The final event of the autumn term took place at the truly stunning Moor Park Golf Club, played on the prestigious West Course.

We welcomed a fantastic mix of returning schools and many new schools attending for the first time, adding to the sense of excitement and growth within the programme.

Challenging Weather, Outstanding Attitude

Unlike previous events this season, the great British weather decided not to cooperate. Heavy showers swept across the course throughout the day, creating extremely tough playing conditions.

Despite this, the students remained positive, resilient, and focused. Their behaviour and sportsmanship were exemplary from start to finish — a true credit to their schools.

After battling the rain for much of the day, the warm meal in the clubhouse was very welcome. The kids were more than ready to eat — we don’t think we’ve ever seen plates cleared so quickly. It provided a perfect opportunity for everyone to dry off, relax, and enjoy sharing stories from the day’s round.

Special mention

A special congratulations goes to Fintan Coyne, who achieved an eagle on the 10th hole — an impressive accomplishment in any circumstances, but particularly outstanding given the weather conditions.

Thank you to all the schools, students, staff, and supporters who took part throughout the season. Your energy, enthusiasm, and commitment make every event memorable.

We look forward to seeing you all again next year.

Shared feedback

We always like to be tagged in on social media. Here are a few of today’s comments

We are huge advocates for the life lessons that golf provides – building resilience in a safe environment. Unless you play golf yourself you probably won’t really believe just how gutting it can be to miss that crucial putt at a key moment in the game – you blame yourself for being an idiot, you don’t want to think you bottled it (but that’s on your mind) and the feeling stays with you. But you have to get over it. This is the sort of thing that affects golfers from Rory McIlroy to the youngsters that play in our tournaments.

Some schools and teachers really get it. They spare time for their golf programme and dedicate teachers and resources to it. They arrive in the branded minibus and a dozen or so players can be seen in the team kit. We note that these players have been drilled in their golfing manners, sometimes with each player shaking hands on departure. Scale this back to the one player, possibly from a state school, who gets dropped off at the club by a parent. We have a discussion with that school’s Principal who says “golf is his thing, so we try to support him”.

So when we saw this from Minerva Virtual Academy we thought we would share it, not to promote this particular school, but because it shows that if golf is ‘your thing’, you need to take the opportunities to apply the learnings they bring.

SchoolsGolf is happy to provide that learning environment – and this video features our tournament at Berkhamsted.

The Golf Club de Bonmont Invitational saw 58 players from six schools take to the course on the stunning shores of Lake Geneva, with Mont Blanc providing a breathtaking backdrop. The day was blessed with amazing sunny conditions, setting the scene for excellent golf.
In the Stableford competition, Joe of Leysin American School edged out Jonathan and Alfie of St George’s for top honours. The scratch prize went to Sarp of Aiglon, who carded an impressive 87, showcasing outstanding skill and composure. Meanwhile, Said of Beau Soleil triumphed in the 9-hole development competition, demonstrating great potential for the future.
It was a fantastic day for all participants, with high-quality golf, sunny skies, and a wonderful atmosphere on the course.

Event Report – Schools Golf Tournament at Royal Ashdown Forest Golf Club

Last Thursday, we returned to the historic Royal Ashdown Golf Club, a venue steeped in tradition since its founding in 1888. The students had the privilege of competing on the revered Old Course, renowned for its natural beauty and unique challenges.

The day began with wet and misty weather, creating a testing start for the early tee times. However, as the morning progressed, the rain eased and gave way to beautiful autumnal sunshine, perfectly showcasing the course’s stunning surroundings.

Royal Ashdown is known for its blind shots, natural heather, and demanding layout, offering a true test of course management and composure. The students embraced the challenge with their usual competitive spirit.

Results:
• 🥇 Team Event Winners: Bede’s A Team
• 🥇 Individual Stableford Winner: Ben Everett
• 🥇 Scratch Winner: Coby Hall, winning on countback

We are delighted to have returned to Royal Ashdown this year and would like to thank the club for the warm hospitality. The venue offers a memorable experience for our students, and we look forward to returning again next year.

We had a fantastic junior golf event at the Wildernesse Golf Club today. The weather was just perfect for the season, and the course was in excellent shape. As always, the club staff were incredibly welcoming and made our return visit really enjoyable. Overall, it was just a wonderful day out on the course.

The SchoolsGolf Berkhamsted Invitational delivered a brilliant day of golf, blessed with amazing weather and a strong field of 40 players representing nine schools. With the sun shining and the course in top condition, the stage was set for some exciting peerformances.

