Following the launch of the LET’s rebrand, the organisation has already demonstrated how it’s going to #RaiseOurGame. Working in partnership with the Women’s Golf Association of India (WGAI) and the DLF Golf and Country Club’s Academy, a series of webinars will take place involving girls from across India. The first of these took place on Friday 26th June and it was hailed as a great success. Even though the global pandemic has made it impossible for the girls to gather together in person, this has not stopped the efforts being made to develop golf for girls.
Approximately 70 juniors aged between 12 and 18-years-old were invited to a one-and-a-half hour virtual workshop that involved LET players Vani Kapoor from India and Inci Mehmet from England as well as a local Indian player, Gaurika Bishnoi. The girls logged in to the webinar from towns and cities across India.
After an introduction from the WGAI and from the LET outlining its #RaiseOurGame initiative, the girls were provided with information about mental preparation, pre-shot routines, fitness for golf, practice drill techniques and how to prepare themselves for getting back to play. Also, Inci, Vani and Gaurika delivered short clinics so that the girls were able to benefit from their knowledge and experiences in the sport.
Champika Sayal, Secretary General WGAI, said: “WGAI in a first, has taken the lead in Indian golf to ensure that young potential champions are coached by the best through these webisodes. We hope that other stakeholders in the country follow the WGAI-LET webisode series. No young girl should sit idle thinking about uncertainty. Golfers are wired to bring out their best through creativity. New ideas and values from the WGAI-LET webisode series will enhance the golfers’ knowledge and engagement in the game.”
Karan Bindra, Director of Instruction of the DLF Golf and Country Club Academy. said: “At the DLF Golf Academy we have always offered lessons using the latest in golf teaching technology. The state-of-the-art Performance Centre is fitted with the TrackMan, V1 analysis software, the SAM Balance and Putt Labs and the K-vest. We have recently added a TrackMan simulator to the facility. It was a delight to be able to conduct the first WGAI-LET Golf Webisode via teleconferencing from the DLF Golf Academy. It goes to show what can be done with the technology available. We would like to thank the WGAI and LET for organising the webinar.”
Inci Mehmet enjoyed having the opportunity to pass her knowledge on to the next generation of golfers and said: “It was such an honour to have the opportunity to share our experiences with the juniors. All of the young talent was eager to learn, appreciative, and full of such fantastic and fun questions. As much as I enjoyed sharing my own knowledge, I personally felt as though I took away a few pointers myself. This provides me with great joy and confidence that the juniors involved were able to take personal insight, continuing to build and develop on their own aspirations, becoming the next world class golfers and leaders themselves.”
Vani Kapoor (above, right) added: “I really enjoyed the session on Zoom. It was great interacting with the future stars of our country.”
Gaurika Bishnoi echoed: “The WGAI-LET online session was extremely interactive and exciting. The turnout of the juniors displayed their keenness to excel in the sport. I’m glad to have been a part of the series and in contributing to the brighter future of women in golf. Compliments to the LET and WGAI for initiating this type of online informative session and providing the kids with an opportunity to learn and grow.”
As part of #RaiseOurGame, the LET is looking for new ways to support the growth of the sport in line with The R&A’s Women in Golf Charter. This was the first time a series of webinars has been organised linked to one of the LET’s events. The Hero Women’s Indian Open is developing a strong track-record of innovation after its initiative at last year’s event to ban the use of plastic bottles and install water stations across the course.
For more information about #RaiseOurGame, visit www.ladieseuropeantour.com.
