THE Australian Golf Foundation’s (AGF) junior girls’ scholarships are making an immediate impact at Hamilton Golf Club, with 15 girls registering to take part.

The program on Sunday mornings is run under the guidance of two-time club champion, 18-year-old Molly O’Brien, who is a qualified community instructor.

The program enables girls aged from nine to 16 to begin or continue their golfing journeys under the watchful eyes of qualified PGA Professionals or community instructors, and with O’Brien leading the way, the girls are learning from one of the best.

They come from far and wide, with one participant travelling from Portland each week, to participate in the only AGF scholarship program in the area, making it even more important.

“It’s been enormously valuable to our club,” said club vice president, John Hill.

“Molly O'Brien knows all too well the feeling of apprehension for young girls starting out in the game, having worked through it herself.”

O’Brien talked about her start in the game which was just before the pandemic hit and turned the world upside down for many sports.

"I went for a hit once a month with Dad, and then Covid came, and I couldn't play netball or basketball," O’Brien said.

"I was going mad sitting at home, so I started playing more golf and I fell in love with it.

"I didn't have anyone in my own age range, but the members were really welcoming for me."

O’Brien believes the program has been a big success at Hamilton.

"They're all engaged with it, and they've formed some good friendships as well," she said.

"I think they'll stay on in golf as they're always nagging me, 'can we go and play some holes this week?'''

Hill believes the fact that Molly O’Brien can connect with the girls is key to the program’s success.

“We probably wouldn’t have done it if we didn’t have Molly to be the instructor,” he said.

“We felt that we needed a younger female to do it.

“It’s that peer support thing with girls, (where) they listen to Molly, and they understand.”

Hill says the different vibe at the club has come not only from the presence of the scholarship girls, but from their parents.

The club offered parents of scholarship recipients free golf if they played with their daughters, and many have taken it up.

Designed to foster a deep love of golf, the program nurtures strong bonds between the participants while developing invaluable life skills such as perseverance, etiquette, concentration, and cooperation.