ACED Academy at Blackwell Grange has high hopes for Yorkshire and Durham leagues.
A successful junior golf academy in Darlington has produced 25 young hopefuls who will compete in leagues across Yorkshire and County Durham this summer.
The ACED Academy, at Blackwell Grange, has quickly become one of the most successful junior programmes in the UK, thanks to PGA professional Aaron Cox, who has taken the academy from a starting position of just two young hopefuls to 150 engaged young golfers.
Cox, who played in the 2010 and 2011 Australia Opens alongside Tiger Woods and Bubba Watson, provides structured coaching sessions that also have just as much emphasis on fun as they do on getting results.
“I’m a results-driven coach so I want to see the kids getting better,” he said.
“I’m not just taking the money from parents to do these classes for them just to be a creche.
“I obviously keep it relaxed and make it fun for them – and I think the fun part comes from them actually achieving their goals of hitting a nice shot and getting the ball up off the ground or in the hole.”
Aaron has built a six-hole kids’ course next to the 18th at Blackwell Grange.
Through the summer, he teaches a variety of classes there, with young golfing hopefuls learning new shots, distance control, shot selection, chipping, putting and just playing the holes.
An impressive 25 of the youngsters are now doing so well, they are ready to compete in the golf sixes league in North Yorkshire and County Durham.
The games involve six children playing six holes of ‘Texas scramble’ in three pairs.
Texas scramble sees children working together to record their best possible score.
Both players in each pair will tee off, before selecting the best ball, and then both players hit their next shot from that spot. The process is repeated until the ball is holed.
The scores of all three pairs competing as a team are added up and the club with the highest points win the fixture.
There are eight fixtures during the season around all the different clubs in the league.
The 25 young players have been sponsored by 16 Finance, run by Gareth Billington and based at Innovation Central, Darlington.
His two children George, aged 14 and Erin, aged 11, have both been in the academy about a year, but are not involved in the competition.
Gareth said: “My two children love their golf sessions and the benefits of a golfing academy like this one go far beyond the game itself, as I can see them both growing in confidence.
“That is why I’m really pleased 16 Finance is able to support the 25 youngsters who will be playing in tournaments this summer.
“Each young player is not only improving technically, they are also learning how to handle setbacks, how to concentrate, how to make good decisions and how to conduct themselves with honesty and respect.
“Even if they never play at a professional level, those are transferable skills that will stand them in good stead in the world outside of sport.”
Gareth added that one of the best things about supporting young golfers is seeing how much they grow as individuals when they take part in the sport.
“The academy is helping them build confidence, self-discipline and resilience, while also teaching important values like integrity and responsibility,” he said.
“They can take those lessons into adult life, whether that’s in education, the workplace or the wider community.”
Speaking of his hopes for the members of the ACED Academy who will be playing in tournaments this summer, Aaron said: “I have no doubt that these youngsters will represent the ACED Academy, Blackwell Grange and more importantly 16 Finance very well.
“The great thing about golf sixes is golf becoming a team game for a small amount of time.
“Golf is normally an individual and selfish sport, but the golf sixes bring children together to work as a team, which is such a big thing in life away from golf.
“It instils values like teamwork, respect and hard work.”
