YOUNG golfers have been getting into the swing of the sport with weekly sessions at Furness Golf Club.

The hour-long lessons have been running for just over a month under the guidance of PGA professional Gareth Butcher, with a mix of beginners and children already playing taking part.

The most recent session saw the group work on putting, chipping and other short-game skills, having already covered the long game and techniques with the different clubs.

"It's a mixture of abilities," said Butcher. "There are some beginners who have never picked up a golf club before and some who have been playing for about 12 months.

"It's just getting some them to know the basics and introduce them to the game, and for others it's just trying to improve, and get to the next level and keep progressing.

"With kids, getting them in a group in environment, they bounce off one another and learn off each other rather than just me showing them what to do.

"They might look at the person next to them, look at what they're doing and try to copy them or take little things away from the other kids."

Butcher is pleased with the progress the children have been making, and hopes they will get to the stage where they will be able to start playing in competitions should they so desire.

"Building up, I'd like to get them out onto the golf course and getting them to a level where they feel confident enough to do that and getting them to a level where we'd get them into junior competitions," said Butcher.

"It's the natural progression. You've got to learn the skills you need to go out and play the game, then when you've got the skills then you have to apply them in a competitive scenario."