A GOLF firm have been helping North Ayrshire kids get into the swing of the sport with a new project.

North Ayrshire Council joined forces with Irvine golf club manufacturer Golphin to deliver a series of interactive lessons to pupils across local schools.

Following the conclusion of the eight-week initiative, schools across North Ayrshire now have the option to adopt the project permanently as part of the curriculum.

Before the schools broke up for the summer, more than 250 pupils who took part in the pilot celebrated at a special event at Auchenharvie Golf Club.

Councillor Willie Gibson, Leader of North Ayrshire Council, spoke of the positives that the pilot has had so far. He said: “The project has proved extremely popular and worthwhile.

“Golf is not an easy thing to teach within the confines of schools, but this project takes away those boundaries by using technology and different resources.

“Obviously we’d love to produce the next Rory McIlroy but these lessons are more about getting children involved in the sport and taking part in activities. Ultimately it’s about creating healthy and well-rounded young people and as a council we’re determined to give them as many choices as possible.”

The council’s Active Schools team worked closely with Golphin to bring the lessons to schools.

Prior to the first week of lessons, 16 of the council’s teachers took part in a training day to get them ready to roll-out these new and exciting lessons. A 172-page learner resource has been developed by Golphin’s Chris Dirkin, who has previously worked with the England & Wales Cricket Board helping get cricket into over 20,000 schools in England over a five-year period.

This flexible programme includes a series of games, practices and skills challenges which can be accessed via augmented reality – a programme that can take words on a page and turn them into pictures and videos that can be used on a range of devices.

One such game in the resource is called ‘Alphabet Chipping’ - letters are allocated to specific target sections and young people working in small groups are asked to spell out a word by chipping into the correct area.

These games are supplemented by the clubs produced by Golphin. The Irvine-based company has developed a lightweight golf club with a larger sweet spot to make golf easier and more fun for children.

They have also introduced a golf ball which is approximately a third of the weight of traditional balls which can be used both indoors and outdoors safely.

Chris remarked: “It has been a fantastic few weeks and it’s really encouraging to see so many young people picking up a club and taking part.

“There is a perception that to teach golf you have to be a highly-qualified golfing professional.

“But our resource shows that simply isn’t the case.

“Our programme will give teachers greater confidence to bring golf into their curriculum for excellence in PE.”

Golphin also has plans to establish a competition pathway for schools to play locally and across the county leading into sustained junior membership at local golf clubs.