With golf now an Olympic sport, set to make its debut in 2016, the game is experiencing phenomenal growth in emerging markets particularly amongst the young, so where better than the home
of golf, St Andrews, to act as a key destination for European and international youngsters to hone their skills. Emerging World’s St Andrews Youth Golf Camp offers young golfers this opportunity to learn, play and compete at the game’s historical birthplace.

In 2009 the International Olympics Committee (IOC) included golf as an Olympic sport in the 2016 games for the first time in over 100 years: “It was an historic moment when the IOC decided to include golf in the Olympics for the first time since 1904. Europe is amazed at the rate at which the game has grown in emerging golf markers such as Asia,” said Peter Dawson, Chief Executive of the R&A.
“There is a need to stimulate this growth, whilst ensuring the historic and traditional values are not lost as a result of this growth.”

Initiatives such as the Emerging World Youth Golf Tour’s “St Andrews Youth Golf Camp” could help bring Dawson’s vision to life.

Emerging World gathers prospective elite amateur and professional players of the future to help foster their interest in golf and improve them as players. The organisation aims to provide a comprehensive golfing education for international junior golfers over its two-week residential programme.

Widely recognised as the home of golf, St. Andrews offers the perfect training ground for up-and-coming talent from all over the world: “St. Andrews is the cradle of golf making it the ideal place for young international golfing talent to experience ‘a golf finishing school’” said Ken Schofield, PGAs of Europe Director and co-founder Director of the Tour.

The St Andrews Youth Golf Camp launched in 2012 with former European Tour Chief Executive, Ken Schofield, and ex-PGA captain, Alan Walker, supervising plans for the programme of events, which aims to educate and inspire budding young golfers aged 11-18.
The programme content, driven by
Alan Walker, focuses on the history and traditions; rules and etiquette; and technical and mental aspects of the game; with elite attendees receiving tuition from Simon Holmes, former coach to Nick Faldo;
and the 2006 European Ryder Cup team’s psychological performance coach, Jamil Qureshi. Groups are split into Elite, Silver and Gold based on handicap, and
all juniors benefit from the St. Andrews Links Golf Academy’s expert team of PGA professionals who use advanced technology and analysis to help them understand their swing, biomechanics and putting.