Hit and hope for the new Tigers

Golfing stardom may now start at 13 but the next generation can't see Woods for the teething troubles

Tiger Woods has this advice for Jae An, the 13-year-old who qualified for the New Zealand Open and then made the halfway cut. "I hope he enjoys the process of learning and developing his game," said the world No 1. "But also that he remembers it is a game."

Perhaps inspired by Woods, naturally athletic children around the world are playing the game like never before. Last year Morgan Pressel qualified for the US Women's Open at the age of 12 and 17-year-old Ty Tryon earned his US Tour card. Tryon, who has been coached at the David Leadbetter Academy in Orlando for six years, has had to turn down a personal request from the venerable host of the Byron Nelson Classic to play in the event because it clashes with his high school prom.

With the likes of Luke Donald, Paul Casey and Nick Dougherty, to name but three, there is plenty of talent emerging from this country, but the overall picture of junior development remains hard to evaluate. Though there is no single, accountable governing body for the whole game, various people are offering innovative schemes.

This week in Kuala Lumpur, the English Golf Union's élite squad, funded under the world-class performance programme by Sport England, has been training under the guidance of captain Peter McEvoy and coach Keith Williams at the venue for October's Eisenhower Trophy. Warm weather training will continue in South Africa next month.

At the same time, Nick Faldo will be escorting 11 finalists from the Faldo Junior Series to California. "It is a chance for all of us to live and breathe golf for 10 days," said Faldo, who is passionate about unearthing the stars of the future. "My vision for the Junior Series has worked so far but now we want to get serious. I want to enhance British golf, then spread into Europe and possibly end up going global."

The Junior Series started five years ago and has been oversubscribed ever since. Dougherty won three of the first four finals and, thanks to the EGU and the FJS, turned professional last year at 19 having won in America, Argentina, Australia, Guatemala, Japan and Europe.

At grass roots level, the Golf Foundation, like the Queen celebrating their golden jubilee, report continuing success of their Starter Centre and Merit Award schemes while Tri-Golf, a mini version of the game with plastic clubs and balls, was launched last year. "In its first year we got into around 800 to 1,000 schools," said executive director Mike Round. "It is very exciting because golf has not had a presence in primary schools before.

"There is no doubt the age profile of the game is coming down," Round added. "Fifty per cent of those joining our starter centres are 10 and under, and clubs are responding by opening rookie and 10-and-under sections. Attitudes are changing to youngsters but there is still a long way to go. Overall, with the fantastic crop of players we have, there is a lot going for us as a sport."

Yet an editorial in the February issue of Golf Monthly states: "We have received numerous letters about the state of junior golf in this country, particularly during the past few months when the lack of youngsters taking up the game has finally hit home." The magazine suggests a 50p levy for golf club members to support the Golf Foundation, an idea endorsed by Peter Dawson, secretary of the Royal and Ancient. It is depressing that such a levy does not already exist and that the sum is not nearer £50.

While the First Tee programme in the States has the commercial might of the PGA Tour behind it, the Golf Foundation is basically underwritten by the R and A, with support from the European Tour. While The Open and the Ryder Cup generate huge sums, and the golf industry has money to invest, most of the myriad acronyms that run the game – all split into their little areas of concern: amateur or professional; national, UK or European; and, naturally, male or female – do not.

The fact that around 20 organisations attended a symposium arranged by the Euro- pean Golf Industry Association at Wentworth last month tells its own story. Richard Callicott, chief executive of Sport UK, made the very point. "There may be lots of bodies doing worthy work but it is not as close-knit or effective as it might be," said a spokesman for Sport UK. "This is not unique to golf. It is something other sports like tennis and cricket have had to face."

Research by Sports Marketing Surveys – who confirmed the average age of all golfers has actually rocketed from 41 to 48 over the last decade – shows that while golf ranks third in participation among leading sports behind football and tennis, it lies 12th in terms of government support. Tennis and golf have similar participation rates yet tennis received £70m last year, golf only £8m.

Dawson does not see a need for imminent change. "Things have moved on measurably in the last two or three years," he said. "People are working together closely, for example with the Junior Golf Partnership in England and a similar initiative in Scotland.

"If you were starting with a clean piece of paper now, you might do it differently, but there is a lot of experience out there and we are not going to disband what we've got. Golf is working quite well and in terms of the production of élite players arguably better than tennis or cricket."

The perception remains, however, that the structure lacks coherence. "The concern of the industry is that the structure does not help them when it comes to trying to place their money," admitted Round. "They want us to help them understand how the development is going on. It is no secret that it is a complicated structure and in everyone's eagerness to do something, things can get duplicated or not done at all. It is critical that we work collectively."