Golfing prodigy Adam Carnell, above, has been made junior captain of Rochester & Cobham GC at the tender age of just 12.
It’s quite an achievement for somebody who, having now turned 13, is five years younger than some of his contemporaries.
However, it won’t come as too much of a surprise for those familiar with him, as he has shown a natural bent for fast-tracking his golfing career, having completed the Young Masters Golf (YMG) coaching programme in just three years.
YMG director Chris Smith said: “The structured nature and broad content of the YMG programme does seem to really help youngsters mature into the game. By including both rules and etiquette alongside learning to play, it provides a very rounded experience.
“Not everybody can go on to become a captain but naturally we’re hugely proud of anybody who achieves as a result of attending our courses.”
Adam, who lives in Cliffe Woods and attends Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School, currently plays off an impressive handicap of 6.3 – just six years after starting to learn the game with the Young Masters Golf (YMG) programme at his first club, Southern Valley.
He continued his YMG education at Rochester & Cobham and then Thamesview Golf Centre after his coach left Southern Valley. He returned to Rochester & Cobham as a member in 2007 after completing the course.
He made his debut for the Kent county side at under-13 level last year and has retained his place in the under-14 set-up. And only last weekend, in very difficult conditions, he came fourth in a field of 92 in the club’s adult monthly Stableford competition, a single point behind the winner.
Mum Paula said: “Naturally my husband and I are very proud of what he’s achieved. Not only to get to the position of junior captain and to represent his county but also that he could do it while studying and passing his 11-plus.
“YMG played a huge part in Adam’s golfing education and it’s all credit to the transferability of the system that he could move clubs with his YMG file and history and simply pick up where he left off with no lapse in his coaching.”
Smith added: “Adam’s success is admirable and we are very proud that YMG has been able to lay the foundations for what could be a long and successful golfing career.
“Adam is a beacon for YMG, a real ambassador for the programme and a great example to all youngsters whether they play golf or not.”
Developed by a team of highly experienced PGA professionals, the YMG programme is the ultimate solution for boys and girls from the ages of six to 14-years-old who want to start playing golf or, if they already play, to improve. And more than 60,000 youngsters have participated in the course over the last eight years.
