Scottish Golf has announced the launch of ‘Join The Drive’, a new female coach development programme that builds on the governing body’s existing Women and Girls’ Strategy and is designed to support and empower women in the game.
The 12-month programme aims to create a strong network of female coaches, provide mentoring opportunities, and develop leadership and confidence skills, with the goal of increasing the visibility of female coaches and supporting progression into performance coaching pathways.
The first session for the 2026 cohort of 18 coaches takes place next week with an online forum facilitated by Chris Reid, an experienced coach developer who currently works for Scottish Rugby.
Linzi Dye from West Kilbride, recently named as Coach of the Year at the 2026 Scottish Golf Awards, is just one of the coaches who has signed up for the programme.
Over the course of the next year, the programme will include four in-person sessions, one of which will take place around the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open at Dundonald Links in July.
During the programme, participants, will have the opportunity to:
- Connect with a community of female coaches through networking events and online forums.
- Attend workshops focused on leadership, confidence, and technical coaching development.
- Gain access to shadowing opportunities within regional and national performance programmes.
- Feature in visibility campaigns, highlighting achievements and their coaching journey.
The initial programme is aimed at fully qualified/trainee female PGA professionals and will support the individual coach’s professional growth by aligning with the existing PGA Learn CPD pathway.
Scottish Golf’s Women & Girls strategy was activated in July 2025 and clearly sets out a strong and focused commitment to increasing female participation and diversity in the game.
Clare Queen, Head of Performance and Pathways at Scottish Golf, said: “Scottish Golf is delighted to introduce this new programme as we look to strengthen our support for some of the brightest female coaching talents in the country.
“Our female coaches already do a fantastic job in their clubs and communities, but we want to expand their knowledge, confidence and connections in the game. This programme will have two clear benefits – we are committed to supporting female coaches to maximise their potential and, through their example, demonstrate that there is a clear pathway for development that other women with a passion for the game might choose to follow. We’re also keen to listen to our coaches about what Scottish Golf can do to help them deliver coaching at grassroots and strengthen the game at club level.”
In addition to the new coaching programme, Scottish Golf will stage a performance coaching conference at the Stirling Court Hotel on 21st September. The all-day session will feature several keynote speakers including Andreas Kali, the highly rated head coach of the internationally renowned Danish Junior Golf Academy.