PROPOSED JUNIOR COMMITTEE STUCTURE
It is proposed that the best way for our Junior Section to progress is to form a Committee which will operate in much the same way as the Seniors’ and Ladies’ Sections.

• Firstly, It is recommended that the post of Junior Organiser is an ex-officio position, which will mean that the Club Committee will have more flexibility in managing this area should the need arise. For example the Club Committee must be in a position to sanction or replace the J/O if necessary without recourse to an EGM or AGM.
• The Junior Section has a greater need for financial input than the other Sections because the Section members do not have the advantage of earned/disposable income. It is anticipated that the Club would wish to invest in its future by providing some form of financial support but suggest that such funds be regarded as “nuts & bolts” money. Some Clubs include in their annual subscription for adults a “levy” of say £2.00 to £5.00 per adult for the Junior Section.
• To keep asking parents to dig deeper and deeper does nothing towards endearing the game to parents who are not players of the game, particularly as they are the ones already carrying the burden of ‘keeping up’ with the needs of a child/children who grow out of clothes and equipment at an alarming rate. Let us not overlook the fact that we are the ones who set the dress codes and expect our junior representatives to conform to those of the other Clubs they visit.
• There is no reason why the Junior Section should not use its best endeavours to become largely self financing. By developing their own fundraising activities (competitions, raffles, sales etc.), not only could they cover the cost of transport, club apparel & meals when playing for the Club but the increase in social activity should help to generate the ‘section’s spirit’.

Proposed Junior Committee

Junior Organiser
The registered Junior Organiser obviously holds the ultimate responsibility for the direction and well being of the juniors within the framework established by the EGU Golfmark system and the Club’s Committee, and because of this he/she should be empowered because to make the final decision in any given instance. Other duties include keeping the Club Committee abreast of the Junior Section’s activities and maintaining a sound relationship with the DCJGS. She/he will be the person through whom the DCJGS and the DCGU communicate.

The J/O should administer, with the Junior Committee, the handicaps of those in the Section outside the CONGU and ELGA umbrella system. A handicap audit trail should be maintained and available to the Club Committee.

The Admin Assistant
Shall be responsible for all matters of correspondence including the production and posting of entry sheets, result sheets etc. on the notice board, also completing and despatching entries for County and National competitions.

This position should also be regarded as 2nd in command of the Section. Periodically the “A/A” should produce a Junior Newsletter in order that the juniors their parents and other Club members can be kept fully informed of the Section’s activities and plans.

The Team Manager
Shall be responsible for the organisation of all junior teams, their transport, and club clothing for the event.

He or she should travel to all team events and ensure that matters of etiquette, attire, meals, drinks and payments are addressed, whilst also maintaining good team spirit.

Although an important post, this should not require many days a year of involvement in any given year.

The Junior Captain
Should ensure that he/she assists the Junior Committee at all times and must keep the Committee aware of any matter that may be of concern to any Junior member.

The golfer appointed should be acutely aware of the need to present the right example in terms of etiquette and sportsmanship at all times, and of the need to encourage and help the other members of the section.

The Coaching Administrator (Pro.?)
Will arrange and organise all matters relevant to Junior coaching in accordance with the wishes of the Junior Committee, and liaise between the Junior Organiser, the Committee and coaching assistants.

The Coaching Assistant(s)
Working as a team, the “coaching staff” shall separate the Juniors into groups by age & ability. The Assistant/s will be primarily concerned with matters of behaviour and safety. Training for this position is likely to become available under the Devon Golf Partnership.

The Parental Representatives
Should help to create greater harmony between the Section and the parents of its members by giving the parents a voice at Committee level, simultaneously demonstrating the Club’s wish to involve the parents in more of the Club’s activities generally.

There are increasing numbers of non golfing parents and it will be a vital function of our representatives to ensure that messages and information will not only reach parents but will also be correctly interpreted.

