National Squad, 4th Quarter report 2011

The National Squad met at Secret Valley on Saturday 15th October. This is the first of 4 sessions set for the remainder of this year with the National Coach - PGA Professional Paul Dyer.

Over the coming months the National Coach and Junior Golf Director, Andrew Darker will be assessing the squads ability with the view of organising matches against other teams. The juniors will be put through their paces and tested on various areas of the game. One of the key areas to focus on will be the rules and etiquette of the game. "We want the children that represent Cyprus to have the best possible knowledge of the rules and etiquette, they are ambassadors for golf in the Country and many people will be watching and monitoring their progress. Golf has great history and honour and this is as important as having the natural ability to play at a high level" said Andrew Darker. "We won't be stopping there though; the children will need to understand a great deal about fitness and nutrition, our aim is not to produce good golfers but to produce exceptional golfers with all the attributes needed of true ambassador for the game. They will all need to work extra hard to retain their positions and I am confident that the player selected will give their very best all the time" added Andrew.

For 2012 there are 2 main international events that Cyprus will be represented at Junior Level. The first is the R&A Junior Open; this will be held in the UK in July and the best boy and girl will be selected to represent the Country. The second event is the Faldo Series, another International event to be held at Costa Navarino, Greece. If all goes well we are looking to send 4 to 6 representatives to Greece in 2012.
To begin a series of matches, the junior committee will try to encourage the various on Island club teams to take on the juniors, it is likely that we will be able to start these matches early 2012 and these games will be a real test for the juniors together with a valuable experience.

Well done to all the children that have earned their place on the Squad. Over the coming 6 months I am sure we will see a greater number of potential squad members coming through! After 6 months the existing squad will be re-assessed and providing sufficient improvement and dedication is shown they will retain their positions, for all those other youngsters wanting to come through the ranks keep practicing hard and improving, your effort will be rewarded with a position on the National Squad in the future.

Andrew Darker
CGF Junior Golf Director

National Squad Training Session - October 2011 (Click image to enlarge)