Junior Section - About Us

The West Kilbride Golf Club, as befits a Club with a long and distinguished history, has a proud record of welcoming Junior members and has shown itself to be innovative in the running of its Junior Section. 

Recently the Club Captain decided that a Junior Support Group be set up in recognition of a changing environment where matters involving health and safety issues, child protection etc calls for the input of more people than just the Junior Convener. This Support Group is made up of a number of Club members, each with a different role and our Club Professional, Iain Darroch.

The Club has supported the Group in terms of enhanced playing, coaching and practice access and Junior membership of the Club consistently numbers over 100 boys and girls. Our policy regarding the integration of boys and girls is strengthening the girls’ game and means we are also bucking the national trend by seeing above average annual increases in the number of girls joining the Club.

While our Course is generally a very busy one, there are quiet periods on certain summer evenings and members are encouraged to bring along younger children after 6.00pm and this has contributed to the numbers applying for membership.

Our Junior Committee, under current Captain Louise Duncan, play an active role in running the section and their contribution was commented on by the SGU on the event of the presentation of the SGU/SLGA Junior Charter to the Club. More recently we were runners up in the Junior Club of the Year for Scotland.

We have a “Buddy Evening” every Wednesday from April until August which is well attended each week. These evenings are geared to integrate Juniors of all ages and levels of ability into a fun occasion with a competitive edge and Club members recognise and admire these Buddy Evenings. The 2 main activities are a Short Game Challenge aimed at improving skills and an under-13’s Championship played over 6 holes.

Coaching of Juniors is taken seriously. The Club provides free coaching for all Juniors and we have introduced a programme of squad training for the most promising players, which is part funded by the Club and partly by parents. Membership of both the boys and girls squads is much sought after, and in return commitment is expected. The Buddy Nights and coaching programme form an overall plan to develop a stream of good Junior players to move into Senior ranks. To further support this development, both girls and boys are permitted to play in Senior competitions, providing they have reached appropriate standards. In recent years the Junior section has provided both Senior lady and gents Champions and Finalists.

There is a formal induction to the Club for new Juniors to ensure that they can quickly feel at home and contribute to our Junior section. We take pride in our Junior section as being inclusive and welcoming to all, with Scottish Internationalists and County players mixing with less experienced players and providing good role models.


Junior Coaching

There are 2 main strands to Junior Coaching at WK.

General coaching is conducted by our Club Professional, Iain Darroch, at certain times of the season and is available to all Juniors.

Our Squad Coaching identifies Juniors with a good show of talent based on either their age or their length of time playing golf. The sessions operate on a regular bi-monthly basis and are normally conducted by Iain at the Club’s extensive practice facility.

Entry to the squads requires commitment from the squad members and is not to be taken lightly. We have managers appointed to the squads to watch progress, measure attendance and make sure their squad members are keeping up with the programme.

These coaching squads provide the basis for team selection and since inception the West Kilbride Junior teams have won 2 Ayrshire Junior Golf league titles, 2 Under-16’s Championships and been Finalists in the Wallace Thornton Scratch competition.

To maintain swing momentum and general fitness during the winter months, Juniors are encouraged to use the indoor driving range facilities at Gailes and to consider joining local fitness centres.


Looking Ahead

The Club has further enhanced the appeal of Junior membership by bringing in a scale of fees which reduces costs for the youngest boys and girls.

Details regarding Junior membership and general information on The West Kilbride Golf Club can be obtained by contacting Managing Secretary, Graham MacKenzie, at the address shown on the web site.