Written by
Casey Gameson
On Sunday 21st January, we hosted the inaugural First Swing Golf Academy Presentation and Awards Ceremony, which was held in the brand new Fairway Suite.
As Wales’ largest junior golf academy it was only right that we celebrated properly. The nine hole academy course was opened in September 2014 with the aid of funding from Sport Wales. Golfers aged 3 plus followed a structured playing and coaching pathway which takes them from being complete beginners into accomplished golfers who can enter competitions.
The event was also to celebrate our growing ladies section, who are looking to progress from group and individual coaching and have the confidence to play the Championship Course. We are very proud to have a lady professional golfer as part of our team. Katy Edwards is very keen to get more women into the game and to help break down the stereotypes that surround the sport.
David Pocock, Head of Golf Development at Bryn Meadows opened the event with a short speech to the 200 guests in attendance, “2017 was a great year for us, and adding the Golf Simulator to our facilities was a fantastic addition to our teaching tools – as well as being great fun for you. We’re looking forward to everything 2018 has to bring, including a refurbishment of the academy course to re-introduce the 9 holes.”
All of the juniors who have been in coaching this year received a certificate, as well as awards in different categories. Some of these included Tot of Year, Lady Golfer of the Year and Coaches Player of the Year. Awards were given out by Newport Gwent Dragons and Welsh International Elliott Dee and teammate Ollie Griffiths. Steve Woods, Junior Organiser, also assisted in handing out prizes for those who played in the Members’ Competitions.
Current Club Captain, Jonathan Wellington, also make a speech thanking everyone for their continued efforts to improve throughout the year. He informed the juniors that he also started his golfing career here when the golf course was built. At the time there were only 6 juniors whereas now there are more than 120.
Before a 3 course Sunday Lunch was served, David closed the event; “Congratulations on all of your contributions and improvements over the last 12 months. Like any sport, golf takes practice to hone and improve your skills and as professional golfers, it is fantastic to see you all developing.”
