Dozens of students from SEDA College WA are equipped to offer golf instruction after attaining National Program Developer accreditation.
SEDA College offers Year 11 and 12 students an educational pathway into a variety of sports, combining the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) while also earning Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualifications.
Through partnerships with sporting organisations including Basketball WA, Cricket Australia and Netball WA, students are prepared to move into careers in the sector — but this term’s link-up with GolfWA was the college’s first foray into golf.
Nearly 40 SEDA students — and three teachers — completed online accreditation before attending a two-hour practical workshop run by GolfWA and PGA pro Andrew Thomas. This enables them to instruct Golf Australia’s national MyGolf and Get Into Golf programs in the community.
Participants were taught the basics of grip and stance before embarking on a series of practical drills on chipping, putting and iron play.
Several of the students had hardly swung a club before the day but quickly caught the golf bug — despite specialising in other sports ranging from AFL, netball, soccer, cricket and lawn bowls.
“I really enjoyed it,” said participant Maddy, whose sport of choice is AFL. “It was good to see that it’s pretty easy to instruct large groups at one time and it was really fun, especially when you hit a good shot! I can see myself playing more golf in the future after this.”
A SEDA College student receives some pointers from National Program Deliverer Isobel Dorrington
Mark Turner, SEDA College WA’s Education Manager, said he was delighted at how engaged the students were in a new sport.
“It’s been a great opportunity for students to participate in a sport that aren’t typically involved in, see what it’s all about and gain knowledge and skills,” he said.
“They all seemed to be having a good time out there and I hope now some of them will have the confidence to get out there and deliver the MyGolf program in their communities.”
GolfWA Participation Manager Marc Pike added: “We’re looking forward to working with SEDA and exploring what opportunities could be available in the future to add value to their programs and grow opportunities for the golf industry’s workforce.
“I think a few of the students here today were surprised by how enjoyable golf can be and, long term, we’d love to see golf become a SEDA College sport.”
GolfWA covered the costs associated with the online accreditation and workshops, while students also gain access to Golf Australia’s new MyGolf Schools content and session plans via the CoachMate app.
Through this initiative and a similar GolfWA partnership with Murdoch University, almost 150 WA sports students have earned their National Program Developer accreditation in the past 18 months.
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