Summary

• Experience demonstrates that finding one person + volunteers to operate the Junior Section has proven difficult enough and that at first consideration finding six or more appears hopeful at best. With time and responsibilities being shared on the basis of the aforementioned recommendations, volunteers are proving far easier to attract.
• These proposals should, make the position of J/O more attractive to prospective candidates. Firstly, by reducing the amount of time that the J/O needs to allocate to the duties but also by providing a framework of shared responsibility input of ideas and particularly, continuity.
• The requirements of the many new Acts and Regulations involving Juniors in sport are so diverse as to make this area of the game particularly demanding and confusing, not just to those volunteers attempting to administrate it, but also to the participating Juniors. Therefore “spreading the load” should provide a more stable environment in which to absorb any existing and new legislation.
• The responsibilities of adult volunteers extend far beyond merely helping young people become able to play the game because attempts are made at trying to make them proficient. They are encouraged to compete and to excel, to the point that in many cases, they become better at the game than we have ever been. No matter what standard they achieve when they become 18 it is only then that the Club can see the product of its endeavours. Hopefully the former Junior has learned their sporting and social skills in an atmosphere of comfort, comradeship and competition which they will take with them into adult Club membership and eventually promote the will for them to give something back to future Junior players. The skills they will be asked to absorb are surely too much for them to learn from one person and I hope you will support the introduction of the above Committee, as a Team to serve the Club’s Junior section. ...back to top

CHILD PROTECTION AND THE DCGU
In January 2006 the DCJGS Committee agreed to a Child Protection Policy which was circulated by the DCGU to all Clubs in Devon. Much of this policy remains unimplemented within the DCGU and to a certain extent the DCJGS.

The protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults is law and we should be ensuring that at County level we are collectively working to our agreed policy.

The action points set out below will go some way to ensuring that we are meeting our obligations under the Act.

Parental Consent Forms (PCF)
The DCJGS has agreed the use of an all encompassing Form for Club and County use. A correctly signed and up to date Form should be on file before any Junior is allowed to play for the County at any level, to receive coaching or play in any Society Meeting.

The following is a suggested procedure to ensure that the objective above is achieved:

1) A PCF should be renewed annually before 14^th February in each year as routine for all Juniors (girls and boys) under the age of 18years.

2) These PCF’S should be filed with the Club Secretary/Manager except in the case of those Juniors who have been selected for Coaching when such completed Forms shall be required to be filed with the DCJGS Secretary, before any Coaching, DCGU event or the 14^th February, which ever is the earliest to occur. Filling by E-mail to be acceptable. Club Secretaries to supply the DCJGS Secretary with copies of completed PCF’s filed with them.

3) Blank PCF’s will be enclosed with all letters etc sent to Juniors in regard to County Coaching, DCGU Captains Winter League, DCJGS Matches. The letters will emphasis the requirement before playing to return a completed Form to the DCJGS Secretary as per 2 above.

4) Blank copies of the PCF can also be down loaded from the DCGU website or the DCJGS Secretary at any time thus allowing Club Secretaries/Junior Organisers to have a supply of forms readily available for handing out or sending to a Juniors home address.

5) PCF’s to be reviewed regularly in October or earlier if the need arises, by the DCJGS Secretary.

6) In the event of a Parent or Guardian having failed to file a completed PCF pursuant to 2 above, the Junior concerned will be ineligible to participate or compete in DCGU/DCJGS/DCLGA event.

7) There will be no need for any DCGU/DCJGS/DCLGA Entry form to include a blank PCF only a warning that in the absence of having filed a PCF for the current year (as from the 1^st. January) the Junior will be ineligible to play.

Authorised Keeper
The DCJGS Secretary should act as the “authorized keeper” of all signed forms and the DCGU Secretary should be dependant on him for all information relevant to allowing Juniors to participate in DCGU Events.

The DCJGS Secretary shall supply the DCGU Secretary with up-dated summaries in respect of all PCF’s filed so the DCGU Secretary is fully briefed at all times particularly in regard to Juniors with a medical condition.

CRB Checks
1) All personnel involved, or wishing to be involved with Juniors at County or Club level shall submit themselves to a CRB Check. This check to be organized through the DCGU Secretary, by the EGU.

2) All information received as a result of such checks to be held in confidence by a County Officer or another person to be agreed.

3) A refusal to be CRB checked shall automatically disqualify that person from being involved with Junior Golf in Devon except with his own children. Club Captains/Chairmen to be advised of the seriousness of any such refusal and consequential disqualification as a matter of urgency to avoid allegations from parents or Juniors which may not be genuine

4) DCGU/DCJGS/DCLGA should also ensure that all Professionals who may be involved in working with Juniors have submitted themselves to a CRB Check through the PGA and such Professionals and their Assistants shall provide to DCJGS evidence of the checks having been carried out.

