Hawks Handbook

Official Academy Rules & Requirements

To maintain the high standards of the Hensol Hawks Academy, all parents must familiarise themselves with our official handbook. This document acts as the serious rulebook for our program, detailing critical information that ensures your child is prepared for every session.

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Player Pathway

Chapter 1: Mission, Ethos & Team Culture

Chapter 2: Player Code of Conduct & Etiquette

Chapter 3: Parent Roles, Boundaries & Code of Conduct

Chapter 4: Dress Code & Appearance Standards

Chapter 5: Equipment Regulations & Fitting Specifications

Chapter 6: On-Course Safety Protocols & Emergency Procedures

Chapter 7: Safety, Respect & Pace of Play

Chapter 8: The U.S. Kids Player Pathway & Advancement

Chapter 9: Tournament Rules, Scoring Integrity & Special Events

Chapter 10: Academy Administration, Attendance & Communications

1.1 The Team-First Philosophy

While golf is inherently an individual sport, the Hensol Hawks Academy operates on a structured team framework. We believe that athletic isolation slows growth, whereas a competitive, supportive, fun team environment accelerates it. Players are expected to train together, push each other’s golfing limits, and celebrate the milestones of their peers.

1.2 The "Hawk" Identity & Core Values

Every player enrolled in the academy is expected to embody these three foundational pillars:

Resilience: Viewing bad shots, poor rounds, and technical struggles not as failures, but as essential data points required for athletic development.
Humility: Winning with grace and losing with dignity. A Hawk respects the field of competitors and acknowledges that the game of golf is a lifelong pursuit of self-improvement.
Accountability: Taking absolute ownership of one’s preparation, equipment, scoring, and emotional control on the golf course.

1.3 Community & Representation:

Being a Hawk extends beyond our facility. Our players represent the academy at all times, meaning they are expected to show the utmost respect to golf course staff, tournament volunteers, and opposing field competitors wherever they travel to play.

2.1 Explicit Behavioral Prohibitions

To preserve an elite, fun, focused training environment, the academy maintains a strict policy against disruptive or toxic behaviour. The following actions are entirely prohibited during academy hours, training sessions, and competitions:

Equipment Abuse: Slamming, throwing, or deliberately dropping clubs, bags, or flags in anger.
Verbal Outbursts: The use of foul language, self-deprecating shouting, or disruptive emotional tantrums on the driving range or golf course.
Deception: Intentionally miscounting strokes, moving balls in play to improve lies, or falsifying markers' scorecards.

2.2 The Three-Strike Disciplinary Framework

To maintain order and safety, infractions will be handled swiftly and transparently using a tiered disciplinary protocol:

Strike 1 (Official Verbal Warning): The coach will halt the player, clearly identify the rule infraction, and log the warning.
Strike 2 (Immediate Session Suspension): The player will be instructed to pack their equipment and spend the remainder of the class sitting quietly in a designated coaching safety zone. A formal parent-coach notification will be issued via email.
Strike 3 (Program Review & Suspension): The player is suspended from all academy activities until a formal, in-person disciplinary review is conducted with the Head Coach, the player, and their parents. Continuous behavioral issues may result in permanent removal from the program without a financial refund.

3.1 The Gift of Independence (Supporting the Coaching Process)

We view parents as an essential part of the Hensol Hawks family. Your role is to provide the unconditional emotional support, encouragement, and stability that young athletes need to thrive. To help your child build confidence and problem-solving skills on the course, we ask that technical golf instruction, swing adjustments, and tactical advice be left entirely to our US Kids Certified Coaching staff.

When players receive instruction from coaches and parents simultaneously, it can create confusion and slow down their natural learning process. Letting the coaches handle the technical side allows you to simply be your child’s biggest cheerleader!

3.2 Spectator Guidelines and Creating Space to Grow

We love having parents watch our juniors practice and compete! To create a safe, focused training environment where players can easily engage with their coaches and teammates, we ask that you follow these simple spacing guidelines:

During Weekly Clinics: Please remain outside the active hitting bays, artificial mats, and short-game greens, allowing the coaches to direct the group dynamic.
During Tournaments & On-Course Play: We invite you to walk along and enjoy the round! To give the players the independence they need to make their own decisions on the course, please stay a comfortable distance away (roughly 25 yards).

