people
Lyn
rallies to help juniors
David Newbery
[email protected]
L
YN Howarth is on a mission.
competition because
people resist juniors.
I don’t understand their problem. They
should be pleased to see a junior doing well
at their club.
The Keperra Country Golf Club
stalwart is out to convince more juniors
to stick with golf.
“A lot of people are happy for juniors to be
in a club, but don’t want to play with them
and don’t want them to win the comps.
“If I can prevent just one youngster from
quitting golf then the effort is worth it,” said Lyn,
who gives up her Saturdays to support club
professional Chris Chaplin and teach juniors
the basics as well as etiquette and the rules.
“It’s easier for the boys, but the girls have to
fight their way through.”
Lyn is one of those rare individuals who
make sure the juniors are cared for and have
fun while learning new skills.
“When she left here she was off six and now
she is off +2. The family live in Arizona where
Emily attends Xavier College, a private girls
school where Tiger Woods’ niece Cheyenne
Woods went to school.
Who knows, had it not been for her
intervention junior golfer Emily Maher may
have walked away from the sport.
Teenager Emily joined the club’s junior
program a number of years ago and Lyn,
fearing young Emily was becoming isolated
from her group, took her under her wing.
“Emily went to the Saturday clinics where
there were many more boys than girls,” Lyn said.
“I would be playing in the field and would
see Emily playing with three boys and the
boys would be walking ahead chatting with
Emily left behind on her own.
“So I started taking her to golf on a Sunday
and would even take her other golf courses.
TOP SHOT: Lyn Howarth is in the swing of
developing junior golf.
“Eventually her handicap came down, but
it was a struggle getting her in the main
Still, Lyn believes Emily, who recently
moved to the US with her family to study and
work on her golf, will make the grade.
“Her school recently played against 18
teams across the US and they won it for
the 25th successive year and Emily won the
individual event.”
Lyn said she was passionate about junior
development and enjoyed watching the kids
improve and have fun.
“I think if you get them in early golf is
something they can enjoy all their life,” she
a