting younger players.

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Profile on Jack Newton Junior Golf Foundation

The Jack Newton Junior Golf Foundation was established in 1986 to introduce more young girls and boys to the game of golf and to nurture their skills and enjoyment of the sport. This goal remains the same today. The Board of the Foundation is made up from two representatives from each of the key organisations in amateur golf namely, the NSW Golf Association, Women’s Golf NSW and the PGA of Australia with Jack Newton the Chairman and Founder.

Our Philosophy is to establish and service a variety of programs for boys and girls, thus creating pathways through the sport, catering for the beginner right through to the talented and beyond.

Our survival is dependant upon the support and commitment of our Sponsors, grants from the NSW Government and NSW Golf Association and our major fundraiser The Celebrity Classic. We are a non-profit organisation and as such are always extremely grateful of any cash sponsorship or donations that may come our way.

Our programs and strategies have been adapted by other state junior bodies and we have assisted them in setting up their programs based upon our experience. An integral part of our work is to ensure we are here for all juniors throughout Australia and as such our membership base includes several hundred juniors from all over Australia, who travel to compete in our events.

Our coaching programs have seen a significant growth over recent years and we now have programs in place for all ages and abilities. The Go Go Golf program is based in the Primary School system and the program is adapted to suit the individual needs of the school involved. The cost of this program is borne by the Foundation and at the end of the program certificates and prizes are awarded to all participants. The Foundation provides all the equipment and the coaching staff – all that is required is an oval or grass area.

Every second weekend we run “Planet Go Go” at various sites around the Sydney Metropolitan area. Sites in Newcastle and Wollongong commenced in late 2001. This program is aimed at the 4 to 10 year age group. The emphasis is on fun whilst learning the basics of golf. A brief and simple clinic is held to begin the session and this is followed by various games and then it is onto the six hole mini golf course that has been set up with the assistance of witches hats, hoops, rope and flag sticks. Cut down and specially weighted clubs are used with a rubber ball to the exact specifications of a golf ball.

The natural progression from Planet Go Go is to our structured clinics which are also conducted every second Saturday. Numbers in these clinics are kept to a minimum to ensure each junior receives quality time with the coach. Each six weeks or so the students are taken onto a golf course where they can put the lessons learnt into practice. We also have a structured five week program for the intermediate golfer. In the second half of 2000 we had five clinic sites across the Sydney Metropolitan area up and running and this trend continues along with two country sites up and running.

By this time the young junior golfer should be ready to progress into club golf and junior events. We assist juniors in this process (as it can be somewhat daunting) and over the years we have built up a relationship with many clubs throughout the State who are only too willing to support the juniors in establishing themselves into the club environment.

We have also established a High School Program which once again can be tailored to the individual school’s needs and is great for PDHE students. All equipment is supplied and a nominal fee charged. With a game on a local golf course the culmination of the program.

The Foundation also conducts camps, the most well known is the Annual Christmas Camp which is held at Academy of Sport at Narrabeen as is the Talented Athlete Program which is conducted twice a year for the elite junior. During the past few years the Foundation has introduced three day Metropolitan Camps during each of the school holidays. A junior is given expert tuition over the three days, video analysis of their swing and advice on nutrition and etiquette. These camps conclude with a mini-tournament at a local course.

In addition we assist at District Camps statewide and are in the process of establishing Regional Development Squads to help identify talented juniors who would otherwise go unnoticed. Added to this is the work we do with the disabled community and the National Aboriginal Corporate. All our time in these areas is given free of charge with the Foundation bearing all the costs involved.

In 2002 the Foundation took WGNSW’s District Camps and Development areas under its banner and it is our aim to have a camp in every District within the next two years.

“It is my belief that the coaching programs we now have in place sets the standard for other state bodies to follow” Chairman Jack Newton is quoted as saying.

Our flagship tournaments – State Age Championships and Jack Newton International Junior Classic continue to go from strength to strength. Jack Newton comments “Our tournament program throughout the year continues to provide many and varied opportunities for our young players to compete against their peers at all levels” and continues “the variety and strength of events offered in NSW is unparalleled and every age category is catered for whether it be boys or girls”.

The State Age Championship qualifying begins in January each year and attracts over 4000 competitors vying for a spot in the finals which are held in July each year. The International which is held at The Oaks Golf Club in Cessnock every year and attracts an outstanding field with each State sending 2 boys and 2 girls along with competitors from South Africa, New Zealand, Thailand, The Philippines, Korea, Fiji and Singapore, who return year after year to test their skills against the best Australia has to offer.

In January each year we conduct a tournament which is played over five days at five different courses and a different area of the Metropolitan Sydney is targeted each year. In April we conduct the State Junior Medals. We also stage the State Junior Mixed Foursomes Championships and the State Junior Champion of Champions. Added to this we run the Teams Championship for Schools which culminates in a NSW team attending the National Final each year and the winner there progressing onto the International Final in England.

