Coombe Wood Golf Club

Coombe Wood Golf Club Junior Section Handbook

Contents

Mission Statement
Welcome
How to Get a Golf Handicap
Useful Information
Junior Coaching
How to Fill out a Scorecard
Rules of Golf
Important information for Parents and Juniors
Codes of Conduct for Parents and Juniors
Junior Forum
When can Juniors Play?
Help needed!
Conditions for Junior competitions

1. Mission Statement:

We aim to provide a safe environment for all junior members to learn to play golf, gain knowledge of the rules and etiquette of the game, at the same time promoting sportsmanship and the name of Coombe Wood Golf Club. This Club will endeavour to provide juniors with the right environment for them to achieve their potential at whatever level is right for them.

2. Welcome:

On behalf of Coombe Wood Golf Club, we wish to extend a very warm welcome to you as a new or current member, or as someone interested in joining our junior section.
There is a great history of junior golf here at Coombe Wood. Along with our dedicated Junior Development Team, the Club’s Captains and the Committee, we are fully committed to providing each and every one of our young people with the chance to develop as an individual and improve both their golfing and social skills.
In promoting junior golf as a game for all, the Club is expressing its commitment to the ideal that, “talent is nothing without the opportunity”. It serves to demonstrate our firm belief in the value of golf as a positive and beneficial experience for all young people, regardless of gender, disability, race, age or social background.
We have three main groups in our junior section:

Beginners
Improvers (who will probably be looking to get a handicap)
Squad (who will have a handicap of 28 or below for boys or 36 and below for girls)

We hope our juniors will progress through these stages and we will support each one to develop at the pace that best suits them.
We take our responsibilities for the safeguarding of the children in our care very seriously. Staff and volunteers are vetted under the Disclosure and Barring procedures in line with England Golf’s policies. We have emergency contact details from the application form.
We recognise that there may be many things that are new to you and so we hope that the information provided in this Junior Handbook will provide some of the answers you need to get started, on what we hope will be a rewarding and enjoyable experience. If you have any questions or suggestions please contact any of the Junior Development Team and we will do all we can to help.

3. How to Get a Golf Handicap:

We encourage juniors to obtain a handicap as soon as possible, so that they can enter club and other competitions. This opens up the whole world of golf!

Your first handicap

To get an official handicap juniors need to hand in 54-holes worth of cards. This can be either:

three 18-hole rounds
six 9-hole rounds
a mixture of 9-hole and 18 hole rounds

You also need to have at least a basic knowledge of the rules of golf (copies of the Player’s Guide are readily available in the clubhouse) and of our Club’s local rules (see the section The Rules of Golf elsewhere in this handbook).
Cards must be marked by a person who has a good knowledge of golf; they may be another junior who themselves has a handicap.
Hand in your cards to the office and your parent / guardian should get an email with your new handicap.
Handicaps are also posted on the Club’s noticeboard.

Which tees can be used to get a handicap?

Girls get a handicap playing off the RED tees
Boys can get a handicap playing off the YELLOW or the WHITE tees (This will get you started – but remember as you improve boys will play in our competitions off the white tees)

At our club, the RED tees have been “rated” only for girls, and so cannot be used for boys to get their handicap. Boys can still play off the red tees to learn the game, of course
You will then have an official (or “CONGU®”) handicap

Maintaining your handicap

Juniors will have their handicaps controlled and adjusted in accordance with the current CONGU® rules – this is done by the Club, taking into account each card completed during a competition. This is the best way to maintain and hopefully reduce your handicap.
You can also enter supplementary cards – but you have to let the Pro’s Shop know in advance.
If for any reason you do not complete your competition or supplementary card then you will be marked “No Return” and your handicap will go up slightly.

Which tees are used in competitions?

Your handicap determines the tees from which you play off in competitions:

Junior boys with handicaps between 28 – 54 tee off YELLOW, those below 28 tee off WHITE
Junior girls play off the RED tees regardless of handicap

In mixed stroke play competitions girls will get an adjustment – at our Club they get 2 extra strokes on their handicap.

4. Useful Information

Junior Development Team:

The Junior Organiser
The Club Welfare Officer
A member of the golf professional team.

Between them they:

Ensure that junior members are safe
Organise competitions, matches, handicaps
Do whatever is required to run the section
If you have any questions or problems, then members of this team are your first point of contact. They are often at the club and very approachable, as they are there to help you.

