Looking back across a successful season

Crail junior golfers with their season review cards while assistant professional David Snodgrass stands back left

Thanks to a new coaching programme introduced in April this year, more youngsters than ever before signed up, stayed the course and attended the prize giving which was held recently.

Based around age and ability, the 18 week programme attracted youngsters from six to sixteen years old, with nearly 40 signing up.

The programme mixed coaching sessions on the range with alternating weeks on the course - all supervised by a team of 26 member coaches.

“It worked really well,” said assistant professional David Snodgrass, who devised the programme.

“The idea was to show the youngsters how much fun could be had from golf, both while playing and socialising afterwards, as well as helping them to improve their games.”

At the prize giving all the children received a season review card, showing how they had progressed through the programme and listing all the prize winners.

Among the many successes were 12 year old Anna McKay and her brother, 16 year old Ben.

Anna achieved a remarkable double by becoming the first girl to win the Crail junior match play title and, competing against the adult ladies, winning the Ladies’ Championship as well to cap off a phenomenal season of sport.

Brother Ben won three junior trophies in the year, in addition to the junior stroke play championship.

He was also the runner up in the men’s match play championship, only being beaten in the final by Fraser Carr, who holds the Fife Champion of Champions title.

“This new programme for our juniors has been a tremendous success, thanks not only to the hard work and infectious enthusiasm of David Snodgrass, but also to the dedication of our team of members who volunteered to coach and made the programme work,” said captain David Maiden.

“Our juniors are the future lifeblood of the Society and it’s vital that we coach them how to play better and, equally importantly, enjoy the game.

If there are any more budding junior golfers out there, we’d be delighted to help them achieve their goals.”

Crail Golfing Society is the seventh oldest golf club in the world, having been founded in 1786.

It has two courses: Balcomie Links, which was laid out by Old Tom Morris in 1895, and Craighead Links, designed by Gil Hanse - who designed the course for the Brazil Olympics - and opened in 1998.

The Society is a traditional members’ club with over 1400 members from across the globe.