The Stableford competition produced a tightly contested leaderboard. Rising to the occasion, Daniel Hopper (The Oratory) claimed first place with a composed display of golf. Just behind him, Thomas Doling (York House) put in an excellent round to secure the runner-up spot.

The Scratch competition was equally competitive, highlighting some of the best pure golf of the day. Henry Bale (Minerva Virtual Academy) emerged as the winner, showing both consistency and skill across the round. His teammate, Oliver O’Dell (Minerva Virtual Academy), was not far behind, finishing as runner-up after another strong performance.

In the team standings, it was Minerva Virtual Academy who took the overall honours, with their players combining for a standout result. Reed’s School followed closely, finishing as well-deserved runners-up.

Beyond the results, what really stood out was the spirit of the day — friendly competition, great sportsmanship, and a chance for schools to come together through golf. A big thank you goes to Berkhamsted Golf Club for hosting so warmly and to all schools and players who made the event such a success.

The Berkhamsted Invitational once again showed what SchoolsGolf is all about: competitive golf, played in the right spirit, creating memories for young players that will last well beyond the 18th green.

The SchoolsGolf season teed off in style at Golf de Sion with a fully booked tee sheet, as 53 players competed in the main 18-hole event alongside 18 less-experienced competitors in the 9-hole competition. Six schools were represented, creating a fantastic atmosphere of competition and camaraderie.
Despite the high temperatures and humidity, the scoring was impressive across the board. It was particularly encouraging to see so many category one golfers in the field, with girls making up a higher percentage of players than ever before—an exciting step forward for the programme.
We now look ahead to our next event in Europe, hosted at the world-famous Evian Resort—the only male or female Major championship venue to be played outside the UK or America.

It was a warm and windy day for the SchoolsGolf Finals at Blackwell. The tees and greens were emerald green, while the fairways were burnt, dry, and rolling for miles. Club selection was key to success, and the greens felt very makeable—good scores seemed possible.

In the Stableford Final, Noah Craze narrowly took the title with 38 points, edging out schoolmate Jonathan Summerfield. In the scratch event, Jonathan fired an outstanding 68—an incredible round that would be fit to win any tournament.

A special mention goes to Dan, who qualified at Fulwell after only a year of playing golf. Playing off 18, he proudly represented The Oratory in the Stableford Final.

One of the more memorable moments of the day came when Barney snapped his 5 iron on a tree. Whether this was a moment of frustration or simply a miscalculation of space during his follow-through remains up for debate!

Blackwell enforces a strict long socks policy for men wearing shorts. While we sadly missed a photo of a certain stripey pair sported by the master in charge of golf, several of the lads did embrace the tradition—and looked rather sharp in the process.

Gordon’s School once again romped home with the prizes. It’s fantastic to see a school with such a strong golf academy, where the sport is clearly taken seriously and considered a key part of their programme.

Congratulations to Gordon’s School, winners of the SchoolsGolf Team National Title at Royal Ashdown Forest.

In sweltering and humid conditions, 11 outstanding school teams—each having earned their place through regional qualifiers—came together on Monday for the SchoolsGolf Team National Final, held on the historic Old Course at Royal Ashdown Forest, recently ranked the 48th best golf course in England.

With fast, true-running greens and a classic heathland layout demanding both precision and strategy, players were pushed to the limit in what proved to be a brilliant showcase of junior golf. Despite the testing heat, scoring was excellent throughout the field—a credit to the skill and composure of all competing teams.

Emerging victorious was a team from Gordon’s School, representing the Crowborough Beacon Qualifier. Their consistency and course management across all four players saw them edge out a highly competitive field. The team of Jamie McNeill, Dylan Mumford, and Levy Lawrence delivered a fitting end to a season of standout team performances, cementing their status as one of the premier junior golf squads in the country.

Special thanks go to Royal Ashdown Forest Golf Club for hosting the final on such an immaculate course and for their continued support of school golf.

Attention now turns to the highly anticipated Individual National Final, set to take place at Blackwell Golf Club on Monday, 7th July, where the best young talents from across the SchoolsGolf programme will go head-to-head for individual honours.

Returning to Fulwell is always a pleasure. This historic club is located in the heart of Richmond and is a golfing oasis with its array of beautiful trees. .

The weather on tournament day, although slightly cooler than of late, still presented challenging conditions. Periodical strong gusts of wind meant that distances and shot selection was difficult. As always the field of students rose to the occasion and played superbly .

