For those in the Rich River Golf Club’s chip-and-sip program, there’s a little more sipping than chipping right now – two weeks in a six-week program.
Golf professional Ben Patten and trainee Cooper Gentle lead the group of 20 women who are either new to golf or who are returning to the sport after a long break.
The women, like many of us, have started their golf lessons on the driving range and are trying to steer the often uncooperative ball towards the targets.
They learn some basics in the first two weeks of the program and then enjoy the equally popular social side of the sport in the clubhouse.
Next week the group will tackle the greens and by the fourth week the goal is for them to tackle a few holes on the course.
In the fifth week, you will learn about golf etiquette and rules, an important part of the sport that is often flaunted by its participants.
Then, in the final week, they may be tackling the course more seriously.
Learning the capers: Teresa Carlson tees off during the Chip and Sip event in Rich River.
Some of the participants started learning golf earlier in their lives but have discontinued the sport due to family or work commitments.
At the beginning there were a few swings in the fresh air, which were discussed after the one-hour lesson in the relaxed “sip” format of the program.
One participant whose back yard leads straight onto the course decided that now that she has a solid collection of golf balls, she can learn to play just as well.
Participants in the Chip and Sip program come from Echuca, Kyabram, Bamawm and most of the other hamlets in Campaspe Shire.
One of the women even went out and bought a new set of clubs.