Port Royal Golf Club has launched a development programme aimed at attracting more people to the sport by offering a full range of coaching sessions and group clinics at the course.

The main focus is on getting youngsters introduced to the sport, but Kim Swan, the teaching professional at Port Royal, emphasised that the aim is to introduce persons of all ages and experience levels to golf.

“We are so excited to be launching the Golf Developmental Programme and encouraging more people to play the game,” said Swan, previously one of the Island’s top golfers.

“Golf is a wonderful sport that teaches life lessons. It encourages people to socialise, meet new people and enjoy the outdoors with the breathtaking scenery of the Island. Where better to learn how to play golf than in Bermuda?”

In addition, in partnership with the Bermuda Junior Golf Association, the programme also focuses on junior players and offers special introductory “Pee Wee” coaching sessions for students as young as 3. As part of the teaching, the club holds monthly tournaments so that students can socialise and be properly introduced to the game.

Swan, who grew up near Port Royal and was introduced to the game at a young age, had a humbling experience recently when he was invited to speak to students at nearby Southampton Glebe School.

“The beauty of working with entry-level golfers is that it really keeps you grounded in the fundamentals, and I really enjoy that,” Swan said. “I’m a sportsman right across the board, but golf is my trade and anybody that plays sport knows that it is reinforcing the basic fundamentals that make you better as you grow into the game.

“Two weeks ago, I was invited to do a presentation to Southampton Glebe and that was an awesome experience because both Dwayne [the playing professional at Port Royal] and myself, my brother Darren and Cornell Bean are all golf pros who started at Southampton Glebe. The proximity of Southampton Glebe to Port Royal lends itself to the encouragement of young people to get involved in the game of golf.

“It is in the infancy stage, but we’re very excited.”

Port Royal Golf Course, which is open to the public, features a full driving range and 18 championship holes over 6,842 yards and is ranked among the world’s best public golf courses by Golf Digest and named Bermuda’s finest course by the New York Times.

“The beauty of learning to play on a PGA-designed course like Port Royal is that it prepares you to play on any course in the world,” Swan said.

“Dwayne and I are both proof that public golf works because we are boys who came from this community and travelled the world. The excitement for golf when I visited Southampton Glebe School warmed my heart. As long as public golf exists, there will always be the opportunity to create Kim Swans, Dwayne Pearmans, Cornell Beans, Darren Swans and many others.”

Individual or group golf coaching sessions are available seven days a week from 7.30am until dusk, starting at $60 for a half-hour, $120 for an hour and $240 plus a nine-hole fee for a playing lesson. Clinics for junior players, adults and corporate groups are also available. In addition, the development programme works with area hotels to provide multi-day golf school packages for tourists.

Lessons are also available at Port Royal’s sister course, Ocean View Golf Club, which features nine holes with 18 different tee positions set for a challenging par 70.

Golf equipment is available at no charge for those who need it.

n For more information or to register for a lesson or clinic, visit www.portroyalgolf.bm or call 234-0974.