Facilities:

Junior Noticeboard

The junior noticeboard is located on the lower ground floor. Make sure you know where this is as it has information regarding competitions, results, etc.

Practice Grounds

We have various practice facilities which are available to juniors:

A chipping and putting green
Two practice nets (alongside 1st tee) and
The short game area and practice bunker alongside the 11th green – bring your own practice balls

Please remember to treat these areas with respect.

Clubhouse Facilities

When the Clubhouse is open, juniors can order drinks and snacks in the spike bar (obviously no alcohol under the age of 18 years!). Parents and family friends are always welcome to share these facilities – at least one parent needs to be a club member (even if only a social member). Check with the Bar Manager if you’re not sure about the dress code.

Coombe Wood Club Diary – Website

More for parents – Don’t forget to obtain a copy of the club diary from the Manager’s office, as it is another source of information and gives senior members’ contact details.
Our club website – and the related App – also contain useful information, and the members’ area has information about players’
handicaps etc.

Application form

The application form gives us the information we need to look after junior members, and parents / guardians are asked to let the Club know of any changes in the details provided. This will assist the Junior Development Team in addressing the needs of juniors taking part in our activities.
The form includes emergency parental medical consent which may be needed in the case of accidents and emergencies.

5. Junior Coaching

Weekend coaching sessions are held weekly, (most) Saturdays 1:30pm -2:30pm. These are for new and current junior members of all ages and abilities. Coaching takes place either on the practice areas or out on the course. Currently this is free of charge to Coombe Wood junior members.
Juniors are also encouraged to take individual lessons with our PGA Professionals in addition to any group sessions.

Sunday Afternoon 6-in-60

We have just started a Sunday afternoon junior roll up from 4:30-5:30 – 6 holes in 60 minutes for beginners and intermediates. This is supervised by parents, no handicap required, just a sense of fun and wanting to play golf with friends. We scale the course – starting each hole from 150 or 100 yards or so as best suits the player.

Surrey County Programmes:

County-wide coaching programmes are available, aimed at identifying and encouraging talented and enthusiastic junior golfers from all backgrounds. This enables Surrey to cast their net wider and find more talented youngsters who, with the right encouragement and coaching, might be able to make the step up to County standard.
Surrey also runs the Rookie Tour and Rookie League events, as well as the Young Improvers Golf scheme, to give a wide range of playing and development opportunities for golfers from a very young age.
The Junior Organiser sends out information on these opportunities.

Guidelines for recording images:

PGA Professionals can use video equipment as a legitimate coaching aid. Junior golfers and their parents / guardians should know that this forms part of the coaching programme, and recordings will be used, stored and deleted with care.

Guidelines for taking and publishing images:

If a photograph is to be used by the Club, permission will be gained from the child and their parent to use their image – we do this as part of the application process. The personal details of the child will be limited to name, surname and broad age group.
Parents and guardians are welcome to photograph their own children, but must seek permission from the parents / guardians of the relevant children if their children are to be included. Any such photographs must be for personal use only, are not to be published, and must not contravene our Safeguarding Policy. Similarly any others taking photographs must follow the same rules.

6. How to fill out a score card:

Fill out your details:

Name
Handicap
Date
Competition title (or "for handicap" if a supplementary card)

Then give your card to your playing partner at the start of the round. Your partner will do the same and you will mark their card. Sometimes we play in groups of three, when player A will mark B’s card, and B will mark C’s card.
Once the round is complete, the two (or three) of you must check that the scores are correct before signing your own card (as player) and your partner’s card (as marker).
When playing a medal round competition, just record your score for each hole.

During Covid-19 and other special conditions, recording of scores may be via the app or by other methods as outlined by the club.

In a stableford competition, as well as recording your score, you also get points on each hole for your net score. See also “How handicaps work” below for more on what “net” and other golfing terms mean!
Please ask for help if you’re unsure when filling out your card. Any of the Junior Development Team – which includes the club’s professionals – will be glad to help!

How handicaps work

The handicapping system in golf means that players of very different ages and abilities, both male and female, can all play a sport together on very equal terms. There are several terms such as “net”, “gross”, “stroke index”, “medals”, “stableford” that are best explained face-to-face! – so ask your parents or one of the Junior Development Team to learn more.

