Strabane Golf Club: Get Into Golf

Aim

We want to give more young people in Strabane the chance to try golf, especially girls and those who haven't had the opportunity before.

Who Are We?

Strabane Golf Club has been part of the local community since 1908, and we’re incredibly proud of the history we have here. The club moved to Ballycolman in 1953 and our course became the 18 holes we know today in 1974.

Over the years, generations of local people have walked these fairways. Some have been very good golfers and, like the rest of us, some have spent a fair bit of time looking for their ball in places it probably shouldn’t be!

Golf is obviously at the heart of the club, but it has always been about the people too. It’s the friendships made around the course, a bit of friendly competition and sitting down in the clubhouse for a chat afterwards that make the club what it is.

We’ve always tried to give something back to the community that has supported us. Our course has hosted charity and community events supporting causes including Foyle Hospice, Marie Curie and Strabane Community Search & Rescue, alongside many other local groups and fundraisers.

We’re also really proud of our junior golf. Seeing a young person arrive at the club, learn how to hold a club, hit their first good shot and gradually start finding their way around the course is one of the best parts of being involved here.

After more than a century, we’re proud of where Strabane Golf Club has come from, but we’re just as interested in where it goes next. We want new faces coming through the gates, more young people enjoying our 18 holes and another generation growing up with Strabane Golf Club as part of their community.

Why Are We Crowdfunding?

We know there are young people around Strabane who would love the chance to try golf but, for some families, getting started isn't as simple as turning up at the course.

Before a young person even reaches the first tee, there can be quite a shopping list. Clubs can cost hundreds of pounds, and then there are golf balls, a bag or trolley, suitable clothing and footwear, coaching and membership to think about. Even junior membership at Strabane Golf Club is currently £60 a year. That's a lot to spend when your son or daughter hasn't even had the chance to find out if they enjoy the game. 

We don't think a young person's background or what their family can afford should decide whether they get the chance to try golf.

That's why we're launching a new 12-week Introduction to Golf programme for up to 30 young people from Strabane, with a particular focus on girls, complete beginners and young people from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds.

This is new and additional to our normal junior golf activity. It's specifically designed to bring young people into Strabane Golf Club who aren't currently playing golf or taking part in our existing junior activities.

We also know we can't just put up a poster at the golf club and expect the young people we want to reach to come through the gates. We'll promote the programme through local schools, youth and community organisations, social media and our existing community connections, helping us reach families and young people who may have had little or no previous connection with golf.

Nobody will need their own clubs or any previous experience. We'll provide the equipment and coaching, with two qualified golf coaches delivering a 2-hour 15-minute session each week. Having two coaches means we can split participants into smaller groups and give beginners more individual support.

The programme will build week by week, starting with individual skills before gradually giving participants the confidence to take those skills onto the golf course.

Weeks 1–4: Learning the basics

The first four weeks will be about making golf feel welcoming and giving everyone the chance to learn the basics without the pressure of immediately having to play a round.

We'll break the game down into manageable parts. Participants will learn grip, stance and swing, with sessions focusing on different parts of the game including putting, chipping, iron play and driving.

We'll use putting mats, target nets, alignment sticks, cones and markers to make learning enjoyable, with challenges such as putting towards targets, chipping into target areas and improving the accuracy of iron shots.

Participants will also learn the basics of course safety, golf etiquette and the rules of the game, so someone who has never stepped onto a golf course before can start feeling comfortable in that environment.

By the end of week four, every participant will have experienced putting, chipping, iron play and driving, hit plenty of their first golf shots and started building the confidence to take the next step.

Weeks 5–8: From practice to playing

During the next four weeks, we'll start turning those individual skills into actually playing golf.

Participants will continue working on drivers and irons, while learning about club selection, distance and accuracy. We'll also introduce pitch-and-putt style activities and shortened holes, allowing beginners to understand how driving, iron play, chipping and putting all come together.

Participants will progress towards playing 3 introductory holes, supported by our coaches and volunteers. This gives them their first proper experience of moving around the course and playing from tee to green without expecting a complete beginner to suddenly tackle 18 holes.

We'll also introduce a scramble format, where young people play in small teams and everyone takes a shot before the group continues from the best-positioned ball. It's a fun and supportive way to introduce playing with others without putting all the pressure on an individual's score.

There'll be friendly putting, chipping and accuracy challenges along the way, but this isn't about finding the best golfer in the group. It's about seeing improvement, enjoying the game and helping young people build confidence together.

