The English Golf Union and English Ladies’ Golf Association have launched an exciting new initiative called the County Skills Challenge specifically to meet the demands of County Unions and Associations.
Based on the National Skills Challenge, which is used by affiliated golf clubs and their junior players, the County Skills Challenge has been designed to be used as part of a county’s coaching programme or simply just as a fun practice activity.
The initiative came about as a direct result of the success of the National Skills Challenge pilot, which took place in autumn 2005, when several counties showed an interest in using an adapted version for use on county coaching days. Since receiving this feedback and launching the National Skills Challenge earlier this year, the EGU and ELGA then developed and extended the scheme and its website to accommodate the county’s requirements.
Like the national initiative the challenge has been designed for junior players under 18 years of age and aims to help improve vital elements of the game, such as putting, chipping, pitching, bunker play and full swing. Scores from each challenge can then be added to online Leaderboards allowing players to access their achievements at any time.
Richard Flint, EGU Development Manager commented, “It was really encouraging to get such a positive reaction from county unions and associations after the successful pilot of the National Skills Challenge. The County Skills initiative allows us to reach even more youngsters and the online element makes their golf experience even more accessible as they can access the information and results when they are away from the golf course.”
Counties can register to take part and run County Skills Challenges at any time during the year. Counties can register on line at www.getintogolf.org/countyskills. The website also contains information and resources for both counties and players including videos and coaching tips.
The Get into Golf County Skills Challenge is an initiative jointly provided by the EGU and ELGA via the England Golf Partnership’s ‘Whole Sport Plan’ for golf
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