If kid presence at local clubs is any indication, future of Wales golf looks bright

Wales has some considerable ground to make up before becoming a formidable rival to neighboring Scotland and Ireland’s golf tourism, especially with North Americans. I haven’t run into any others here in five days and most clubs tell me few pass through, though they do see a little more than before.

With their first Ryder Cup three years away, the future looks bright for golf in Wales, not only with tourism but within their own ranks. If the amount of kids I’ve seen embracing the game at local clubs is any kind of foreshadowing, this little nook of the U.K. should be in very good shape.

At Tenby Golf Club yesterday, Wales’ oldest accredited club, it was Jr. Captain’s Day and there were scores of teens and pre-teens on the course and hanging around the first tee box (I wonder if there will ever be an age where you can tee off in front of a cluster of teenage girls and not feel like you have to impress them…).

This afternoon at Cardigan Golf Club, there was no special event to speak of, but the place was littered with kids. Some were so young they weren’t course-ready, but it didn’t stop them from hanging at the club and putting around anyways. Two days ago at Pennard, there were enough kids hanging around you’d think they were raffling off free IPhones.

Many of the clubs we’ve visited so far in Wales were established in the 19th century, but the children of the 21st century look right at home here. Any golfer can remember when they were first introduced to the game. I still vividly recall receiving my first half set of irons at my grandparents house when I was eight. Seeing how the members of the clubs are handling its kids in Wales should remind us how important it is to make golf readily available to future generations worldwide.

Two kids engage in a putting contest at Cardigan Golf Club on Wales’ west coast.