Swing Fit Case Study- The Sands Golf Club

By Andrew Clark, Golf Victoria (Regional Development Officer, Geelong/South West)

In early August, I started dialogue with The Sands golf professional, Josh Lancaster, about the Swing Fit program and how it may help with attracting new ladies to golf.

After a long and hard winter,financial assistance from the club for initial program set-up costs were limited. With Swing Fit’s primary focus aimed at increasing female participation in the sport, this enabled The Sands access to Vic Health funding which covered the cost of the kit.

Josh completed the online training and was ready to start marketing the program. The marketing took numerous directions as listed below:

  • Advertise the program on Golf Month website
  • Letter box drop of 500 DL flyers within The Sands area
  • Pin up flyer in the local IGA notice board
  • The clubs Facebook page
  • The Sands Website and MiClub Members Home Page
  • Posters in Pro shop
  • Word of mouth

Josh was fully supported by Alex (Golf Operations Manager) and Sharon, a local community Instructor who also has completed the Swing Fit module. Sharon championed the letter box drop and has since completed another 500.

The first Swing Fit session was a miserable day weather wise, however the 4 ladies who participated still had a ball. A follow up was conducted on week 3 and it was fantastic to see 7 ladies in the class, with an 8th having just enrolled.

Josh has a golf specific beginner’s clinic program that runs on Wednesday’s, which ladies from the Swing Fit program have expressed interest in joining, an ideal pathway transition. He is currently in the process of setting up a SwingFit program for a Saturday, catering to another 6 ladies, who work mid-week.

In the coming weeks, the Ladies Captain and Sharon will be meeting with the enrolled Swing Fit participants for an on course mentoring session, concluding with drinks and a tour of the clubhouse facilities.

The keys to Josh’s success have been:

  • Marketing/advertising program across various channels
  • Flexibility in running of program
  • Club support, both financial and from volunteers assisting with delivery
  • Engaging with GV for ideas and grant availability
  • Continuous nurturing and positive support to the Ladies involved

For more information on starting Swing Fit at your club visit

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