What Is Tri Golf and How Do You Run a Tri Golf Festival in Primary School or Community Sport?

What equipment is needed for a tri golf festival?

A practical festival set includes adapted golf clubs, soft or limited-flight balls, cones, hoops, targets, tees, scorecards and station signs. Include left-handed clubs and several target sizes so leaders can adapt activities. The Golf Foundation now uses Golfway equipment and school festival formats to introduce young people to golf.

Count equipment against the number of stations and participants. Each station should have enough balls to keep the next player ready without creating a large collection task.

How should the festival stations be organised?

Use a mix of putting, chipping, accuracy and distance challenges. Mark a waiting zone and striking zone at each station, with all participants facing away from neighbouring swings. Rotate teams in one direction and build in time to collect balls only after the leader’s signal.

The Golf Foundation’s school offer includes an eight-game skills festival. Organisers can use that official format or create a smaller event suited to their space, staff and participant needs.

How can leaders keep the event safe and inclusive?

Complete a site and activity risk assessment, define swing areas and use adapted equipment as intended. Brief every leader on stopping signals, ball collection and safe spacing. Increase target size, shorten distance, use visual markers or allow a seated position where needed.

The aim is meaningful participation. Scoring should reward achievable challenges and teamwork rather than eliminate beginners after one attempt.

How should organisers plan the timetable and scoring?

Small teams of four to six help maintain activity. Set equal station times, allow a short movement interval and appoint one leader or trained young volunteer to each activity. Use one simple scoring method across the festival.

Finish with a clear total and recognition that suits the event, such as team achievement, accuracy or improvement. Keep results secondary to safe participation and an enjoyable introduction to golf.

How should organisers test demand for a tri golf festival?

Define who a tri golf festival is intended to serve, then speak with potential participants, parents, schools, community partners and existing local providers. Ask about preferred times, transport, cost, accessibility and previous experience. A short expression-of-interest form can test demand without promising a programme that the organisers cannot yet staff, insure or accommodate.

Use the findings to set a realistic first block rather than launching at maximum scale. A pilot can confirm attendance patterns, equipment quantities and session length. Record who does not take part as well as who does, because timing, communication or access barriers may exclude the audience the programme was designed to reach.

What safeguarding arrangements are needed for a tri golf festival?

Follow the current safeguarding requirements of the relevant governing body and organisation. Define the welfare lead, safer-recruitment process, eligible role checks, supervision arrangements, photography rules, changing procedures and method for reporting concerns. Make the policy accessible to participants, parents, staff and volunteers before the programme begins.

Plan arrival, collection and late pickup as carefully as the activity itself. Record emergency contacts and relevant medical or access information securely, share it only with people who need it and keep registers accurate. Volunteers should know what to do if an authorised adult is late or a participant discloses a concern.

How can a tri golf festival welcome different ages and abilities?

Describe the entry level clearly so beginners know they are welcome. Adapt distance, target size, pace, equipment, communication and group roles while preserving the purpose of the activity. Offer demonstrations in more than one way and give participants time to practise before scoring or competition begins.

Ask what support each person prefers rather than making assumptions. Ensure routes, toilets, seating and activity areas are accessible for the expected group. Where a specialist adaptation is required, seek advice from the participant, governing body or a suitably qualified professional before the session.

What should be included in the equipment and venue plan for a tri golf festival?

List each activity area, the number of participants it can support and every item needed to run it. Add setup, storage, inspection, cleaning and replacement requirements. Check that the venue agreement permits the activity and clarify responsibility for fixed equipment, first aid, opening, closing and emergency access.

Walk the route from vehicle or store to the activity area. Narrow doors, steps, soft ground or shared corridors can make suitable equipment impractical. Mark participant, spectator and equipment zones, and confirm that leaders can supervise the whole space without preventable blind spots.

How should leaders structure the first session of a tri golf festival?

Welcome participants, explain boundaries and stopping signals, and introduce equipment before adding competition. Use a simple task that gives everyone an early successful attempt. Move from individual familiarisation to paired or small-group activity, then finish with a short application that uses the main rules or skills introduced.

Keep explanations brief and observe how the group responds. If people are waiting, reorganise equipment or reduce group size. If the task is too difficult, adjust one variable at a time so participants understand the change. End by explaining what the next session will develop.

How can organisers review and improve a tri golf festival?

Record attendance, cancellations, incidents, equipment faults and participant feedback. Ask leaders whether the planned timings, ratios and resources worked in practice. Review access for new participants and identify where cost, confidence, transport or communication affected attendance. Use specific findings rather than a general judgement that the session went well.

Agree one or two changes for the next block and assign an owner. Davies Sport can support equipment selection across school, club and community settings, while organisers retain responsibility for delivery, safeguarding and governing-body compliance. Regular review helps the programme grow at a pace the workforce and venue can sustain.

Which common launch mistakes should organisers avoid?

Do not advertise places before confirming the venue, responsible leaders, safeguarding arrangements, insurance and essential equipment. Avoid designing the programme only for experienced participants when the stated aim is wider community access. Large groups, lengthy explanations and complicated scoring can make a first session difficult to supervise and discourage people who need more time to become confident.

A second risk is depending on one volunteer or one funding source. Share key responsibilities, document contacts and procedures, and build a budget that includes affiliation, venue, training, consumables and replacement equipment. Start at a manageable scale, collect evidence after each block and expand only when the workforce, demand and safety arrangements can support it.

Communication also needs planning. Give participants and parents accurate information about timings, clothing, equipment, accessibility, costs, behaviour and cancellation arrangements. Provide a named contact and keep messages consistent across booking pages, emails and social posts. Clear information reduces avoidable enquiries and helps families decide whether the activity meets their needs before travelling.