The recent lack of recent rain also presented a challenge to players . The fairways were extremely hard and fast, meaning that players were able to extend their range but at the same time needing their best ball control. The greens, beautifully manicured, were also extremely fast. These conditions suited some better than others – but that’s golf for you.

We had 60 children playing in this competition and we were pleased with their reports that they had an excellent time at Fulwell, working hard to gain that last place at the National Finals.

Here are a few snaps from the day:

The Swiss leg of the SchoolsGolf Tour concluded in style, with 30 players aged 7 to 18 competing at the spectacular Golf Club Montreux, set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Swiss Alps. The event showcased not only the talent but also the remarkable development of the players throughout the year.

Favourable weather conditions made for an excellent day of golf, and the scoring reflected the progress and hard work each golfer has put in over the season. A special congratulations goes to Taku from Le Régent, who claimed victory in the Scratch competition, demonstrating precision and consistency across all 18 holes. Sacha from St. George’s put in a fantastic performance to win the Stableford event, rounding off a successful tournament for the host school.

Well done to all the players, coaches, and supporters who made this event such a great success!

We welcomed 54 players from 7 schools to Golf de Lavaux, near Vevey, Switzerland, for an exciting day of competition. Despite the challenging weather conditions, players demonstrated outstanding resilience and produced some impressive scores across both the 18-hole Championship Course—ranked 23rd in Switzerland—and the Academy Course, which offered a great experience for our developing golfers.

It was particularly rewarding to witness the clear progress many players have made over the winter months. Their dedication to indoor practice was evident, and it’s inspiring to see their continued development.

A special welcome to Copperfield and the International School of Basel, who both participated in their first SchoolsGolf event—we’re thrilled to have them join the growing community.

Congratulations to Oscar from the International School of Basel, who won the Scratch competition with a composed and consistent round. Maxime and Sacha from St. George’s also performed brilliantly, taking winner and runner-up spots respectively in the Stableford event—a fantastic achievement for both players.

We could not have asked for better conditions, both in terms of weather the course. A great time was had by all participants and we can’t wait to come back next year.

It was a smaller field of players out today for a misty start at Hollinwell. A small field means a higher chance of qualifying for the National Final in July.

All the players were very polite when they arrived at the Registration desk. Those that had played before in SchoolsGolf tournaments presented themselves at the registration desk fully prepared for their game. GolfGenius app downloaded, tick; GGIDs checked, tick

After the registration desk, the next stop was the pro shop to invest in a woolly hat. It had been sunny when most of us set out this morning, but the mist has blown in on a northerly breeze and the temperature has dropped significantly for the time being.

It has been a great day for golf on a superb course. And the sun is just making an reappearance for the last few holes.

We were treated to a two tee start on a sunny day at Tandridge which was hugely convenient given the full field of players. Due to course improvement work there was a temporary green on 10th, so that put a bit of pressure on Mr Starter as our long hitters had to wait until the green was clear. Tandridge is also investing in some work on some of the bunkers, and I’d like to say that none of our players would be affected by the odd bunker GUR as they only hit their balls long and straight, down the middle of the fairway – if only! Actually, a few of our players did keep the ball long, straight and accurate to the pins because there were some phenomenal scores in.

The course was immaculate, the sun was shining and everyone took full advantage of a legitimate school day spent on the golf course. The office staff and the catering team looked after us extremely well indeed, and we were very pleased to have some members volunteer to help us. We really appreciate it when club members are so supportive of junior golf.

We had a new face running the tournament at Farnham and it was a full field, so Joe was in at the deep end. Everything seemed to run smoothly, and our thanks to the club for all their support in helping us plan and run the tournament.

A few notable facts as SchoolsGolf continues its growth journey:

Our congratulations to the winners and runners-up:

Here we are in Portugal, towards the end of an amazing tour. We have packed in the golf and activities and there hasn’t been a dull moment. We’ve played four rounds of championship golf – one practice round and three competition rounds. There has been night golf and padel after dinner. One of the schools has also brought a tennis group so the atmosphere in the hotel is great – so is the food.

And the best bit – one of the young players frankly reported “this is the best school trip I’ve ever been on”, and, as he is now 17, he has been on other trips before this one. So that great feedback has made our day!

Day 1 at Amendoeira on the Faldo course

Day 2 at Vale da Pinta

Day 2 at Vale da Pinta

Night golf and padel

Night golf and padel

Day 3 at Amendoeira O’Connor Jr Course

Final Day, warming up on the range before the tournament on the Faldo Course

We are so grateful to Royal Ashdown Forest for being extremely accommodating to us in helping us arrange the event today and looking after us so well. We are super excited that we are arranging another fixture in the summer on their other course. Sign up for our emails to receive updates.

