Second bite of cherry gives Newbattle a numbers boost

NEWBATTLE has seen its junior membership almost double over the last 18 months after the Eskbank club was rewarded for having a second go at clubgolf coaching.

A first go to get involved in Scotland’s junior initiative failed to spark interest, or backing, but now junior convenor Billy Gorman is making real headway.

Junior numbers have increased from around 35 to 61, the result of a concerted effort to create more junior medals and bring the youngsters together to play and get to know each other. “The difference this time around was getting our club captain, Graham Lyall, and the club council to back it,” said Gorman.

“I had spent a lot of time with clubgolf’s Laura Rushby getting organised to do this and getting everything in place that we needed.

“So this time when I took it to council I had built a good case and they could see the benefit.”

Lyall added: “We are fully behind what Billy and his team are doing and delighted to see how popular the coaching has become in a short space of time.”