Upward swing for female golfers

A TRIO of Portarlington sisters are leading a charge of increased participation in golf among young girls.

Ten-year-old Ivy Timmins is the elder sister of Winnie and Pearl, and an inductee of the 2023 Australian Golf Foundation (AGF) Girls Golf Scholarship.

The sisters have become regulars at Curlewis Golf Club clinics and mini-golf course in recent months, as part of a wider surge of children trying their hand at the sport.

Ivy has already shown golfing talent by getting her first handicap in recent weeks and winning her first competition at the Geelong and Bellarine district School Sport Victoria event at Torquay.

“It was so exciting. I didn’t think I was going to win,” she said.

Ivy’s win means she has qualified for the regional School Sport Victoria event in November.

Her success has given her younger sisters someone to look up to in their early participation in the sport.

Eight-year-old Winnie said she was looking forward to playing in a school tournament next year when she reaches grade three, and six-year-old Pearl played her first nine-hole round in recent weeks.

The siblings’ dad, Jack Timmins, said he was excited to see his daughters get involved in a shared family passion.

“Having all of my girls play golf gives me a really good excuse to get out on-course.

“But in all seriousness, it is a wonderful way for us to spend time together, doing something we all enjoy.”

AGF said the Timmins’ story was typical of burgeoning interest in golf among young girls, with participation jumping 42 per cent in 2023 for female players aged nine to 16.

“This is a wonderful example of the pathways available for girls to enjoy golf,” AGF relationship manager Jake Cole-Sinclair.

“From MyGolf and the AGF Girls Scholarship program, girls can pursue their golf by competing in district and regional School Sport Victoria events.”

AGF is the national foundation for golf in Australia and works alongside Golf Australia on targeted initiatives to grow the game.

It has partnered with NEXTGEN Group for its scholarship program with support from national and state bodies, and private benefactors.

AGF is now accepting applications for local clubs to be involved in the 2024 junior girls scholarship program, via its website.