7. Rules of Golf

The rules of golf are very precise, but you are not expected to learn them all. Make an effort to learn the basic rules – this is important if you want to play competitive golf.
It is a good idea to carry a copy of the rules of golf in your golf bag (copies of The Players’ Guide are available for free in the clubhouse).
Ten Vital Rules You Should Know:

Know your Ball - You need to be able to identify your ball; if you can’t identify your ball then it is lost
Know the difference between red posts and yellow posts - Learn what to do if your ball goes in a ditch. Simple Rule: If your ball goes in the ditch you can either play it out of there or take a one shot penalty and drop the ball. BUT where do you drop the ball?
Know how to drop the ball – Drop it at knee height
You can take relief from paths and other immoveable obstructions. Learn what is meant by “nearest point of relief”!
Provisional Ball – Find out what this means. Know how long you can search for your original ball, and you must always tell your fellow competitors that you are playing a provisional ball.
Unplayable – Learn what options you have when calling a ball unplayable!
Out of Bounds – What do you do when your ball goes out of bounds? White posts indicate the out of bounds areas.
Learn how to identify your ball off the green - You must mark it with a tee peg before you lift it or rotate it
The flagstick – for speed, you can putt with the flag still in the hole
Bunkers – Never touch the sand with your club before playing the shot

8. Important information for Parents and Juniors

Important Information for Parents:

Golf is an outdoor sport and can be played in all weathers and so your child should be prepared, and can take some time; we generally play in groups of 3 or 4 players teeing off every 6-10 minutes. If a competition starts at noon and there are 9 juniors playing in 3 groups, the last players will be finished around 4:30pm, and then they must check their score cards. Make sure you are on hand to collect your child.
Dress Code: Not all golf clubs allow shorts in the club house, and almost no clubs allow trainers, vest tops or tracksuits indoors. If you are unsure, please check the dress code with the club you are visiting before you arrive.
Special Rules: Always read the course notice board or competition information for any special rules for the day.

Important Information for Juniors:

What should you have in the bag?

Enough balls for your round
Tee pegs
A ball marker
A pitch mark repairer
Golf glove
A pencil
A scorecard to keep score – get one from the Pro’s Shop before you go out
All your clubs, but no more than 14 clubs!

What else should you bring?

Golf shoes as well as your ordinary shoes – you must always wear golf shoes on the course and ordinary shoes in the clubhouse
A spare pair of socks
A change of clothes if you are eating afterwards or the weather conditions are wet
Snacks to eat on the way round if you’re likely to get hungry!

In the winter you will also need:

Lots of warm layers – it may not feel cold, but you are outside for a long time, and the temperature can change
A woolly hat and some gloves as your head and hands will get cold

If it looks like it will rain, you will need:

Waterproofs and an umbrella
If you wear glasses, a baseball cap or a visor is also very useful in wet conditions

In the summer you will also need:

Sun block and hat
Plenty of water (not fizzy drinks)

Always:

Be ready to hit your shot – be Golf Ready
Avoid slow play
Before playing your shot, wait until the group in front have moved far enough away from the area towards which you are striking your ball
Always shout “FORE” if your ball is heading towards others whether they are players or not
If someone shouts “FORE” to you, turn away to protect yourself – don’t look around to see who shouted!
Check that you will not hit anyone with your club when you swing

Be sure to store phone numbers for:

The Golf Club
Pro Shop

Keep ypour mobile with you out on the course (switched off or on silent mode). If you, or someone with you is ill and needs help or you feel threatened phone the club or pro shop, tell them who you are, where you are and what the problem is. Try and attract the attention of other golfers.

9. Codes of Conduct for Parents and Juniors

The Codes of Conduct give a point of reference providing the minimum standards expected when participating in golf activities at Coombe Wood Golf Club or when visiting other clubs. Acceptance of the code is part of the application process.

Code of Conduct for Young Golfers

As a young golfer taking part in a Coombe Wood Golf Club activity, you should:

Help create and maintain an environment free of fear and harassment
Demonstrate fair play and apply golf’s standards both on and off the course
Understand that you have the right to be treated as an individual
Respect the advice that you receive
Treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself
Respect other people and their differences
Look out for yourself and for the welfare of others
Speak out (to your parents or a club representative) if you consider that you or others have been poorly treated
Be organised and on time
Tell someone in authority if you are leaving the venue
Accept that these guidelines are in place for the well-being of all concerned
Treat organisers and coaches with respect
Observe instructions or restrictions requested by the adults looking after you
Follow Coombe Wood’s safe golf guidance

You should not take part in any irresponsible, abusive, inappropriate or illegal behaviour which includes:

Smoking
Using foul language
Publicly using critical or disrespectful descriptions of others either in person or through text, email or social network sites
Consuming alcohol, illegal performance-enhancing drugs or stimulants

You should take care when:

Crossing public roads
Playing on holes which cross over each other

Where behaviour is inappropriate and does not accord with this guidance, juniors can expect to face disciplinary action. This may come in the form of a verbal warning, a written warning, an interview with members of the junior development team or with a committee member. Ultimately this may lead to expulsion from the Golf Club and in extreme cases referral to an appropriate authority.

