Beth Coulter receives funding award from The Mary peters Trust, alongside Bluefin Sport

Kirkistown Castle golfer, Beth Coulter (15), has been awarded a £2000 grant to help achieve her future goals.

The Mary Peters Trust, alongside Bluefin Sport, annually recognise young sports people who are reaching the top of their game and require additional funding to help them cross the line to the next level in their chosen sport.

Whilst communities are currently coming together in these challenging times to combat coronavirus, athletes are continuing to keep fit and look to the future when training programmes and competitions can be resumed.

During 2019 Irish representative golfer Beth Coulter, from Portaferry, won the Irish Girls’ Close Championship as well as the Munster Girls and Munster Women’s Championship.

Beth also competed in the Nick Faldo Invitational in Florida and the British Women’s Amateur Open playing against top players from all over the world.

The teenager, who is currently in her GCSE year and also a camogie All-star, took up golf whilst at Ballygalget Primary School and developed her game at Kirkistown Golf Club close to her home.

Beth’s father Conal stated:

“As a family, our focus has more been on hurling and camogie, but Beth went on a golf training programme aged 10 and since then has never looked back. Kirkistown Golf Club has been so supportive in helping Beth drive forward and reach her potential at all levels.”

Upon completion of her A Levels, Beth hopes to win a golf scholarship to a top US college and then take up a career playing the game professionally.

“Last September I partnered with a new coach, Chris Jelly and he is masterminding specific training sessions on each element of the game to help me further improve and develop my skills and tactics and ultimately win more competitions,” explained Beth.

“Alongside my studies at Our Lady’s and St Pat’s, I had a busy tournament schedule for 2020 which has naturally been curtailed, however my Bluefin Sport/Mary Peters Trust grant will be a massive help in terms of future travel and accommodation costs for competitions at a later stage and I’d like to thank the Trust’s selection committee and the team at Bluefin Sport.”