Weeks 9–12: Out on the course

The final four weeks will bring everything together.

Participants will spend more time on the course, progressing from their introductory 3-hole experience towards playing up to 6 holes, depending on their ability and confidence.

They'll put their driving, iron play, chipping and putting into practice while learning more about club selection, keeping score, pace of play, course safety and etiquette.

We'll continue using small-group and scramble formats, but participants will also have opportunities to play against and alongside one another. By this point, we want them to experience the social side of golf as well as the technical side – walking the course together, encouraging each other and enjoying a bit of friendly competition.

By week 12, someone who arrived at Strabane Golf Club having never held a golf club could be standing on the course knowing which club to choose, how to play different shots, how to keep score and, most importantly, feeling comfortable enough to want to come back.

What happens after week 12?

We don't want the final session to be goodbye.

Getting more girls involved is particularly important to us. Women have been part of Strabane Golf Club for generations, and we want that to continue with the next generation. Our aim is to use this programme as the starting point for two new girls' youth teams, creating a clear pathway for girls who enjoy the programme to continue playing. 

Other young people who enjoy the programme will also be encouraged to continue with our junior section, giving them somewhere to keep developing the skills and friendships they've built during the 12 weeks.

We're investing in our volunteers too. Two club volunteers will undertake junior golf coaching development/qualifications, increasing the number of people within Strabane Golf Club who can support junior golfers and helping us continue this work after the funded programme finishes. 

The money raised will provide the qualified coaching, six junior golf sets, six trolleys, golf balls and practice equipment needed to make the programme possible without expecting families to purchase everything themselves. That equipment will stay at Strabane Golf Club afterwards, ready for the next group of beginners. 

For us, success isn't about finding the next professional golfer. It's about giving up to 30 local young people who weren't previously involved in golf a genuine opportunity to play. If they finish the 12 weeks with new skills, new friends, the confidence to play a few holes and a desire to keep coming back to Strabane Golf Club, we'll know the programme has done its job.

How Our Project Fits with Sport NI’s Creating Opportunities

At its heart, this project is about giving young people who might not normally get the chance to play golf a genuine way into the game.

We particularly want to reach girls, complete beginners and young people from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds. We know golf can be difficult to get into if nobody in your family plays or if buying clubs, equipment and paying for coaching simply isn't affordable. There can be another barrier too – if you've never been around golf before, walking through the gates of a golf club for the first time can feel daunting.

We want to remove those barriers rather than expect young people to overcome them themselves.

Our 12-week Introduction to Golf programme is completely new and additional to our normal junior activity. This isn't extra coaching for young people who already play at Strabane Golf Club. We'll reach out through local schools, youth and community organisations and our existing community connections to bring up to 30 young people who aren't currently involved in golf into the club.

Nobody will need to own clubs or have any previous experience. We'll provide the clubs, trolleys, golf balls, practice equipment and qualified coaching, allowing participants to simply come along and give the game a try.

And it won't be a one-off taster session. Over 12 weeks, participants will have time to build their skills and confidence properly. They'll start with putting, chipping, irons and driving, before progressing to pitch-and-putt activities, three-hole introductory play, team scrambles and eventually playing up to six holes on the course.

Getting more girls into golf is one of the biggest things we want this project to achieve. Women have been part of Strabane Golf Club for generations, but we want to make sure the next generation has the same opportunity. Our aim is to develop two new girls' youth teams, giving girls who discover golf through the programme somewhere to continue playing after week 12. 

We also want to create opportunities for people to play a more active role within the club. Two club volunteers will undertake junior golf coaching development/qualifications, increasing the number of people at Strabane Golf Club who can support young beginners and helping us continue creating these opportunities after the funded programme finishes. 

The equipment purchased will stay with Strabane Golf Club too. That means the next young person who wants to try golf won't necessarily need their own clubs either. We'll have equipment available and more volunteers with the skills to support them.

For us, success isn't simply getting 30 young people through the gates for 12 weeks. It's seeing young people who weren't previously involved in golf make their first swing, build their confidence, make friends and finish the programme with somewhere to continue playing. If we can establish two new girls' teams, develop two more volunteers and leave the club better equipped to welcome the next group of beginners, the impact will continue well beyond the initial 12 weeks.

