CENTRAL Ayrshire's MP got into the swing of things at Westminster recently for the launch of National Golf Month.

Dr Philippa Whitford teed off at the driving range on Speaker’s Green to mark the initiative which was launched by the All Parliamentary Group on Golf of which she is a member.

The aim of the awareness month is to try and inspire 100,000 new players to take up the sport through the social media hashtag #getgolfing

And Dr Whitford didn’t pass up the opportunity to try her hand at the driving and putting.

Speaking after the launch, the MP said: “As MP for an area with an abundance of great courses and enthusiastic players, I am delighted to support National Golf Month.

“Golf is a great sport, exercising the body and mind (and often the emotions!) and can be very social.

“It is also becoming much more inclusive and this year there is a particular focus on ensuring more women and young people to take it up.

“I welcome the push to widen the opportunities to participate in golf as it is a sport which is often perceived to be cost prohibitive. However, access to golf is not as expensive as people think and the municipal courses in Ayrshire try very hard to keep playing costs as low as possible.”

Dr Whitford added: “Golf in Ayrshire is also extremely important in terms of tourism and the contribution it makes to our local economy.

“The launch of National Golf Month is very timely given the announcement that the 2017 Scottish Open will be played at Dundonald Links and, with the Open coming to Royal Troon this July, it is a very exciting time for golf in Ayrshire.

“Having these major events on our doorstep will undoubtedly inspire more of us to take up the game and, as golf is a sport we can continue to play as we get older, I am hopeful that more people of all ages will be encouraged to give golf a try. So, let’s #getgolfing”.