New faces at Hilltop Golf Course

Women from the North Smethwick Resource Centre have completed a Get Active in Golf programme at Hilltop Golf Course as part of Birmingham’s BME Project.

The BME Project is a jointly-funded, two-year project in partnership with England Golf to increase participation by ethnic minorities in golf.

None of the 17 participants had played golf before, and their initial thoughts on the sport were ‘boring’, ‘not my kind of thing’, and for ‘old people’.

Mytime Active responded to the needs of the participants by providing women only sessions. Golf offers seclusion and privacy, and the freedom to wear culturally appropriate clothing.

Mike Bygrave, Mytime Active golf pro, said: ‘During the sessions there was lots of laughing, plenty of photos and Snapchat videos taken. It proved that golf really is for everyone!’

After completing the six week course, the group’s perception of golf had changed. Shabena said it was ‘therapeutic’, and that she ‘didn’t feel like they were in Birmingham’.

Group members agree they are now likely to visit the golf course again.

North Smethwick Resource Centre is a community centre based in Smethwick which provides multiple services for the local community, and has links with the Mytime Active Health team.