The ActewAGL Next Generation Club Camp has unearthed stars of the future both on and off the course as some of the nation’s best female golf juniors converged on Royal Canberra Golf Club this week.

The girls were mentored by some of the big names in the sport including Canberra’s Nikki Campbell and fellow professionals Rachel Hetherington, Shani Waugh and Karen Lunn.

13 year old Isabelle Hawes was among the stand-outs having started 2013 with a handicap of 35. The Yarralumla resident has since reduced this to 10 and hopes to slice down to five over the next 12 months.

“I only really started playing a lot last year,” Hawes said. “So, a lot of my improvements were made then. I do want to be a professional one day, so it’s great learning from the professionals, knowing their paths. I’d like to go to America maybe and do something there.”

Another Canberra local, Wanniassa’s Amber Love, first picked up the sticks as a four year old while at a putt putt course in Queensland and hasn’t looked back since. The 15 year old said she now understands the level of commitment that’s required to make it at the top level.

“I learnt that it doesn’t just come easy,” Love said. “You have to work for it. You can’t just go out there and expect to beat the best. You have to go out there and work hard, practice and always be on your game.”

While Goulburn’s Hope Cohen said the camp was a great way to look at other options within the golf industry despite her impressive handicap of just four. The 17 year old is hoping to study golf management at the PGA International Golf Institute.

“A lot of people say, are you going to become a professional golfer? That’s not what I want to do,” Cohen said. “I see my golf taking me more to the management side of golf. So, I’m not out on a course practising 24/7 like a professional would but I like the business side.”

Australian Ladies Professional Golf spokesperson Lee Harrington said it’s been wonderful to watch these young women progress this week.

“Hope was here last year so certainly we’ve seen her progression over the last 12 months,” Harrington said. “And we want to keep helping Hope out in her golfing career. She wants to stay in the industry. Isabelle and Amber are new this year to us so we are still learning what they want to achieve in the sport.. We are here to guide them for the next three, four, or five years at least until they decide where they want to go with their golfing career.”

Harrington said they love being at Royal Canberra and thanked ActewAGL for being on board again in 2015.

“We couldn’t run it without the support of ActewAGL,” she said. “Overall, it’s a wonderful experience. I wish I had something like this when I was first out there.  I was probably never going to be a great tour player but I think I might have had more of a shot with some of this mentoring that is going on now.”

The ActewAGL Next Generation Club Camp concludes today.

Caption: [L to R] Isabelle Hawes, Amber Love and Hope Cohen at the ActewAGL Next Generation Club Camp.

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John Bannon
ActewAGL
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