Code of Conduct for Parents/Guardians of Young Golfers

Parents have an important role to play in their child’s membership and participation in golf and must take overall responsibility for their child’s behaviour and conduct.
Coombe Wood Golf Club has a duty of care towards children when they are involved in Club activities. Acceptance of the code is part of the application process.

As parents you are expected to:

Positively support your child and show an interest in their chosen activity
Do not place your child under pressure or push them in to activities they do not want to do
Be realistic and supportive
Promote your child’s participation in playing sport for fun
Tell the club about any changes relevant to your child’s health and wellbeing
Deliver and collect your child punctually before and after coaching sessions/competitions
Ensure your child has clothing and kit appropriate to the weather conditions
Ensure you child has appropriate equipment, plus adequate food and drink
Ensure that you child understands the rules of Golf and teach them that they can only do their best
Ensure that your child understands their Code of Conduct
Behave responsibly at Coombe Wood GC and on the golf course; do not embarrass your child
Show appreciation and support all coaches, volunteers and staff
Accept the decision and judgement of the officials during events and competition

As parents/guardians you have the right to:

Be assured that your child is safeguarded during their participation in the sport
Be informed of problems or concerns relating to your child
Be informed if your child is injured
Have consent sought for issues such as trips and photography
Contribute to the decisions of the club
Have any concerns about any aspect of your child’s welfare listened to and responded to

Any breaches of this code of conduct will be dealt with immediately by our Club Welfare Officer. Persistent concerns or breaches may result in you being asked not to attend games if your attendance is considered detrimental to the welfare of young participants. The ultimate action should a parent/guardian continue to breach the code of conduct may be that Coombe Wood Golf regrettably asks your child to leave the session, event or club.

10. Junior Forum

We value the opinions and feedback of all our young golfers at any time, and we have a dedicated session in our calendar for our annual Junior Forum.

11. When can Juniors Play?

Juniors are permitted to play at any time, except at weekends and Bank Holidays, when hours of play are limited to after 14.00 in summer and 13.00 in winter months (when the clocks change). Start from the 1st (from 11th ONLY if 9th green and 10th are clear).
Please also remember to check the Events Boards outside the Pro’s Shop, and avoid any times where the Tees have been booked.
There are also several regular weekday events to avoid:

Mondays 8:00-8:30 and 9:00-9:30 Froggs
Tuesdays 9:00-12:30 Ladies competitions followed by Men’s mid week Roll Up
Wednesdays 8:00-8:30 and 9:00-9:30 Froggs
Thursday 12:00-12:30 Men’s mid week Roll Up
Friday 8:00-8:30 and 9:00-9:30 Froggs

If in doubt ask in the Pro’s Shop; or any of the Junior Development Team
And remember:

Any junior member under 12 must be accompanied by a parent or responsible adult
Children aged 12 and over must be accompanied until the club’s Professionals have approved that the child is safe and competent to play on their own
We are sure you will always be courteous and polite
Let faster groups through

12. Help needed!

To be successful, the Junior Section relies on the support of parents to help in various ways.

Please let the Junior Organiser know if you could help or would like to know more, or if there are other ways in which you would like to help - training on offer as needed!

We have quite a few events and matches and it is not possible for one person to supervise all of them. These roles do not all need a knowledge of golf, but all do need commitment to young people! Also, as other club members have been very willing to help, I hope to send a similar if shorter message to the Club generally.

FIRST - A NOTE ON SAFEGUARDING

Each of these roles involves an element of responsibility with regard to children, and appropriate checks will be needed. These will include the following:

One-off support - no particular checks needed
Occasional or regular support - a volunteer application and self-disclosure form and references from 2 people
Frequent support - needs a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Our safeguarding procedures will give fuller details.

