As spring turns to summer, Prince Rupert’s golfers are wiping the dust off their clubs and shaking the rust from their swings. This season, the ladies club is providing opportunities for women to receive a smooth introduction to the game.
Every week, the club has hosted a series of lessons called Tee-off Tuesdays. The aim is to create a safe, non-threatening environment for women to learn how to play golf without the pressure of having extensive experience.
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“The reception has been great, the ladies have really enjoyed it,” said Jackie Touchet, head of the ladies club and an instructor with the program. “It’s been a great way to get people to come out.”
Touchet said she started the lessons because she was consistently receiving requests from her female friends asking to go out golfing. Touchet, who was taught how to play the game by her father at a young age, is passionate about golf, and wanted to find a way to make it easier for her friends and other women to come to the course and play without having to make too serious a commitment
“It’s about getting women down to enjoy themselves and socialize because everyone likes to have the social aspect,” said Touchet. “We don’t want them to come down and be intimidated.”
“They might not know how to start playing golf, and I knew we had to find a way to make it accessible for them.”
Touchet said anywhere from 6-14 women have been attending the lessons, which started at the beginning of May. Along with two other instructors, Touchet has been showing attendees how to strike the ball from the tee on the driving range in addition to the fundamentals of chipping and putting around the greens.
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Eventually, the group will go out on the course where they will receive further instruction on course play. Touchet reiterated that days on the course will be laid back, and not too serious.
“When we go on the golf course in June, we’re going to be trying to hit the golf ball once or twice,” Touchet said. “If you miss it, pick it up, walk with it, throw it, kick it, do whatever you want.
“We want people to come down, just play and not worry about the rules.”
Drop in for Tee-off Tuesdays is from 6-7 p.m., and $15 per session.
matthew.allen@thenorthernview.com
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