Ponteland fairway becomes playground for day

Jun 5 2008 by Tim Taylor, The Journal

GOLF was on the school timetable yesterday when 140 seven-year-olds enjoyed an introduction to the sport at the Ponteland club in Northumberland.

The boys and girls from the first schools at Ponteland, Darras Hall and Belsay had a go with plastic clubs and sponge balls, supervised by two dozen older pupils from Ponteland Middle and High Schools and about a dozen teachers. The older pupils were practising their own skills, having all taken junior sports leader courses.

The have-a-go-at-golf session was the brainchild of Helen Atkinson, school sports co-ordinator for the Ponteland area.

“It was a cracking idea,” said the Ponteland club secretary, Chris Espiner, a former headteacher of Greencroft School in Annfield Plain, County Durham. “It was great to see so many youngsters enjoying themselves and tucking into their crisps and pop with big smiles on their faces. They all had goody bags as well.

“Judging by the way the youngsters threw themselves into it, I would guess they all had a lot to talk about at the dinner table when they got home afterwards. The intention was to show youngsters other enjoyable sports apart from the main winter and summer sports of football and cricket.

“Until they have a go at it, they are not going to know whether they enjoy whacking a golf ball around.”