SCORES of youngsters in Kidlington are being encouraged to take up golf – to help their maths skills.

Andy Taylor, head coach at Kirtlington Golf Club, has been awarded £800 by the Golf Foundation to work with children in four primary schools – Edward Feild, West Kidlington, North Kidlington and Dr South’s, Islip.

Pupils are taking part in six sessions between March and July, four at their respective schools and two at the golf club.

Mr Taylor, 44, from Woodstock, said: “To start off, we use Tri-Golf equipment, which is light, plastic equipment with sponge golf balls.It’s a good, safe introduction to the sport.

“Then, when the children are a bit more confident, we run two follow-up sessions at the golf club where they can use proper clubs.”

For each session, Mr Taylor applies a scoring system relevant to the level of maths the pupils have been learning in class.

Participants may score seven, eight or nine for a successful putt, depending on which times table their teacher tells Mr Taylor they need to practise.

Mr Taylor said: “We are getting a lot of kids involved who possibly didn’t know they were interested in golf and they make fairly quick progress.

“They get the benefit of learning to play golf and to use maths in a practical way.

“If you are playing golf, you need to be able to mark your card correctly.

“It’s an important part of the game – incorrect scoring can cost a golfer a lot of money.”

Mr Taylor said the project, designed to build relations between golf clubs and their communities, also aimed to make talented young golfers feel comfortable going to a golf club.

John Hawkins, a teacher at Edward Feild Primary School, said pupils had been enjoying the extra-curricular experience. He said: “The children are always particularly excited when they know they are going to be able to drive a ball – it’s a really useful way to make children understand maths is an important aspect of life.”

Last month pupils at Gosford Hill School learned about the role of maths in the world of work, when representatives of Oxford University, Sainsbury’s supermarket and Oxfordshire fire and rescue service visited the school to talk about the topic.

tshepherd@oxfordmail.co.uk