All our events are run exactly as if it were a professional event, seeded draws on the final days, leader boards accompanying the leading groups and scorer’s huts. Along with videoed interviews with the juniors to help them build their self confidence and fine tune their speaking ability.

An exciting new venture in junior golf was established in early 2000 when the inaugural Junior Golf State of Origin Series was held between the Jack Newton Junior Golf Foundation and the Greg Norman Golf Foundation in early February at New South Wales Golf Club in Sydney. The event based on the President Cup format consists of one boy and one girl from each age group from 12 through to 17 Years. This event is run in conjunction with the Greg Norman Holden International and both Greg Norman and Jack Newton were in attendance for the final day’s play and the Presentation Dinner during the inaugural event. This event is now cemented on the junior golfing calendar.

In 2001 the Junior Masters Series was launched and is a country based series of events conducted over 36 holes, participating clubs are Narooma, Goulburn, Bathurst, South West Rocks and Muswellbrook. This is the catalyst for what we hope will be ‘taking the Foundation to the country’ – thus allowing the country juniors the opportunity to compete in an elite event within their own environment against their peers and gauge their performance accordingly.

Every three months the Foundation produces a Junior Golf Magazine called ‘Backspin’ and this is mailed to each member of the JNJGF, along with every golf club in NSW. The magazine is the lynch pin for the juniors with all that is happening in junior golf. Entry forms are included each three months not only for the major events but for all club junior events throughout the state. Information on camps, clinics, junior profiles, Rules Segments, Golf Tips and reports on junior tournaments held in the previous three months all go towards making up Backspin.

Membership of the Foundation only costs $30 (with special family rates available) and for this each junior receives Backspin every three months, a golf etiquette book and a bag tag, which when produced will get them into selected Professional events held in Sydney and will enable them to play free at resort courses such as Camden Lakeside, Mount Broughton, Riverside Oaks, Horizons and Gold Creek.

Each year the Foundation holds a Sponsors’ Golf Day followed by the annual Presentation Dinner at one of Sydney’s top Golf Clubs and this has now established itself on the Junior Golfing Calendar as the event to be invited to. It is here that we acknowledge the achievements of our juniors over the last twelve months both on and off the course. Awards are presented for Outstanding Achievements, Most Improved Boy and Girl, Citizenship, Junior Boy and Girl of the Year and the major award being the Renay Appleby Memorial Award which is presented by Stuart Appleby.

Renay is a past Age Champion of the Foundation. Touring Professionals Rachel Hetherington and Joanne Mills came up through the ranks and even Karrie Webb attended our International Event several times as a junior representing Queensland. The Women’s reigning State Amateur Champion Nikki Campbell won the event for the first time as a 17 year old in 1998 whilst a junior member of the Foundation. Carlie Butler the 1999 NSW Amateur Champion was a prolific tournament winner during her seven years with the JNJGF. Both these young ladies are now ranked in the top five in Australia. Newly appointed Executive Director of Womens Golf Victoria – Dayle Linnerston is also a past Champion and member of the Foundation. Add to this the names Katy Jarochowicz, Janelle Lynch, Michelle Ellis, Nadina Taylor, Cherie Byrnes and you can see the evidence of that our programs are working.

1999 and 2000 Australian Open Champion and 2001 Greg Norman International Champion, Aaron Baddeley was a member of the Foundation and although being a Victorian always played in our major events from the age of 14. Queenslander Adam Scott also attended our events throughout his junior career. The 1998 Australian Open Champion, Greg Chalmers was also a member along with touring professionals David Brandson, Nathan Green (who finished 5th on the 2001 Australian Order of Merit), Brendan Jones and Paul Sheehan. Scott Gardiner who has just turned professional was also a member of the Foundation from the age of eleven. Former outstanding Junior Brad McIntosh (Wollongong) was an active member since he was nine years old and during his career had many highlights including winning the World Lefthanders Championship in 1999. Brad recently took up a golf scholarship at Houston in the USA, whilst past Foundation Champion Matthew Jones who attended Arizona State University and was ranked in the top 20 amateurs in the world has just turned professional.

As the Foundation enters its sixteenth year, the juniors of yesterday, today and tomorrow all owe their involvement in superior golfing programs to the foresight and dedication of Jack Newton, whose vision to create a Junior Golf Foundation has played a significant role in many young peoples’ lives.

The foundation has over 5,000 members in NSW. 800 of these are girls, both present and past juniors.

For more information on the programs available or if you would like to contribute donations or sponsorship go to www.jnjg.com.au or call (02)9567 7736.

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