Bree Arthur’s earliest memories of playing golf are of clinics with up to 30 like-minded kids, nine-hole competitions and skills challenges that may or may not have included flop shots over the hedge adjacent to the putting green of her home club.
“We were just there to have fun,” Arthur recalls.
It is that type of environment that Arthur is helping to foster in her new role at Royal Canberra Golf Club in the nation’s capital.
A former tour player in Europe, Arthur began the PGA of Australia Bridging Course in early 2018, starting her life as a coach first at St Michael’s Golf Club in Sydney before spending three years at Royal Sydney Golf Club.
She was appointed as Royal Canberra’s Golf Operations Manager in February this year and has been quick to contribute to the club’s beginner clinics and in April hosted a Women’s Golf Network event.
Given the surge of interest in golf over the past 18 months, Arthur believes establishing connections within the club is critical in turning beginners into regular golfers.
How do you try and make sure beginners have a positive first experience with golf?
I think it’s important to have an inclusive mindset, have the attitude that this is a sport for everyone whether you’re male or female, young or old. A key initially is to make the game as easy as possible so they enjoy it because it can be a difficult game to learn. Make them feel included and that this can be a very fun game as well as being competitive and challenging.
How effective are group clinics in making the game fun for beginners?
A group environment is definitely a popular way for women who are new to the game. By participating in a group clinic they have the chance to do it with friends or meet new people and it’s far less intimidating than walking into a club by yourself for the first time. It’s like joining a new gym. You feel a bit intimidated and you are less likely to want to go so these group sessions provide a social outlet as well as learning the fundamentals of the game. That makes people feel more welcome and more inclined to keep coming back and hopefully one day become members.
How does your coaching method change when working with a group as opposed to one-on-one lessons?
Keep it simple and don’t get too technical. If you get too technical you lose them straight away. I find relating golf to other sports is really effective. Most new golfers have played some type of sport previously so you can relate the skills in golf to other sports they have played. Tennis, baseball, softball, they all have similar rotational movements that can form a good base for learning golf-specific skills and positions in the golf swing.
What does Royal Canberra include in its introductory program to welcome new golfers?
For our women’s program some of the women’s committee come along to meet those who are participating and make them feel welcome. If they do then become members they’ve got some friendly faces already within the club who they can perhaps have a game with. Someone they feel comfortable talking to and asking any questions they may have. Also after each clinic we provide drinks and canapes in the clubhouse so the coaches and participants can mingle and that’s also really important in making that first experience a really positive one.
The PGA’s Women in Golf Network provides opportunities for beginners and advanced golfers to learn more about the game in a fun group clinic environment. Conducted by qualified PGA Professionals, the Women in Golf Network is aimed at inspiring more women to play golf.
• To learn more, head to pga.org.au/play