Misty conditions

Conditions were tricky today. Despite the lack of wind, it was misty and damp and playing very long. Probably there were a few golf balls left out there after our tournament. Always frustrating when the conditions work against you in golf, but that’s just how the golfing gods roll sometimes and it’s the same for everyone (but sometimes you’re the one coming off worst). When this happens take a second to ask yourself: would I rather be playing golf on a lovely course even though I am not scoring well or would I prefer to be in double maths / drama / the office (just insert your worst other option). If you step outside your own head for a second and count your blessings it can actually, genuinely help the rest of your game. Try it and let us know.

Winning scores

Some of our competitors today put in great rounds. Congratulation to Jack (Bede’s) for a gross 70 and for our runners up both with gross 72, George (Minerval Virtual Academy) and Kade (Hazelwick). In the stableford competition there were also some exceptional scores: 41 from Monty (Bede’s), 38 from George (Windlesham House), 37 from William (Gordon’s).

Well played everyone.

The road to the National Final starts now

National Final Qualification

Our hard-fought SchoolsGolf National Final for 2025 is scheduled to be held at the prestigious Blackwell Golf Club on 7th July. This year, the competition will feature a simplified format designed to make qualification more straightforward. Players can secure their place in the final by winning either an individual Stableford event, which is based on points, or a Scratch event, which focuses purely on gross scores without handicaps.

New Team knock-out for 2024-5

In addition to the individual competitions, there will be a separate team knockout competition at Royal Ashdown Forest on 3rd July 2025. This will lead to a dedicated National Cup and Plate Finals day, offering teams the chance to compete for their own prestigious trophies. These events promise to bring an exciting and competitive atmosphere to the SchoolsGolf programme, culminating in two memorable finals days for both individual and team competitors.

SchoolsGolf principles

The SchoolsGolf programme is dedicated to both improving young players’ skills in golf and enhancing the overall quality of the program. The following points highlight the key aspects of the programme’s current status and goals:

• Focus on Skill Development:
  • Young players are working hard to improve their golf skills.
  • They are applying the lessons learned from competitive golf to both their game and life.
• Commitment to Excellence:
  • The SchoolsGolf management team is continuously seeking ways to excel in what they do.
• Program Growth:
  • Approximately 100 schools are now affiliated with the SchoolsGolf program.
• Positive Feedback:
  • The tournament format has received positive comments for accommodating both aspiring elite players and development squads.
• Widespread Participation:
  • Hundreds of school children are enjoying the tournaments.
  • Active collaboration with partner organizations aims to increase access to golf, regardless of educational background or personal circumstances.
• Continuous Improvement:
  • The program is confident about its current direction but remains committed to constant review, learning, and adjustment.
  • To make improvements to our offering, the SchoolsGolf team seeks feedback on any aspect of the service experienced by participants.

What an amazing day we had at Worplesdon for the Kitlocker SchoolsGolf National Final on July 4th. The course was looking superb with greens playing fast and true. The wind was up, and swirling, making club selection tricky.

Scratch Trophy

Stableford Trophy

School Team Trophy

Qualifying schools were competing against each other for the coveted trophy.

Congratulations to all our finalists

Playing in the final is not only about competing for glory (and trophies and prizes, obviously) it is about so much more:

Making it possible

Hot shots – photography by Reece Armstrong

The competition is hotting up as we near the SchoolsGolf National Final, and the field at Berkamsted this week was strong as players and schools battle it out to qualify. With over fifty players and lots of schools taking part it was a big day at Berkhamsted. This is a lovely course and welcoming club and we were very pleased to return again this year. We received some lovely feedback about the day:

On checking the Top100 courses, Royal Cinque Ports aka Deal is currently ranked No11, which is a great accolade and well deserved. Everyone at the club was exceptionally helpful to us at SchoolsGolf and to all the juniors that took part in yesterday’s tournament. We really appreciate the support of clubs in our endeavour to create memorable opportunities for aspiring junior players. A welcoming vibe from staff and club members puts everyone at ease and make a huge difference. Sending us this lovely feedback shows just how supportive Royal Cinque Ports have been as we navigate our way through times of exponential growth:

We had 12 different schools represented at the tournament. We were really delighted to receive two glowing comments from teachers in charge.

