Forty-nine students from Kindergarten to Year 6 spent three weeks on clubs, balls and a simulator, as Golf NSW’s Lunch Time Launch It program visited Mathoura Public School for the very first time.

Run at no cost to the school, the program gave every student from Kinder through to Year 6 a chance to get involved, regardless of age or experience. Over July 24, July 31 and August 17, students worked on their skills out on the oval, hitting rubber and tennis balls and playing rounds of bucket golf, a fun, low-pressure way to build hand-eye coordination and get comfortable with a club in hand.

The standout for most, though, was the LTLI simulator. It was the first time the simulator had been set up at the school, giving students a hands-on, indoor look at the game they wouldn’t normally get outside of a golf course. For many, it was their first real interaction with golf in any form, and it clearly made an impression.

The program is part of Golf NSW’s broader push to bring the game into schools across the Western Riverina – Murray region, giving kids in smaller towns access to golf without needing to set foot on a course. For a lot of Mathoura’s students, this was their introduction to the sport altogether.

At the end of the program, students put their thanks in writing, presenting facilitator Jody Fleming with a handwritten card:

“Dear Jody, thank you for coming to our school to provide our students with golf clinics. Thank you for helping us to learn how to be great golfers. We appreciate the opportunities you have provided us with, including setting up the golf simulator. We had a remarkable time.” – Mathoura Public School students

It’s a small gesture that speaks to the impact of the visit. From tennis balls on the oval to a simulator taking pride of place indoors, the three-week program gave Mathoura students their first real taste of golf, and by all accounts, one they’re keen to have again.