2. The-Academy-Course.docx

Implementing the 5-stage teeing system at your club during Junior Playing Events, but also advocating this system to children and their family outside of organized programming is critical to the development of the child and continued engagement in the game. By implementing the 5-stage teeing system...

Implementing the 5-stage teeing system at your club during Junior Playing Events, but also advocating this system to children and their family outside of organized programming is critical to the development of the child and continued engagement in the game. By implementing the 5-stage teeing system and directing your juniors to the correct starting position based on their development it will reduce dropout and drive long term retention in the game. The system is designed to set the child up for success when playing the game. It will level the playing field across the participants by not unnecessarily rewarding children who are developmentally more mature and thus demonstrate a technical ability to hit the ball further. It should allow the junior golfers to get a real sense of playing the game and scoring. The goal is to build confidence in our junior golfers. The adapted course will allow them to experience success and shooting low! It will Educate the family and parents. And finally, it will Improve pace of play. The adapted course within your program links directly to the Learn to Play Golf Adapted Course to help you utilize what may already be in place at your club if you are running this program. The adapted course consists of 5 teeing positions and we recommend that you use an Academy Tee on your course as the furthest teeing position from the green. The tee box you use should fall within the recommended yardage guidelines outlined in this training. The remaining four teeing positions are then based on a percentage calculation of the Academy Tee you choose. The adapted course consists of an Academy tee, which should be an official tee box on your course that should ideally fall within the recommended yardage guidance. It should ideally measure a maximum of 2,800 yards in length for 9 holes. The adapted course also consists of the birdie tee, which is 80% of the Academy Tee length you choose on your course. The Eagle Tee is 60% of the Academy Tee Length chosen. The albatross tee is 40% of the Academy Tee Length chosen. Last is the ace tee, which is 20% of the Academy Tee Length you choose on your course. We believe that junior golfers should always have the opportunity to learn to play the course and score like an adult golfer. Therefore, your Golf Course should consist of Par 3's, 4s and 5s, but at distances whereby the child can reach the green in regulation. There is a recommended maximum guideline for each hole type from the Academy Tee that you choose to use on your course. The yardages for each hole are then based on a percentage calculation of this. The recommended maximum distance of a Par 3 for the Academy Tee should be 160 yards. The recommended maximum distance of a Par 4 for the Academy Tee should be 320 Yards. And the recommended maximum distance of a Par 5 for the Academy Tee should be 440 Yards. The yardages for the remaining teeing positions are then based on a percentage of this yardage of the Academy Tee you have selected. The recommended yardages for each of the hole types are shown in the table. When running your events, you should give your juniors a chance to play on the course up to 9 holes, but this will of course depend on your course access, layout and time available. The amount of holes that a junior will complete will vary depending on their experience, ability and level of the program they are on. The exact layout of your course will be up to you, but it is recommended that the juniors get a real experience of playing the game and access to varying hole types and lengths. We recommend that your 9 hole course consists of two Par 3's. There are also recommended to be five Par 4's on your 9 hole course. Lastly, there are recommended to be two Par 5's on your course. Using the recommended maximum yardages for each teeing position and suggested course layout, we can produce a maximum recommended 9-hole course yardage. Depending on the specific layout of your course, the number of hole combinations and yardage of each hole type, the yardages will vary from club to club. The recommended academy tee length for 9 holes is 2800 yards. The recommended birdie tee length is 2240 yards. The recommended eagle tee length is 1680 yards. The recommended albatross tee length is 1120 yards. Finally, the recommended ace tee length is 560 yards. It is your responsibility to make these teeing positions as visible as possible on your course during your events and for when your juniors play outside of organized Junior Playing Events. When setting up the course we recommend utilising the Coaches Toolbox where there are a variety of resources to support the setup of the adapted course at your club. You can access these on the Junior Playing Event page. You should also clearly guide each Junior to the most appropriate starting position for them based on their development progress and journey through the 6 Level program. You can edit and print off a Junior Scorecard from the Marketing Toolbox. Make this available to Juniors through your golf shop or welcome area so they can use it during independent play. During your on course events and classes you can lay out the teeing positions using coloured cones. The teeing positions can be identified on the cart path adjacent to each hole. Juniors can find the markers and tee the ball up anywhere in line with this mark. Finally, we recommend you choose a place on each of your holes and add a permanent marker. These can then be found by the juniors when playing the course. In the Coaches Toolbox accessible via GLF Connect, you can access a Building your Academy Course calculator. This calculator allows you to enter the yardage of your Academy Teeing positions for each hole you are using on your course and it will calculate for you the recommended teeing position to consider using on each hole. To do this, the first step is to navigate to the calculator at the bottom of the Playing Event page within the JGA section. Next, enter the yardage of the official tee box you are using for the Academy Tee. After this, the remaining teeing positions and total yardage will be calculated for you. Lastly, you should assess each of these yardages on the course before transferring to your scorecards. As every club will be different in respect of the course layout and position relative to your clubhouse, you will need to spend some time building a course that is appropriate for you and your club. You can also utilize the Learn to play golf course if this is already in place at your club and if you are operating this program. There are a few things to consider and steps to take when building your course. Before you begin, make use of the resources available to you within the Coaches Toolbox. Assess the 9 holes on your golf course that allow for a loop, which is accessible to the clubhouse. Try to select 9 holes with 5 Par 4's, 2 Par 3's and 2 Par 5's to make a par 36, 9 hole course. Add the yardages for the Academy Tee to the Building your Course Calculator. After this, the remaining tee yardages will automatically be calculated for you and will therefore guide you for going out onto the course and selecting the exact position for the tees. Once you are on the course, based on the recommended yardages for the remaining tee's you should assess the best position for these tee boxes on your course. Position the tees where possible on a flat piece of land and at a favourable angle for the juniors to approach the green or run the ball up to the green. Try to add variation to the lengths of each hole, but ensuring you position the tee markers within the recommended hole yardage bracket. Attempt to create interesting hole layouts by positioning the tee markers where it will challenge and engage the child on the hole. Lastly, make a note of the exact yardages for the teeing positions ready to transfer to your Scorecard Builder. Prior to the event, add the exact yardages for each teeing position to your template scorecard on the Marketing Toolbox. Make sure to print your scorecards locally, ready to give to each junior attending your event. Finally, use cones or spraypaint your cart path, to mark each of your teeing positions if these are not permanently positioned.