Knocking 12 shots off your handicap as a near-12-year-old is very impressive!

Georgia Karagiannis plays her golf at The Ridge Golf Course and Driving Range in Sydney’s south and over the last 12 months she has played some excellent golf to drop her handicap from 39 to 27.

Karagiannis holds an Australian Golf Foundation Junior Girls Golf Scholarship along with six fellow junior girl golfers at The Ridge.

“I am seeing handicaps dropping and friendships flourishing,” said Tammy Wong, resident PGA professional.

“The girls absolutely love the program having formed really strong friendships out of it.”

Wong, growing up playing golf as a teenager herself, knows what it is like to be the only girl golfer.

“It is wonderful seeing this group of girls learn and play together,” she said.

“For them, it has been so much fun to have a girls-only class. Perhaps something I would have greatly valued growing up.”

Wong notes the development of the girls has really taken off.

“Regularly practising our skills both on and off-course, I have really seen the girls improve,” she said.

“Three of them now hold handicaps and are playing more-and-more.

“We have a large junior program here and with more girls coming through the ranks, we look forward to getting them involved in 2022.”

Gary Booby, General Manager of The Ridge GC would like to acknowledge and thank Tammy Wong for the phenomenal work she has done nurturing junior girl golfers at the club over the past five and a half years. 

The scholarship program has come to fruition thanks to the foresight and generosity of Bonnie Boezeman AO, director of the Australian Golf Foundation, along with generous donations by the NSW Golf Foundation and Jack Newton Junior Golf.

The Australian Golf Foundation Junior Girls Golf Scholarship program aims to support girls into club membership and obtaining a handicap. Applications for golf centres open mid-September. Learn more about the Australian Golf Foundation Junior Girls Golf Scholarship program via the Vision 2025 website.

The Australian Golf Foundation is the national foundation for golf in Australia. The AGF supports Golf Australia’s vision to grow golf by investing in targeted initiatives to inspire all Australians to enjoy and play the game. Visit australiangolffoundation.org.au for further information.