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Junior golf academy Term 1 break-up day

Last year, when the undercover bays in the Driving Range became a makeshift parking environment for our golf carts, Jake had to quickly adapt the delivery of our Junior Golf Academy for Term 4 – embracing the opportunity to think outside the square and become highly creative in the program’s delivery.

And our junior legends were just as adaptable, going with the flow – providing many inspiring moments for us all as they came each Saturday – rain, hail or shine. And, in Term 4 there was a lot of rain – but that didn’t stop them with the wet weather gear donned and they kept swinging away.

Term 4 saw the program elevated, expanding from the traditional Driving Range and practice greens environment to incorporate some on-course activities. The ability to create a series of drills and modified playing experiences out on our Par 3, nine-hole Shark Waters was a real hit with everyone. Jake loved the opportunity to challenge the kids and they loved being out on course – there’s nothing like that experience of picking up your golf bag and making your way to the first tee.

Quickly becoming a much-loved part of the program became the break-up day and, in Term 1 of this year, a day on Shark Waters had been planned. But in 2024, and unbeknownst to everyone, Jake had some surprises planned. Following in the footsteps of our Shark Waters Championship Day, with a touch of LIV Golf inspiration, the music was loud, the emcee was passionate, and the kids excited as their names were called up.

Most players take their golf very seriously, but our junior legends remind us that it is also heaps of fun and there’s nothing better than playing a sport, that you all love, together with your friends.

Term 2 of this year’s Junior Golf Academy program will begin on April 20 with bookings now being taken. For more information or to have a discussion, please feel free to contact Jake directly, or speak with a member of our Pro Shop team.

Published: March 30, 2024

Henry’s Magical Hole-in-One Experience

We’ve all imagined that moment when your drive off the tee is straight at the flag, bounces and rolls into the hole. Most golfers will only dream about it, others have been lucky enough to experience it once and for the rare few – on multiple occasions; but the first will always be the memory that stays with them for life, no matter their age.

For five-year-old, Henry, his magical moment came in week eight of this term’s Junior Golf Academy program. Henry has been attending our Beginner level all year and, in readiness for the 9-hole Break-Up Day competition that will take place at the end of Term 4, all players have been heading out on to our Par 3, 9-hole, Shark Waters. This is where they experience the most challenging side of golf firsthand – course play – understanding how to play the hole, instead of aiming for the flags.

Playing the 7^th, which many members consider the toughest hole on Shark Waters, four cones were set up just after the bridge for the beginners to tee off from. Always ready for a challenge, Henry stepped up and hit a ripping drive – it was straight at the tee and, on landing just before the green, the ball rolled uphill and dropped into the hole. An exceptional effort that was shared with his fellow junior golfing legends – who all celebrated Henry’s special moment-in-time as if it was their very own; and gave David, an already proud Dad, an early Father’s Day gift.

Our Junior Golf Academy provides an immersive program that is engaging, extremely supportive and, most importantly, a fun environment. Golfers are provided with the platform from which they can continue to develop their playing skills, have fun and gain the unique opportunity to head out on course under the guidance of our Assistant Golf Professional, Jake Fullerton.

Our Junior Golf Academy offers junior golfers a fully integrated pathway from Beginner level – right through to Advanced, running in conjunction with the Victorian school terms. We also offer a Golf and Tennis school holiday program which offers a fun-filled day to experience the joy of both sports, get outside and active whilst making heaps of new friends.

For more information on either program, or to have a discussion, please feel free to contact Jake directly, or speak with a member of our Pro Shop team.

our juniors shine

In a great end to the competition season our Juniors, also known as the ‘Eastern Sharks’, have won the 2022 Victorian Junior Pennant.

Finishing in eighth position after the ‘home and away’ season, they faced a playoff in the quarter finals to determine who would advance to the semis. After a great win against Rossdale, the team met Riversdale in the final – with a convincing win to bring home the Pennant.

Congratulations to our ‘Sharks’ squad – made up of the following players:

Tanjal Sinha, Noah Maguire, Joshua Siagas, Angus Bridgman, Shiwon Ji, Olivia Rossi-Mel, Luca Rossi-Mel, Christopher Dana, Olivia Jin, Aaron Jordan, David Edwards, and Alby King.

The squad all showed great commitment to this year’s competition – attending training each Thursday night and displayed amazing ‘team spirit’ in supporting each other throughout the Pennant season.

A huge thanks to all of the wonderful parents, family and friends who were there each week driving, caddying and cheering on the team.

View the 2022 Junior Pennant Season Highlights

Published: December 1, 2022

junior golf academy I term 3 finishes on a course high

Our Junior Golf Academy participants ended their Term 3 on a high – with a shotgun Ambrose competition on Shark Waters.

Despite wintery playing conditions forecasted and the school holidays underway, 30 ‘junior golfing legends’ took part with 10 groups of three players teeing off.

