An inspiring NT Golf program has brought the sport to schools in remote communities, potentially nurturing future golfing stars within the Territory.
The Territory could have some future professional golf stars in the making following an inspiring NT Golf program which brought the sport to remote schools.
More than 300 students gave the ball a whack as Golf Australia’s relationships manager for the NT Brodie Morcom ran 17 clinics over six days in partnership with Hockey NT.
The 2000km journey saw five schools — Pine Creek School, Mataranka School, Elliott School, Tennant Creek Primary School, and Tennant Creek High School — take part in the My Golf initiative.
Morcom said the skills of the students — including a standout 11-year-old boy from Tennant Creek — impressed, as many of the participants had only been introduced to golf for the first time.
“The kids trying golf had some great reactions but the looks of wonder were more on my face,” Morcom said.
“Seeing such natural talent for ball sports, of all kinds, is such a rare thing. You’re showing some kids once and they just get it.
“That Grade Five boy at Tennant Creek Primary School literally saw me hit it once, copied and hit his ball nearly perfectly.
“After one shot, he said ‘I like golf. I want to play it’.”
The youngster had curiously picked up a cut-down seven iron and clipped the ball 70m off a synthetic turf mat at the school oval.
The joy of the participants led one school to request an equipment pack to continue the sport while other schools said they were eager to include golf as a fourth term activity.
Making the sport more accessible was the fact the schools were using soft rubber balls and rolled out synthetic turf mats which allowed activities to be held on basketball courts and in gyms in some instances.
“We wanted to go to schools that sometimes get missed in remote communities,” Morcom said.
“Golf and hockey are two sports that nearly all of the kids had never experienced and we wanted to provide a different opportunity to footy or basketball.
“You don’t understand how an hour with kids can be life-changing.
“I really felt the value when a schoolteacher told me that one Grade Three girl who didn’t get involved with sports took to golf and hockey.
“She had a go and that’s what the My Golf schools program is all about.”
Morcom and Hockey NT growth and inclusion co-ordinator Dominic Sloane knew the kids had relished the opportunity when they noticed the kids had remembered Morcom from several years ago when he last visited to introduce touch football.
“Kids speaking in their local language would give a hug and express ‘Thank you’,” he said.
“You realise that a positive experience stays with them because some of the kids in Tennant Creek remembered I’d been to their school three years before with touch football.”
Morcom’s roadshow to the remote communities also saw him meet with the local Tennant Creek Golf Club, which welcomed the idea of getting kids involved in an introductory junior golf program.
Another roadshow is already being planned, potentially in August to Nhulunbuy, the birthplace of top pro Anthony Quayle, who was the Queensland PGA champion in January, 2022.
Alice Springs and Katherine are also on the horizon.
Successful amateur Skye Lampton, who played at the Australian Amateurs in Sydney earlier this year, is originally from Katherine.
“Of all the kids I met, there was only one golfer a very few knew of … Tiger Woods,” Morcom said.
“It would be great to have Skye involved as a role model.”
Originally published as NT Golf program sees 300+ Territory schoolkids give club a swing in remote communities