At the start of 2024, the junior section at Windermere Golf Club in Cumbria had nearly disappeared
With only 14 members and very few actively playing. PGA Trainee Marcus Brizio and Welfare Officer Cathy set out with a singular mission: to reignite the club’s youth section from the ground up.
The year became a whirlwind of growth. Starting with Sunday morning coaching, word quickly spread through the local community. By the end of the season, Windermere hosted its first Junior Invitational—the first youth competition at the club in nearly seven years. Moving into 2025, the momentum has only accelerated; the junior section now stands at 60 members strong, with a full calendar of club competitions ready for 2026.
WHAT THEY DID DIFFERENTLY
Recognising that Windermere’s steep slopes and blind shots can be “daunting” for a beginner, Marcus took a design-first approach to accessibility. He created a bespoke 6-hole short course on the practice ground, complete with small scorecards, to give young players a space suited to their skill level.
As the juniors progressed, Marcus redesigned the main course experience by installing a new “Blue Tee” junior course. To ensure no one felt lost, he created a comprehensive course route guide and map, along with a full scorecard featuring distances and stroke indexes. This removed the “fear factor” of the 18-hole course, making it easy for parents and children to navigate. This focus on making the course playable led to a “friend-recommends-friend” explosion in membership.
THE IMPACT
"“Golf at a young age is all about fun, so enabling them to have fun and to feel welcomed is the most important thing to me.”"
