Support Needed for Golfers who ‘Play with Broken Clubs’
A group of ten ‘under-privileged golfers with great potential’ in Bangladesh, are the subject of moves by The R&A and The PGAs of Europe to provide support under the Golf Development Programme.
The group are described in an appeal to The R&A for help by the Bangladesh Golf Federation (BGF), as: “….caddies and ball boys who have spent long years around the golf course learning golf on their own by sheer determination and long hours of practice with broken and discarded clubs.”
The appeal adds that they all come from very poor backgrounds with no access to schooling.
Currently the limiting factor for these boys are:
- No access to proper golf coaching and formal education
- Difficulty to buy a decent set of clubs
- They must caddy every day to make a living for themselves and their families, taking away time from practice and causing loss of focus
“We have been imparting some training with the locally available professionals but these professionals have no formal training and are considered to be professionals because of their low handicaps,” the appeal adds.
As a result, PGAs of Europe director John Little visited Bangladesh in mid-April and found a golf community clearly in need of support.
During his stay with the BGF, located at Kurmitola GC, Dhaka, John held meetings and staged several coaching sessions for a range of students, including 24 of the ‘under-privileged caddies’.
Now his report has gone to The R&A who will consider an appropriate programme of support.