Here we are at Sandiway on a very chilly, but dry, day – excellent conditions for playing, but a bit nippy for supporters. So after seeing off the assembled players, the parents congregated in the clubhouse for coffee and breakfasts. And we got chatting. Always fascinating to hear the parents’ perspectives on junior golf, but also slightly shocking to hear of negative experiences their offspring have faced at competitions (not those organised by SchoolsGolf).

We are firmly of the opinion that life lessons are learned through golf, in a manageable way. But today I heard a shocker about a parent (not at a SchoolsGolf comp) actually shouting at a child. Worse still, not his child. What???!!! Apparently the poor kid was having a nightmare round and it all got on top of him and he became tearful – you don’t have to be aged 11 – 18 for that to happen – so this parent shouted that if he couldn’t cope he shouldn’t be on the golf course. Obviously this was reported, and I’m relieved to hear that action was taken.

Helicopter parents exist academically and in sport. There are numerous hilarious social media videos on the subject to enjoy (check out @jimmyrees_ on Instagram). But every now and again it is worth highlighting how toxic this level of parenting can be.

At SchoolsGolf we encourage parents to support their children in their sporting endeavours and if walking around parents should keep their distance and preferably focus on ball spotting rather than the score. For those keen to know the score we offer the option to follow the online scoring.

I’ve heard many time the mantra that ‘high-performing sports people have high-performing parents’. This was explained to me as a parent who is happy to drive the length of the country for a fixture, book that Travel Lodge room, and put up with plenty of venting and annoyed post event journey-home-debrief as well as enjoy the occasional euphoric self-congratulation when it all goes right.

So here we are at Sandiway sharing stories and our role as sports parents. The parents here today are clearly very well balanced and say they regard our SchoolsGolf events as development opportunities. One mother was happy for me to share her thoughts: “This is the only event where my son is happy to join in with kids from other schools because it is such a friendly and inclusive environment. As a result of playing in SchoolsGolf his all round confidence has grown.”

She went on to say that the role of parents is to help set expectations, both your child’s and your own. She had heard of a mathmatical equation for this: actual experience minus your expectation gives you as score. e.g actual experience 7/10 minus expectation 10/10 means your feelings were a -3. But if expectations were more reasonable, say 6/10 then the resulting feeling would have been positive +1. Behaviour and feelings are so closely related, that a postive result becomes reinforcing. There are podcasts on this subject that explain it all much better, but suffice to say, this is all good advice for parents of aspiring junior golfers. It’s all about the life lessons that golf teaches us, and a couple of useful roles for parents… set expectations (“just enjoy the experience”) and help extract any learnings during any post event chat.

What do you think the role of sports parents is?

The first-ever girls-only schools golf tournament is set to take place on 24th June at Fulwell Golf Club. This landmark event represents a significant stride for girls’ golf in the UK, providing a dedicated platform to showcase and nurture young female talent. By creating an exclusive space for girls, the tournament aims to encourage more participation and foster a supportive environment where they can develop their skills without gender-based disparities. We have made this event an Open, meaning schools that have not affiliated to our programme are welcome to enter players. We believe this initiative is crucial in promoting gender equality in sports and inspiring the next generation of female golfers to pursue their passion and excel in the sport.

We thought you might enjoy the amusing discussion that our Hollinwell tournament manager, Catherine, had with one of the young players about fingernails. Admire those beauties! She only lost a couple during the round!! PS these dramatic nails do not belong to the player pictured above.

SchoolsGolf is dedicated to giving as many kids as possible a competitive game of golf on a top golf course. For a million reasons, we think youngsters benefit from golf – more on that another time. So given that we are trying to make golf as accessible as possible, we are sometimes questioned about schools having to join the programme and affiliate.

There are three things to unpick on the opening sentence:

1. > as many kids as possible
2. > competitive game of golf
3. > top golf courses

There are few things that we have done to open up our tournaments to as many young players as possible – making a few tournaments Open competitions is one of them. We still want children to be representing their schools when they play, so permission needs to be in place from the relevent teachers and we have a simple form for that.

We look to provide a competitive environment for all our players. SchoolsGolf tournaments attract scratch players (scratch comp) and developing players (stableford comp and team comp). By having a few Open competitions we can look to attract players to certain tournaments to provide a strong field and to increase inclusivity.

Top courses – our open competitions are some jewels:

Sand Moor – what a great day (see previous post)
Seaton Carew

Sandiway – June 11th book here
Fulwell (girls tournament) June 24th – book here

Parents and teachers are welcome to book their school teams or individual young players onto as many of our competitions as they are eligible to enter. Pick and choose from the dates and clubs that work for you. Every event is at one of the country’s finest. Get in touch if you want more info.