 LANCASHIRE hot-shot Paul Kinnear, who chalked up five victories in his final six events last season, fired a warning shot at his rivals in the Cleveland / Srixon Northern Order of Merit when he won the Southport & Ainsdale Bowl by three shots.
The 16-year-old Formby player, winner of the Mere Trophy and Birkdale Silver Goblet in 2010, struggled with the rest of the field in testing conditions in the morning, his opening 76 leaving him two shots adrift of county team-mate pacesetter John Carroll.
Kinnear dropped four strokes on the last three holes but atoned for his lapses with a second round 69 which featured a quartet of birdies and a solitary bogey to post a one-over-par total in the first Northern Order of Merit event to qualify for world amateur rankings.
The host club’s Sean Towndrow, who defends his Lancashire County Championship title at Manchester next month, was second while Huyton & Prescot’s Carroll extended his lead in the merit to 135 points over Formby’s Kris Taylor. |
 Horsforth Golf Club is to hold its final, and 20th, Charity AM-AM on Friday 1st July 2011, raising funds for the Bexley Wing at St James (originally Cookridge Hospital). The originator of this competition, Mr Danny Kitching, sadly died in February this year and it is hoped that the club can increase the total already donated of £185,000+ to £200,000 in his memory. Entry fees for a team of 4 (can be men, ladies or mixed) is £150 and this includes a fantastic buffet for the players with an evening of entertainment, raffles and a tombola. Anyone interested in entering a team or able to donate a gift for the raffle or the Auction should contact Lesley or Liz on 01132586819 or email secretary@horsforthgolfclub.co.ukbut please be quick as there are only a few times remaining. The photograph attached show the 2008 cheque being presented to Mr David Bottomley of the Bexley Wing from Mr Danny Kitching.
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 PAINTER and decorator John Carroll gave the rest of the field the brush off as he swept to victory in the Crosby Challenge Plate at West Lancs for the fourth time in five years. The Huyton and Prescot player, winner of the Lancashire Amateur Championship in 2006, tamed the testing Blundellsands links with rounds of 69 and 70, five-under-par all told and three strokes ahead of Southport & Ainsdale’s Mark Rabone. And he took over pole position in the Northern Order of Merit, sponsored for the first time by Cleveland Srixon, in which he regularly finishes in the top 10. Carroll, 32, produced three birdies in both rounds, his best-of-the-day 69 matched by Dunscar’s Gareth Hastie before he slipped back into a share of fifth place after following up with a 76. |
 The 2011 Men’s Captain of Horsforth Golf Club drove himself in to office on March 20. Along with his wife Judith supporting him was the Ladies Captain, Sue Heath, her term of office beginning last November. The new Club President, Trevor Greenwood and his wife Jane, who is also the Ladies President, also watched on.
After the drive in the Past Captain and Barrie Gill played a round of golf with Trevor and Alan before joining their wives for a meal in the clubhouse. Also at the AGM the Vice President for 2011 was voted from within the membership and for the first time in the Club’s history a lady has taken office and Mrs Christine Greenhalgh will become Club President in 2012.
Pictured (from left to right) is Ladies President Jane Greenwood, Club President Trevor Greenwood, Mrs Judith Read, Men’s Captain Alan Read and Ladies Captain Sue Heath. |
 Eddie Bullock has embarked on his two year reign as captain of the PGA following his election at its annual AGM at its Belfry headquarters. The Leeds-born member, who will represent the Association in the ambassadorial role, succeeds Jim Farmer with Neil Selwyn-Smith named PGA captain-elect. Bullock’s elevation to one of the most prestigious roles in golf caps a wide-ranging career that began in 1971 as a young assistant to Hedley Muscroft at Roundhay Municipal Golf Course in Leeds. He later gained his first head professional post at Bedford & County Golf Club where he served the club for 21 years, including 10 years as general manager.
As one of a new breed at that time of PGA professionals pursuing more senior managerial roles, Bullock moved to Woburn, one of the country’s most prestigious venues as managing director and more recently as a non executive director at Golf at Goodwood and consultant to Bournemouth University.
Other career achievements include being awarded Advanced Fellow of the PGA status while he is also a member of the Golf Club Managers’ Association and the Bullock is also on the Golf Foundation’s board of trustees and key advocate for the advancement of golf among all walks of society. He said:
“I’m excited and feel extremely honoured to have been invited to become captain of our great association and look forward to meeting many of my fellow members over the next two years. I’m very proud of my association with the PGA, it has stood me in good stead. Without it I would have not got anywhere near achieving what I have.”
PGA chief executive Sandy Jones added: “Eddie is passionate about the PGA and golf and brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the role. Just as importantly he also has great personal attributes, particularly his people skills, which will serve him superbly as an ambassador of the PGA both in
the UK and Ireland as well as around the world. On behalf of the Association I would like to place on record sincere thanks to Jim Farmer for his efforts during his two year captaincy. It’s a great honour to hold the role and he has represented the PGA with distinction.” |
 A GREEN-minded Chester hotel and golf resort has found an innovative new way of recycling the hundreds of glass bottles it serves every week – by using them to improve its two championship golf courses.
Carden Park Hotel, Golf Resort and Spa has invested in a new high tech glass crusher, which uses a series of hammers to crush the bottles into very fine sand instantaneously. The result is a substance soft enough to touch and ideal for spreading on its roughs, fairways and tees to maximise drainage.
It’s believed to be the only resort in the UK to recycle all of its surplus glass on site for use on its own golf courses. General manager Hamish Ferguson said: “We produce up to 30 tonnes of glass every year at Carden Park. It was costing us £200 a week to have the glass taken away to be recycled and even more to bring in the equivalent amount of sand for use on the golf courses. It seemed like the ideal solution to invest in an on-site recycling system, which would cut out the middle man and be kinder to the environment in the process.”
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