How We’ll Spend The Money Raised

We’ve worked out what we need to give up to 30 young people a proper introduction to golf while making sure as much of the money as possible leaves something useful behind at Strabane Golf Club.

Having two coaches means we can split participants into smaller groups and give beginners more individual help as they learn putting, chipping, driving, course safety and the basics of actually playing the game.

This gives our coaches enough equipment to make the sessions varied and enjoyable, covering putting, chipping, driving and accuracy. We’ve allowed for plenty of golf balls as well. Anyone who remembers learning the game will probably understand why!

We want to have more people within Strabane Golf Club able to support junior golf so that the work can continue after the initial 12 weeks.

Golf in Northern Ireland doesn’t always come with sunshine, so having some basic wet-weather equipment available will help us keep young people involved when the weather inevitably has other ideas.

We want to reach beyond families who are already connected with the club, particularly girls and young people who might otherwise never hear about the opportunity.

Total project cost: £6,667

Sport NI contribution: £5,000
Crowdfunder/club contribution: £1,667

The important thing for us is that the money has a life beyond these 12 weeks. The clubs, trolleys, waterproofs and practice equipment will stay here and can be used by the next group of young people who want to give golf a go.

Community Impact

Strabane Golf Club has been part of the town since 1908. Over that time there have been thousands of rounds played, plenty of friendships made and, we’re sure, more than a few golf balls donated to the hedges along the way.

Women have been part of that story for a very long time. Historical records from 1912 describe Strabane Golf Club as having around 150 members, including ladies. The ladies’ side of the club remains active today, with regular competitions, charity days, a Lady Captain and Lady President.

That history is something we’re proud of, but we want to build on it.

We’d love to see more girls coming through our junior ranks and, as they grow older, more women playing, competing, coaching, volunteering and taking an active role around Strabane Golf Club.

It doesn’t matter whether a girl coming through this programme dreams of becoming a brilliant competitive golfer or simply wants to enjoy a few holes with her friends. We want her to know there is a place for her here.

We also know that not every young person locally starts with the same opportunities. Buying clubs, paying for coaching and then taking out membership can make golf difficult to try, particularly if nobody else in your family has ever played.

There’s another barrier that isn’t about money either. If you’ve never been around golf, walking into a golf club for the first time can probably feel a little daunting. You might not know the rules, what to wear, where to go or even how to hold a club.

We want to take all of that pressure away.

Up to 30 young people will be able to come through our gates, meet our coaches, use our equipment and simply have a go. They’ll get outdoors and be active, but they’ll also meet new people, learn something completely new and hopefully grow in confidence as the weeks go on.

We’re particularly excited about what this could do for girls locally. Our immediate aim is to develop two new girls’ youth teams, but we hope the impact lasts much longer than that.

We’d love some of the girls who first pick up a club through this programme to still be walking these fairways years from now. Maybe they’ll be playing competitively, maybe they’ll become coaches or volunteers, or maybe they’ll simply be the person encouraging another nervous young beginner to have their first swing.

The equipment purchased will stay at Strabane Golf Club too, ready for the next group of young people who want to try the game.

Women have been part of Strabane Golf Club for more than a century. We want girls and women to be an even bigger part of its next 100 years.

How you can play your part

There are a few simple ways you can help us get this project off the ground – and hopefully keep us out of the rough!

1. Make a pledge

Every donation helps, no matter how big or small. A fiver might not buy you much on a golf course these days, but put enough fivers together and they can give a young person in Strabane their first real chance to play the game.

2. Give us a share

If you can’t pledge, sharing our page is a massive help. Send it to your friends, family, workmates, golfing buddies or that one person in the group chat who somehow knows everybody in Strabane. The more people who hear about what we’re doing, the better chance we have of reaching our target.

3. Get your business involved

We’d love local businesses to get behind us. You could donate a prize or reward, support part of the programme or simply help us spread the word. We’ll make sure people know which local businesses have backed the next generation of golfers.

4. Have a go at fundraising

Fancy doing something yourself? Go for it. It could be a golf competition, sponsored activity, putting challenge, longest-drive competition or whatever else you can come up with.

Most of all, we’re asking the community to get behind us in whatever way they can.

Strabane has supported this golf club for generations. With your help, we can open the course up to a new generation, give more local young people their first chance to play and hopefully see plenty more girls standing on that first tee in the years ahead.

Thank you from everyone at Strabane Golf Club.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 16th October 2026 at 2:57pm