3.3 Shifting the Focus to Effort and Fun

Golf can be a challenging game of ups and downs. We ask that parents help us build a positive culture by praising effort, attitude, and sportsmanship rather than focusing solely on scorecards or tournament outcomes. By celebrating their resilience through tough holes, we can work together to build happy, confident golfers who love the game for life.

4.1 Relaxed & Ready to Move

We want our juniors to feel comfortable and focused on having fun. There is no official uniform required; casual everyday clothes like t-shirts, hoodies, shorts, or activewear are perfectly fine, as long as they allow your child to swing a club freely and comfortably.

4.2 School Uniforms & Jeans Welcomed

Because many of our sessions take place directly on the driving range, we completely understand that kids are often rushing here straight from school or other clubs. Wearing school uniforms (with shoes swapped for trainers) or clean, casual jeans is absolutely fine for our weekly range sessions.

4.3 Safe Footwear

The only strict rule we have is regarding safety on the hitting mats. Players must wear closed-toe shoes with good grip—such as everyday trainers or flat school shoes—to prevent slipping during a swing. Flip-flops, sandals, crocs, and football boots are not allowed.

5.1 The Height-Fitting Mandate

Forcing a child to swing clubs that are too heavy or too long leads to severe mechanical flaws and physical strain. The academy aligns its equipment exclusively with the height-based U.S. Kids Golf Fitting System rather than player age.

5.2 Regular Gear Audits:

Our coaching staff can conduct regular height inspections prior to or after a session, in order to track any potential growth spurts. It is, however, the responsibility of the player and parents to ensure clubs are updated as the player transitions into a new height bracket.

5.3 Equipment Provided for Everyone

Don't worry about buying expensive gear before your child's first session! The academy is fully stocked with junior clubs of all sizes, and we are more than happy to provide the appropriate equipment for any player to use completely free of charge during our weekly classes.

5.4 Try Before You Buy

If your child is growing out of their current gear or wants to test something new, they can try out different club lengths and weights during our sessions. This gives them a chance to find what feels most comfortable before you make any decisions about purchasing new equipment.

5.5 Bag Inspection (Being Tournament Ready)

Every player’s bag must contain exactly: their fitted club set (maximum of 14 clubs in a bag), a minimum of 6 clean golf balls, a handful of wooden tees, a pitch mark repair tool, a ball marker, a water bottle, and their physical Academy Handbook.

6.1 The 360-Degree Safety Circle

A golf club swung at high velocity can cause severe trauma. The academy enforces an absolute zero-tolerance policy regarding blind swings:

Players must physically turn their heads and verify a clear 360-degree radius before taking a practice swing or an official shot.
No player may stand directly ahead of, directly behind, or within 10 feet of another player who is actively addressing a golf ball.

6.2 The "FORE!" Protocol

If a player strikes a golf ball and loses sight of it, or if a ball turns unexpectedly toward another group of players, the golf course, or the driving range stalls, the player—and their entire playing group—must immediately shout "FORE!" at maximum vocal volume. Upon hearing a cry of "FORE!", all players must instantly turn away from the source of the sound, crouch down, and cover their heads and necks with their arms.

6.3 Inclement Weather & Evacuation Procedures

If the air horns sound due to lightning risks, players must immediately stop what they are doing, return all clubs to their bag, and return to the clubhouse under the instruction of their coach, caddie, parent or tournament volunteer.

7.1 Range Safety and Respect

During our weekly sessions on the driving range, staying safe and respecting those around us is our absolute priority. This means no silly behavior, listening to the coaches at all times, and strictly adhering to our 5 rules of safety. Every player must keep their golf clubs within their assigned hitting bay and only swing when given the clear, safe instruction to do so.

7.2 Casual Rounds at The Grove Golf Club

When playing casual rounds with friends or family at The Grove Golf Club, players should focus on keeping the game moving by playing "Ready Golf." Whoever is ready to hit safely should do so, rather than sticking to strict traditional rules. Players must also look after the beautiful course by replacing or sanding fairway divots, raking bunkers, and repairing ball marks on the greens.

7.3 Tournament Order of Play

When juniors step up to official academy competitions, they transition from casual play to formal tournament rules. In these events, players must follow the strict order of play they have been taught during academy time (such as the player furthest from the hole hitting first). To keep up the pace of play under these rules, players are expected to walk briskly between shots and limit themselves to two practice swings.

