There were just two juniors on the books when Aaron Harris arrived at Gillingham, but that number is now almost 70.
Gillingham Golf Club’s junior section had long lain dormant before the arrival of General Manager Aaron Harris in early 2022.
Restoring the club’s offering to young and aspiring golfers was a key priority for the incoming Harris, and it was clear the only way was up.
The Kent club have made great strides, with the appointment of a full-time Junior Pro and Junior Organiser having a transformative impact.
Here, Aaron explains how and why Gillingham made junior golf a primary focus.
Aaron Harris, General Manager at Gillingham Golf Club
What was the situation with junior golf at Gillingham when you were appointed?
I started at the golf club three years ago and when I came in they hadn’t had a junior section since 2014. They had just two juniors on the books at the time. We don’t have a driving range and we have minimal practice facilities, just a small set of nets in a small practice area.
How did you go about improving the situation?
Reintroducing the junior section was one of the key targets for me when I came in and the first thing I did was hold a big open day, completely free, and let all the juniors use the top field of the golf course. We provided equipment, we got HSBC and Golf Foundation funding and shut the whole golf course on a Sunday morning for about four hours so we could have all these juniors come and try it out. That was the catalyst.
What changes have been made in terms of staffing?
We brought a Junior Pro in specifically tailored to do junior golf only. Luckily, I had a friend who was a pro, and although he’s a firefighter now he still had PGA status and he was happy to help out.
In the first year I had four Junior Organisers who were members, but it was difficult for them to commit to it long-term, so I went out to get a full-time Junior Organiser in place. I knew if we could bring someone in permanently it would give us security and consistency and allow us to move forward with our plans.
We have Dean Nash in that role now and some of the members still help him out, and we have a Junior Captain as well.
What impact have those changes had on the junior section at Gillingham?
The impact has been huge and we have almost 70 juniors on the books now. Bringing in a Junior Organiser was a big stepping stone to where we are now, and it enabled us to really get out there and engage with the local community and with schools.
What sort of initiatives have you been running?
We have Junior Autumn Camps, Golf Sixes events, junior open days and all our in-house competitions are back as well. Another thing we did was offer one free junior membership to every full paying member, which meant we had more members bringing their children in and integrating them into the club.
We’ve removed a lot of limitations to help juniors play on the golf course. It used to be that no junior was allowed to play until after midday, now as long as you have a full handicap under 24 and you’re over the age of 16, you have the same access as any full paying member.
We’re playing in and hosting Junior Kent tournaments and we had never done that before. We’ve got spectators coming to watch them play now because they’re in awe of what these juniors can do. And that’s linked with the members/juniors mixed competitions we’re starting to do.
How have the members reacted to this focus on junior golf?
The general response has been really positive. Obviously, in a golf club you can have quite a broad range of ages and they might want different things. Some people just want to come and play a round of golf and go home, and they’re not really interested in other things going on. However, most of our members are completely in favour of it because they recognise it’s the future of the golf club, and it’s a case of trying to build that culture.
What would your advice be to other clubs trying to boost their junior section?
It’s about engagement — engage with the community, engage with your members. To start with you just have to work with what you’ve got. Develop a plan and get the staff around you to deliver on it, and don’t try to do it all yourself. I found out that being a General Manager and Junior Organiser leaves you spinning too many plates.
Don’t be afraid to ask your peers for advice and support, and look around at what other clubs are doing to see what works for them. Also, there are grants out there you can take advantage of, so find out what you’re entitled to and make the most of those.
It’s massively important for the future of a club to have a thriving junior section, and it’s about having that foresight to recognise that juniors will often go on to become full members and in time they’ll bring their own children along as well.
Having those juniors who play in competitions and progress and become full members, all that puts Gillingham’s name out there and it just produces this continuous circle of new membership and retention.
