Eden Golf Club professional Tom Hodgson is hoping to bring some new initiatives to the club.

Hodgson, who this year has joined Eden Golf Club as their new professional, replacing Steve Harrison, is keen to make the sport as inclusive as possible.

And on Tuesday, they will hold a free girls’ taster session as part of England Golf’s Girls Golf Rocks scheme.

"It’s a new scheme they are trying to promote. They did it last year and they are trying to push it again this year," said Hodgson.

"We try to bring in juniors of all ages, girls and boys, but the Girls Golf Rocks scheme is targeted at young girls.

"I think the hardest thing for girls especially is the role models aren’t as visible.

"If you think of a footballer and were to go anywhere in the world and said ‘Ronaldo’ or ‘Messi’, they’d have an argument about which one they prefer.

"So, anyone can look at a sport and pick someone to idolise but, in girls’ golf, it’s a lot harder to do that.

"A lot of people won’t have a clue about the Ladies who played at Augusta for the first time ever in the Masters.

"That’s a huge thing, but you wouldn’t know about it which, to me, is heart breaking.

"So, the Girls Golf Rocks scheme gives them a free taster session and then five follow-up sessions with a heavy discount run by England Golf which is a really cool system."

Hodgson also wants to bring more members to Eden Golf Club, and believes there is a real market for golf in the area.

"I think a lot of people these days are dealing with a lot of stresses, and I think it’s nice to have those moments where you can step away from it," he said.

"I think you are noticing, now, there are a lot of people who are interested in taking up extra hobbies and sports, or anything that is outdoors and physical.

"A lot of people think about golf as some lazy person’s sport but, in truth, it’s actually quite physical.

"Especially if you get on the main course, you are walking around a golf course for four hours, you are swinging a golf club every now and again that actually has a lot more physical aspects than you would imagine. A lot of people after their first few lessons are saying ‘Oh, my back is sore’ because it’s physical.

"It helps mental health, as well. These days everyone has a lot of pressures on them and spending a day outside, hopefully in the sunshine, exercising, keeping fit and meeting new people is a really nice way for people to de-stress. There are a lot of different reasons to play golf.

"Golf isn’t just about competing and scoring, golf is about enjoying yourself, whatever that motivation is."

Prior to Hodgson’s arrival, long-serving professional Harrison had been at the club for more than 20 years.

Hodgson admits he feels there are lots of positive ideas in place at Eden Golf Club, but hopes to bring his own ideas to the club, as well.

“Nobody has a bad word to say about him and he has developed and grown a lot of people in golf," Hodgson said.

"I think that’s a really important thing. They have a lot of fantastic systems but I’m thinking I’m going to try to bring in some new ideas.

"We did one where we did an equipment and demo day and, if Tommy Fleetwood won the Masters, anything bought on the day would be refunded in full. It was a quirky one. I was sat there, watching Tommy Fleetwood, saying ‘Please, don’t score'.

"But it was something new and it was interesting. We had a lot of technology down on the driving range and it was a nice way of bringing something new that people hadn’t seen before.

"One of the biggest strengths here is, even though they had a fantastic base with what Steve has done, they are also very open for that innovation and trying new ideas.

"Things like Girls Golf Rocks is a great way to grow the game but in a different way."

For details about Girls Golf Rock, go to girlsgolfrocks.org/cumbria.