To allow for differences in age and skill level, golfers teed off from the markers or cones positioned at the halfway mark of each hole.

“This was honestly one of the best experiences I’ve ever had with the kids!” – Jake Fullerton, Assistant Golf Professional

All 30 players finished the nine-hole competition in approximately two hours. The winning group were the Davies girls – participants in our AGF Junior Girls Scholarship Program – with a score of 1 under par.

After a successful first year, the Club has again applied for funding to assist in the delivery of the AGF Junior Girls Scholarship Program in 2023 – if you know of any junior girls who may be interested in commencing their golfing journey, more information on this program can be obtained from Jake.

Published: September 21, 2022

Golf Australia showcases our AGF Program: Consistency the key at Eastern GC

“The girls’ golf skills are improving really nicely,” said Jake Fullerton, PGA Professional at The Eastern Golf Club, located in the Yarra Valley – one hour northeast of Melbourne.

“I have been coaching some of the girls intermittently in recent years and seen continual improvement however, the Australian Golf Foundation Junior Girls Golf Scholarship program has provided a great opportunity for these girls to receive weekly coaching for a full year – which is resulting in significant progress.”

Published: May 13, 2022

2022 aUSTRALIAN gOLF fOUNDATION (agf) jUNIOR GIRLS gOLF sCHOLARSHIP program

We are delighted to announce that the Club was successful in its application for funding from the Australian Golf Foundation’s (AGF) Junior Girls Golf Scholarship Program, supported by golf’s governing body – Golf Australia, to deliver a program that is specifically targeting girls aged between 6-12 years who have no, or minimal exposure to the game of golf and are not current members of a golf club.

These scholarships provide a talent pathway to support, and encourage greater awareness of, and participation amongst junior girls to play the game of golf – whilst ensuring there is a lot of fun to be had and new friendships made.

A new program to our existing Junior Golf Academy, the scholarship funding covers:

The delivery of four terms of golf tuition by our PGA Professional, Jake Fullerton.
Team uniform.
Complimentary access to our extensive practice facilities for the full scholarship year.

Term 1 has already commenced for the seven lucky recipients (five are pictured above from last Saturday’s session) and we would like to wish each of them all the best for a wonderful year of golf.

Published: March 11, 2022

Out & About at Croydon Hills PS

As a custodian of the game of golf, our team have been working hard to develop a program that can be taken into Primary Schools within the local area.

Over the last four weeks, we had the great pleasure of venturing to Croydon Hills Primary School on a Wednesday and Friday to teach their Year 3 and 4 students. It has been a fun and challenging experience and Sergio has taught over 200 students in eight classes – that’s a lot of kids who might never have had the experience of playing golf.

Many of these children had no golf experience prior to attending these classes, and we started with the basics – learning a full swing, putting and chipping. For the first few classes, we gave the kids tennis balls to use rather than golf balls. This taught them to make good contact with the ball in a safe environment. Following that, they made the progression to the use of golf balls and were really starting to develop their skills.

The kids have made really amazing progress across the four weeks; and it has been very exciting to watch. As a golf instructor, it always great to see people engage with our game and our team have had a great deal of fun coming up with new ways to challenge them each week and help develop their skills. A few of the kids have even been practicing outside of the class environment, which is fantastic to hear.

A huge thanks to Croydon Hills Primary School, the teachers and all of the students for giving us the opportunity to help grow the game. If your school is interested in incorporating an introduction to golf within your program of activities, please don’t hesitate to contact us on email or telephone: 9739 0110 and we would be delighted to discuss this with you further.

Published: June 24, 2019

Junior Golf Academy is Producing an Exciting Future

Since it’s relocation to Yering, The Eastern Golf Club’s Junior Golf Academy has gone from strength to strength.

In 2019, the demand has seen Thursday afternoon clinics added in Terms 1 and 4 and there is now a waiting list for our Saturday clinics. As a Club, Eastern prides itself on its role as a custodian of the game – not just for those playing now, but also for the future generations of golfers. We’ve had a long-term commitment to nurture boys and girls from a young age who are playing golf for the first time to Junior membership, and through the provision of an inclusive and encouraging environment, transitioning into our range of golf memberships for those aged 18 years and older.

Our Junior Golf Academy welcomes children of varying age and abilities. Regardless of their level of play, the most important element that we seek to ensure is ‘always in play’ is that their learning is undertaken in an environment from which they continue to get enjoyment from the game; and that our clinic numbers remain small to ensure each participant is able to enjoy one-on-one coaching from Serg.

