The R&A has been a committed supporter of SALJGA since it was formed and sees it as a key element in the development of junior golf in St Andrews. Duncan Weir, the Director of Golf Development at The R&A, met with Nick Randerson, Junior Golf Co-ordinator at St Andrews Links Trust to confirm the award. In recent years, talented young players such as Ewan Scott, Ian Redford, Daniel Sommerville, Peter Latimer, Greg Paterson, Ben Kinsley and, more recently, Lauren Whyte and Alasdair McDougall have emerged through the programme to achieve national success. Mr Weir said, “We have supported SALJGA since the beginning and are delighted with the success it has had in giving access to the game to youngsters in St Andrews. Ten years on we are now starting to see the fruits of the programme. There have never been more boys and girls from this area playing in county and national events. SALJGA is one of the most effective programmes of its kind anywhere and we are pleased to give it our continued support.”
This is extremely welcome backing from The R&A and will assist SALJGA in continuing to develop the junior golf programme in St Andrews in the years to come. SALJGA is all about encouraging youngsters to take up the game and have the opportunity to learn and gain experience in a supportive environment and funding such as this is very important.