8.1 The 10-Tier Advancement Framework

The academy utilises the gold-standard U.S. Kids Player Pathway curriculum, which fragments comprehensive golf development into 10 highly measurable, progressive levels. Each level demands rigorous competency across five core sub-categories:

Putting: Distance control, alignment accuracy, and green reading.
Around the Green: Chipping, pitching, and basic sand escapes.
Full Swing: Ball striking consistency, clubhead speed, and directional targets.
Knowledge: Comprehensive mastery of the official rules of golf, scorecard calculation, and complex formats.
Scoring: Achieving strict target score benchmarks over 9 holes from scaled yardage plates.

8.2 Real-Time Achievement Rewards

Progress pins are awarded immediately at the end of the training session once a player achieves their specific milestone. Upon mastering an entire level, players will be awarded a special "mastered" pin and the next levels bag tag to proudly display on their golf bag. Exceptional milestones are celebrated with unique honours: reaching the end of Level 5 earns the player a Gold Medal, while completing Level 10 is rewarded with an elite Platinum Medal.

8.3 Dual Progress Tracking

To keep you completely connected to your child's journey, all achievements are logged across two digital platforms. Parents can view real-time updates and skills progression directly in their US Kids Golf Parent Portal, while all major milestones will be proudly highlighted in our own Hensol Hawks Clubhouse to celebrate your child's hard work with the whole academy community.

9.1 Themed Major Events

To prevent competitive anxiety, the academy hosts creative, themed event days throughout the year. These include replica "Majors," holiday team scrambles, and targeted skills challenges that introduce high-pressure environments inside a fun, high-energy atmosphere.

9.2 The Marker Scoring Protocol

All competitive events are governed under the official Rules of Golf. Players will be assigned a fellow competitor to act as their official "Marker" to track their strokes, ensuring clear accountability and data tracking during play.

9.3 Card Auditing & Disqualification

At the conclusion of a competitive round, players must sit together in the designated scoring area to verify their scores hole-by-hole. Submitting an unsigned scorecard or a score lower than actually taken results in immediate disqualification.

10.1 Punctuality Window

Late arrivals disrupt the rhythm of group instruction and compromise player safety warm-ups. Players must at the academy 5 minutes prior to the official session start time, fully prepared and ready to start the session.

10.2 Mandatory Parent Portal Bookings

All session bookings must be made in advance through the official U.S. Kids Parent Portal. If a child is not registered online, they will unfortunately be turned away from the class. We check our final booking numbers at 3:00 PM on the day of the session; if zero players are registered by this time, we cannot allocate coaching resources to man that slot, and the session will be officially cancelled.

10.3 Direct Lines of Communication

Open and early communication is vital for keeping our academy running smoothly. In the event that a booking issue arises, a child cannot attend, or an emergency occurs, parents must contact either Candice Bromley or Josh Aubrey at the earliest possible convenience so our management team can assist you.

The Hensol Hawks Academy Handbook

This handbook serves as the official governance document for the Hensol Hawks Academy. To maintain our high standards of safety, elite instruction, and sportsmanship, all enrolled players and their parents are required to read, understand, and adhere to the regulations outlined below.

Upcoming Events

Get your golf clubs ready, Hawks, because the fun is just getting started! We’ve got some awesome things hitting the calendar—like super-fun team tournaments, crazy themed events, and awesome Birdie Golf Porthcawl parties!

HOW TO JOIN THE FUN

Already a Hawk? Check your US Kids Portal!

New to the team? Check out our events page!

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Upcoming: 12th of July Parent & Child Competition

Hawks Handbook

Official Academy Rules & Requirements

Resilience: Viewing bad shots, poor rounds, and technical struggles not as failures, but as essential data points required for athletic development.

Humility: Winning with grace and losing with dignity. A Hawk respects the field of competitors and acknowledges that the game of golf is a lifelong pursuit of self-improvement.

Accountability: Taking absolute ownership of one’s preparation, equipment, scoring, and emotional control on the golf course.

1.3 Community & Representation: Being a Hawk extends beyond our facility. Our players represent the academy at all times, meaning they are expected to show the utmost respect to golf course staff, tournament volunteers, and opposing field competitors wherever they travel to play.

The Hensol Hawks Academy Handbook

Upcoming Events

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View Our Hawks In Action

Have Questions Before You Join?

1.3 Community & Representation:

Being a Hawk extends beyond our facility. Our players represent the academy at all times, meaning they are expected to show the utmost respect to golf course staff, tournament volunteers, and opposing field competitors wherever they travel to play.