In our experience, we have found that when Juniors play in regular competitions together, they form strong friendships; and it’s these friendships that help our Juniors to improve as they are constantly striving to develop their skills and ultimately, lower their handicaps whilst providing support to each other. With a number of our Juniors including Asher Roche, Sebastian Tso, Joshua Siagas and James Murto all competing in the Golf Victoria ‘Rookie Series’ events held around the state, their handicaps have continued to improve significantly. Their passion for the game sees them scheduling private coaching clinics with Serg; practicing the drills set by Serg on the Driving Range and at home; attending our school holiday programs and starting to participate in some of the weekly adult competitions – when there’s no clash with school of course! Serg’s commitment to their ongoing development has also seen him caddying at some of their events to continue his mentoring role in a competition environment.

The continued success of our Junior Golf Academy sees Eastern form its first stand-alone Junior Pennant Team since our relocation this year. With a squad of approximately 12 children, and their very supportive parents, the kids will attend dedicated coaching clinics where they will practice together and there will be some exciting team building opportunities for them to attend which we know will continue to inspire their love of golf.

We would like to thank the team’s corporate sponsors – Cogar, Marlin Signs and RT Signature Builds who are helping these amazing kids ‘dare to dream’.

Published: May 1, 2019

how to putt – featuring olivia jin

“My favourite thing to do is play GOLF!” – Olivia Jin.

When it comes to my putting, the first step is getting the correct grip (image 1). I like to make sure both thumbs are pointing down the shaft, placed on the flat part of the grip. Be sure to hold the putter gently – I always like to imagine I’m holding a tube of toothpaste with its cap open and I don’t want to squeeze any toothpaste out. This helps me relax when I’m feeling nervous.

The second step is making sure the ball is in the correct position in my stance (image 2). I do this by firstly, placing the putter head behind the ball, pointing to my target, with both feet together and my toes pointing to the ball. I then take one step first with my left foot and then my right foot, both at equal distances apart. This helps me get the ball always in the middle of my stance and in the correct position before each putt.

In the next step (image 3) I bow down at my hips and make the letter “Y” with my arms and putter – look to the right and you’ll see how this looks. Now I’m ready to putt.

The next important step is hitting the ball. As you can see below, I focus on keeping a smooth tempo… back and forth at the same speed. For longer putts I have a longer stroke and shorter putts, and I have a shorter stroke, but my tempo stays the same.

It’s been awesome sharing my tips with you and I hope they help you with your putting. Happy golfing, Olivia

Practicing these holidays

“The more I practice, the luckier I get” – Gary Player

It goes without saying that the only way to get better at something is to practice, practice, practice. If playing golf didn’t require practice, everyone would be able to do it but we all know that is not true. Becoming a better golfer doesn’t happen overnight but, through dedication and committing to learning a new skill, or improving a particular skill, will make you a better golfer. With the summer holidays nearly here, it’s a great opportunity for you to become that better golfer.

Golf requires three different skill sets – long game (full swing), short game (pitching, chipping and bunkers) and putting. All are equally as important as each other and you should be dividing your practice time equally to all three different skills.

For example, if you have two hours to practice, I would plan my session as follows:

Stretching: 10 minutes
Full Swing: 30 minutes
Break: 10 minutes
Short Game: 30 minutes
Break: 10 minutes
Putting: 30 minutes

It’s also very important to set some goals and challenges during each practice session. You want to make your practice as enjoyable, rewarding and meaningful as possible. Most importantly, you want to have fun while doing it!!

Here are a few challenges for you these holidays.

Full Swing

Purpose: Aim and alignment
Equipment: Sticks, witches’ hats and three flags.
Set Up: Place targets (ie: a flag) certain distances out from the hitting areas, e.g. 30, 50 and 70 metres out, depending on your level and club you choose you use. Create a ‘V’ or ‘fairway’ down the driving range using cones.
Points are awarded for each flag you hit past: 1st flag = 1 points 2nd flag = 5 points 3rd flag = 10 points – your balls need to land inside the cones to count and receive points
Hit 10 balls and record your score. Set a record and try beating it every practice session.

Short Game

Purpose: Aim, alignment and distance control
Equipment: Witches hats, cones or rope to create circles or use Hula Hoops.
Set Up: Create a bulls-eye about 20 metres away with three circles. Depending on your level you can choose to create larger circles for beginners.
Hit 10 shots at the bulls-eye and receive the following points: Outer Circle = 10 points Inner Circle = 50 points. Set a record and try beating it every practice session.
Try from different distances away and set score from a range of different distances.

Putting

Purpose: Distance control and Risk vs Reward
Equipment: Tape or string to create ladders.
Set Up: Set up ladders different distances apart to putt over. Use the ladders to create the three different boxes or zones.
Putt from a particular point and attempt to land the balls in the ladder.
Hit 10 shots at the bulls-eye and receive the following points, 1st Zone = 1 points, 2nd Zone = 5 points, 3rd Zone = 10 points.
You can introduce the ‘Snake Pit’ behind the 3rd zone, and if the balls go into the Snake Pit, the snakes eat some or all of your points.
Try from different distances away and set score from a range of different distances.