The Roles … with more detail below:

JUNIOR ORGANISER / DEPUTY JUNIOR ORGANISER
JUNIOR ORGANISER FOR THE DAY – supervises events at the Club
JUNIOR ORGANISER - AWAY MATCHES – looks after our players at away fixtures
ROLL-UPS - ADULT HELPERS – make sure everyone gets a good experience of golf
COACHING - ADULT HELPERS
COOMBE WOOD JUNIOR OPEN HELPERS

JUNIOR ORGANISER / DEPUTY JUNIOR ORGANISER

These are the main parts of the role, and it would be great to share this, and that person might in due course take over:

Promoting the success of the junior section
Providing parents, juniors, club manager, coaches and volunteers with regular updates/communications via newsletters, information on the website and other media
Arranging competitions and coaching for junior members
Arranging matches against other clubs and other CWGC sections
Outreach to potential new members
Helping to produce, implement and maintain a junior development plan
Working and communicating with the men’s and ladies' Captains, club manager and appropriate committees to ensure the junior section is seen as an integral part of the golf club
Supporting and implementing safeguarding policy and procedures
Ensure membership list and contact details are up to date and readily available to those who need them
Disclosure and Barring checks are required for this role

JUNIOR ORGANISER FOR THE DAY

Our junior events and matches at the club are all supervised

Organise the groups, sort out any issues that arise, acts as starter so everyone tees off ok
Involve adult helpers as needed e.g. to accompany younger members; liaise with Junior Organiser from visiting clubs
Be at the Club during the event, check that the groups are progressing ok / deal with anything arising
Make sure the juniors are ok at the end, check that cards are all ok, wait if needed until juniors are collected
The junior organiser at the start could hand over to another who would then be there to the end, so the task can be shared
Decide if event is safe to proceed e.g. if the weather looks doubtful or too hot!
Junior organiser leaves their mobile number with Pro's Shop in case of need
Volunteer application and self-disclosure form and references from 2 people probably needed if support is occasional or regular; probably not if one-off

JUNIOR ORGANISER - AWAY MATCHES

Similar to JUNIOR ORGANISER FOR THE DAY but at away matches – typically this will be one of the parents of our team members

Liaise with the home club Junior Organiser over playing order, handicaps, the results, etc.
Responsible for the health and safety paperwork for each team member
Make sure the juniors are ok during and after the match and wait if needed until juniors are collected
Note that it is the parents’ responsibility, and not the club’s, to get their children to and from venues, or to arrange lifts if they want
Volunteer application and self-disclosure form and references from 2 people probably needed if support is occasional or regular; probably not if one-off

ROLL-UPS - ADULT HELPERS

We have in the past had roll-ups on a Friday evening, open to all juniors who just turn up to play together:

All our events are supervised (unless otherwise advised) and someone needs to take charge
Organise the groups, sort out any issues that arise, act as starter
Involve adult helpers e.g. to accompany younger members, make sure everyone is safe, help juniors to learn the game and the rules
Make sure the juniors are ok during and after the roll-up and wait if needed until all are collected
Volunteer application and self-disclosure form and references from 2 people probably needed if support is occasional or regular; probably not if one-off

COACHING - ADULT HELPERS

Our numbers for coaching have to date been manageable for our PGA Pro, but we hope that they will grow! … and we would then need support similar to roll-ups

COOMBE WOOD JUNIOR OPEN HELPERS

We are very fortunate to host one of Surrey’s Junior Opens, usually in September, and while the event is managed by the Club and the Pro, help is needed on the day with

Registration
Starting
Ball-spotting
Making sure competitors finalise their cards correctly
Help with any issues that arise

13. Conditions for Junior competitions

General Notes

For all Qualifying Competitions (marked Q below) and match play, male juniors with a CONGU ® handicap of less than 28 use the White tees; 28 or above use Yellow; for Non-Qualifying Competitions, yellow tees may be used for male players. Female players always use Red Tees
Matches should normally start from the 1st tee but with the agreement of all or both players may start from the 11th tee. Conditions of etiquette apply when starting from 11th tee. The provision to play from the 11th tee does not apply to finals of competitions. Extra holes MUST be played from the 1st tee.
Starting times for medals etc are allocated by the Junior Organiser using the 1st Tee.

MONTHLY MEDAL (Q)

Eligibility: Junior (all Handicaps)
Format: 18-holes stroke play from April to September and Stableford from October to March; then 9 holes in November, December, January, February