Beautiful Bribie Island is a renowned haven for retirees, but at the local golf club, there’s also a movement among girls taking to the game.

Thanks to the Australian Golf Foundation Junior Girls Scholarships taking flight at Bribie Island Golf Club in Queensland, a cluster of young girls are experiencing a new-found love of the game.

Head Professional Brayden Campbell runs the scholarship program on Friday afternoons and is seeing not only exponential improvement in the participants, but lots of fun being had.

“That scholarship program is a big eye-opener to how girls, in a smaller environment are very good learners,” said Campbell. “I would 100 percent put that down to maturity. You’re able to make big changes in a short period of time.”

Bribie Island has had strong junior programs for some time now, and the AGF scholarship program fits within that structure.

Hence, some of the AGF participants cross over to other junior programs so that they are engaging in golf for two or three days in the week rather than only on Fridays.

“When you are teaching juniors, you need to coordinate because I suppose kids are not quite as active in sports as they used to be,” said Campbell. “Sometimes it can be a challenge. Sometimes it takes a bit longer for others and they click.

“We have Narisha Solomon, who’s gone from playing six holes to nine holes and is almost ready to play more. She’s an absolute stand-out. “As a coach, if you are working with people who are committed and dedicated to the game, it’s more enjoyable.”

The AGF girls at Bribie Island took a trip to Royal Queensland recently for a clinic, and they will have the opportunity to play in the Glasshouse Mountains Golf Zone when they are ready to hit the golf course.

For Campbell, there are some keys to increased girls’ participation, including:

• “We’re looking for something that’s a bit more social. That’s what the girls want at their clinics. They want it to be fun and to meet their friends.”

• “We need the program to match up with what young people want. When you are trying to engage with young people, you need to present something that fits with their lifestyle.”

Campbell is optimistic about the future and proud that Bribie Island recently received a commendation from the Glasshouse Mountains Golf Zone for its work in junior development.

As he sees it, when girls’ participation grows through “awesome” programs like the AGF scholarship, it will feed upon itself.

“It’s a funnel,” he said. “A lot of junior golf is about retention. When they play as juniors and get older and school gets in the way, their priorities change, and they don’t have as much time for golf.

“That’s part of the problem, the time. But if there are more girls playing, they’ll have more friends playing and they’re more likely to play together.”

ABOUT THE AGF JUNIOR SCHOLARSHIPS

The scholarships are for young girls to enable them to pursue a golfing journey in a nurturing club environment.

The AGF scholarships were inspired by an inaugural fundraising project at Killara in NSW, run by Foundation Director, Bonnie Boezeman AO.

The national program enables girls aged 9–16 around Australia to begin or continue their golfing journeys under the watchful eyes of qualified PGA Professionals or Community Instructors.

INFORMATION ON AGF SCHOLARSHIPS