5) The DCGU should take the lead in ensuring that all Clubs have completed full checks on all personnel who may be involved with or have access to Junior Golfers. The reason being the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults, and for the Club and County the RISK IS JUST NOT WORTH TAKING.

On the Golf Course
It is the responsibility of all Clubs to ensure the safety of all Juniors when on the course, and the DCGU and the DCJGS should be ensuring that all Competitions, Meetings etc. organized by them set the highest of examples. The Competition organizer or a delegated person should as a matter of routine satisfy himself that all reasonable precautions are in place re the following.

1) Bullying. It is very easy for enthusiasm and the will to do well to sometimes exceed what is reasonable and care should be taken that this does not lead to bullying a Junior. Bullying between Juniors can also take place.

2) Care should also be taken in asking Junior Golfers to play in extreme weather conditions such as very cold, wet or very hot. If severe weather conditions prevail then serious consideration should be given to removing Juniors form the Course. ...back to top

JUNIOR ORGANISER’S MEETING
A Club Junior Organisers Meeting is held in late October or early November of each year and an example of a typical Agenda is shown at Appendix 1 ...back to top

COMPETITIONS

The Society organizes the following meetings/competitions during the year:

The Basil Steer Cup, The Henry Truscott Trophy, a Spring Meeting, a County Boys’ Championship, an Autumn Meeting and a Junior Order of Merit.

Dates and details of other National and Local Competitions, Events and Matches can be found on the DCGU website.

The South-Western Counties Golf Association Behavioural Rules as adopted by the DCJGS Committee on the 24^th. January 2006 shall apply at all Championships, Meetings, Competitions, Matches and events administered by the DCJGS a copy of which can be found at Appendix 3. ...back to top

1) Teams

a) Each Club Team shall consist of 3 players (boys or girls), all of whom shall be under the age of 18years old on the first of January of the year of the Competition.

b) All players shall only be eligible to represent their Home Club and shall only represent one such Club in any calendar year commencing the 1st. January.

2) Format

Inter Club Match-Play Competition. Singles under handicap ¾ of the difference, with order of play in ascending Playing Handicap order. Handicap limits Boys 28 and Girls 36. Courtesy shots shall be awarded to girls calculated under the SSS difference and be added to the girl’s handicap before any allowance is calculated.

The honour on the 1st. Tee lies with the Club drawn first in each Match.

Each Match to be played on a Course neutral to both Teams, such venues to be selected by the DCJGS Committee.

Each game is to be played to a finish, until a clear result of the Match is known.

NO CADDIES ARE ALLOWED-BUT THE USE OF ELECTRIC TROLLEYS IS ENCOURAGED

3) In the Event of Suspension of Play

a) The teams shall if possible resume play on the same day until an overall result is achieved.

b) If resumption of play on the same day is not possible and an overall result has not been achieved, the match shall be replayed on a day and at a venue to be mutually agreed or if agreement cannot be reached the date and venue shall be determined by the DCJGS President and Secretary. The selection of players shall not be restricted to those who took part in the discontinued match.

c) The DCJGS President and Secretary reserve the right to make a decision in equity when it is impossible to complete a match in accordance with the Rules of Golf.

4) Administration

All rounds leading to the Final shall be completed by the date stated on the Draw Sheet, and it is the responsibility of both Clubs in each Match to make all necessary arrangements with the Host Club.

Representatives of both Clubs in a Match shall be responsible for advising the DCJGS Secretary of the result by 22.00 hours on the day after the Match was played. In the event of a Match not being played by the relevant closing date, both Clubs shall be disqualified in the absence of totally abnormal circumstances arising in the opinion of the adults of the DCJGS Committee. (Junior Organisers/Team Managers will be given no sympathy if a match is left “to the last moment” and difficulties occur).

If difficulties do arise, the Secretary DCJGS should be contacted for help or guidance.

5) Pursuant to EGU Guidelines, adults accompanying any game shall:

a) have no contact with the players except to hand them food, drink and clothing etc. and

b) at all times leave a distance of at least 25 yards between them and the players.

6) The Committee have NOT invoked the Note to the Rule of Golf 8 (Advice). i.e. No person whether e.g. a Club Junior Organiser, Team Manager, Team Coach or otherwise may give advice to any player during the actual playing of a Match. ...back to top