On the eve of the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open, a special behind-the-scenes tour took place for a group of girls introduced to golf through the national ‘Get into Golf’ initiative. Working in partnership with Scottish Golf and with assistance from IMG, the Ladies European Tour provided the girls, who’s ages ranged from 9 to 17 years, with an opportunity to gain access to areas such as the Media Centre, the Players’ Lounge in the clubhouse and some of the event offices. They also met the meteorologist who explained how his role monitoring the weather provides valuable information for those running the tournament.
The guided tour gave the girls an insight into what is involved in staging a professional women’s golf event. After telling the girls about the Ladies European Tour, Mike Round, the Development Director, spoke to them about how the LET is helping with the drive to get more girls into the sport and support them as their playing standard improves. He also spoke about the other career opportunities that exist for those who might not reach the highest levels of play, but still want to work in the sport. After the guided tour, the group met up with Scottish Professional Player, Gemma Dryburgh who took the group to the practice ground for a clinic. She impressed the girls by hitting with a variety of shots and she also answered many questions about her golfing background and experiences.
Mike commented: “We’re grateful to the event organisers for giving us access to the normally restricted areas and our hope is that events such as this will not only inspire the girls to carry on playing golf, but will also open their eyes to the possibility of working in the sport.”
