SAGA welcomes Little to Junior and Senior Golf

The South African Golf Association (SAGA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Peter Little as National Junior and Senior Golf Coordinator and Junior Golf Development Officer from April 1, 2012.

Little will be responsible for the administrative duties and tournaments relating to the junior and senior amateur schedule, monitoring the progress of golf development programmes at provincial level, as well as liaising with the committees and individuals who look after junior golf at provincial level.

“We are delighted to welcome Peter to our ranks,” said SAGA president Colin Burger. “We believe his leadership, commitment and proven track record in amateur golf, especially junior and senior golf, will bring new momentum to the organisation.

“The National Junior Golf Coordinator post was created when the SAGA took ownership of junior golf in January 2011 in accordance to a mandate from SASCOC and SRSA,” he said.

“Junior Golf is now completely under the auspices of the SAGA and part of Peter’s directive will be to ensure that the 13 divisions that form SAGA Junior Golf remains an integral part of the SAGA. He will also make sure that the junior golf development programmes are closely aligned to the SAGA and the funds allocated for development are appropriately disbursed.

“We have a lot of confidence in his abilities. Peter brings more than 10 years of junior golf experience to the position and has a strong background in amateur golf, having served the Western Province Golf Union for many years at junior and senior level.”

Speaking from the South African Boys U19 Tournament at Katberg Eco Golf Estate, Little said he was looking forward to the challenge ahead.

“I am excited to grow junior and senior golf beyond the borders of the Western Province and I look forward to a long association with the SAGA,” he said.

Little’s involvement in junior golf dates back to 2000, when he began organising weekly competitions for a group of young golfers from Royal Cape Golf Club in order to promote a stronger junior presence at Royal Cape.

“That exercise set me on a road with junior golf, and it all really blossomed from there,” he said.

After answering the call from the Western Province Golf Union to manage an U14 team at the Southern Provinces Interprovincial in 2004, Little felt that more had to be done at provincial level to promote golf in the younger age groups.

He launched an U14 provincial squad for interested kids on Sunday afternoons and in 2005, took two u14 teams to the Fish River Challenge.

“The tournament draws all the southern provinces and the Western Province has dominated the Southern Provinces Interprovincial since 2005,” he said. “Seeing that they also had an U12 division at this tournament, I started an U12 squad that practiced with the U14’s on Sundays. At this point, I was also asked to join the WP Junior Golf Foundation committee.”

Little initiated the inaugural U12 Interprovincial Tournament with the support of the SA Junior Golf Foundation in June 2006. The inaugural tournament at Clovelly Golf Club drew nine teams, but that number had grown to 15 teams by 2009.

In 2007, the Western Province Golf Union offered Little a full time position to run all junior golf within the province and a year later, also appointed him to run senior golf for the Western Province.

“Junior golf in the Western Province continued to grow and thrive and 2011 was an exceptional year for us, with the Western Province winning the u19 Interprovincial for the first time in eight years, as well as the Senior Interprovincial for the first time in 23 years,” Little said.

“Naturally it was a difficult decision to leave the Western Province Golf Union and everything I’ve invested there in the last 12 years behind, but when the SAGA approached me to take up the national Junior and Senior Golf Coordinator position, I was delighted to accept. I am especially excited at the prospect of junior golf development, which is something that has always been close to my heart.”