Parents – Let’s help grow the game together!

Parent’s play a vital role in helping to grow the game we have all come to love; and what better way to introduce your child to golf than experiencing that feeling of playing out on course together.

Through my own experiences as both player and coach, I have found that kids would much prefer to be out on the course chasing the ball and having fun instead of on the range practicing – unless you are continuingly challenging them with stimulating activities and games.

When kids are on the course, let’s try to imagine ourselves in their shoes. Here are some easy tips to make it a fun and enjoyable experience for both parents and kids out on the course:

Kids are never too young to be on the course playing – the sooner the better! When starting off I always suggest playing a couple of holes first – just so that they can get the feel of the game.
Tee up everywhere – let’s make it as easy as possible for kids! Teeing up will help with making better contact with the ball.
Get the correct equipment – having correctly fitted clubs will only make it easier for your child to hit the ball correctly. We all acknowledge that golf is not the easiest sport to learn so let’s set them up for success – imagine playing basketball with a 20kg medicine ball? Kids will only need three clubs to start with – a driver/fairway, a wedge and a putter.
Shorten the course as much as possible – get the kids to tee off from where you think they can get on the green for two. It will save time, help with speed of play and kids will not be discouraged and get bored of hitting the same shot and same club ten times over. Imagine playing a hole that’s 800metres long – it’s not fun!
Keep it simple and focus on the FUNdamentals – grip, posture and balance.
It’s perfectly normal to not hit every shot perfectly. Don’t focus on the mis-hits, instead let’s encourage and celebrate all the good shots. Let’s help them remember the ‘feel good’ moments that will make them want to come back again and again.

The Eastern Golf Club encourages families to play together as often as possible. Shark Waters provides a great course environment for families to golf together – it allows for flexibility in the interpretation of the rules, it accommodates all levels of golfers and it presents a fun environment.

I’m always available to have a chat about the progression of your child’s golfing journey; and the positive role you play in supporting this even if you don’t play golf – give me a call or come in to The Sports Shop for a chat when you are next down at the Club.

Look forward to seeing everyone out on course.

Why getting the right clubs for your child is so important for their development?

Starting kids off with the correct clubs is essential. The biggest mistake parents make, regardless of the age their kids start playing, is buying clubs that are too big. Clubs that are too long and heavy are guaranteed to be detrimental to the child’s swing sequence from the very start and may form habits that may be difficult to change. It never hurts to play with lighter and shorter clubs.

Tiger Woods got his first fitting at the tender age of four, and his clubs were rechecked every six months thereafter.

“It was a big part of my job to help Earl keep clubs fit to Tiger,” said Rudy Duran, Tiger’s first swing coach. “Earl knew the importance of club fitting, and as a result we worked together to make sure that Tiger had clubs that fit him every year.”

There still are a few important things to consider when selecting your next child’s set.

Length

The key is to find a set of clubs that is the right length for the junior golfer, but also a set that the junior can grow with. Remember that it is all right for the junior to choke or grip down on the club. A set of clubs where the junior only has to grip down an inch allows them to make a normal swing; anything further and the club is too long.

Shaft Flex

The main problem with the old cut down set of golf clubs is the stiffness of the shafts. When you take four to five inches of length off a golf club you make the shaft extremely stiff – this is the reason that junior golfers can’t hit the ball high with a cut-down set of clubs. Using light-weight graphite shafts has made junior golf clubs more playable and easier to hit.

Weight

If the club is overly heavy, your child will struggle to take the club to the top of the back swing. The struggle to get the club back causes a manipulation of the swing that will result in inconsistent shots. A lighter club will help the junior get the club in the correct position at the top and lead to an easily repeatable swing. The lighter the shaft, the easier it is to generate greater clubhead speed and therefore making it easier for kids getting the ball in the air.

Grip Size

If the grip feels like a baseball bat, it’s going to change the swing mechanics. Thinner proper junior grips will make a difference in your kid’s game.

Lastly, how many clubs does my kid need? If a child starts at an early age – four or five years old, they need two clubs to start… a putter and a pitching wedge. Why a wedge instead of a driver? Because the length of the pitching wedge is short and it’s easy to get in the air. Longer clubs are obviously harder to get airborne and can lead to frustration. As the junior progresses, add a seven iron, then a hybrid, and then a three-wood or driver. Those five clubs will get them through their first couple of years of golf. Once the junior has enough swing speed to make a noticeable difference in distance between irons, then they need eight or 10 clubs in the bag.

As adults, we realize how tough golf can be and how much the right equipment can help our game. By keeping these considerations in mind when buying junior golf equipment, you can help your child play better golf, and more importantly have more fun on the golf course. Please don’t hesitate to Jake Fullerton for assistance with equipping your child with their golfing equipment.

Juniors