North East: Professional pair appointed at Durham

County Durham’s Ramside Hall has strengthened its golf operations team with the appointment of trainee PGA professionals James Harper and Kieran Ayre.

The appointments are part of a £15m development underway at the hotel and golf resort, which saw the 18-hole Cathedral Course open in September.

Director of golf Helen Roseberry said: “These are exciting times at Ramside. The new Cathedral Course has been brilliantly received by our membership and the North East golfing public and there is a real buzz surrounding the courses and club that we intend to build upon.”
"James and Kieran are two excellent appointments for Ramside Golf Club and represent our commitment to providing the finest golf coaching, club repair and custom fitting." PGA EuroPro Tour player James Harper is a graduate engineer from Teesside University. He has established an indoor coaching studio featuring a Science and Motion laboratory for putting coaching, stroke and posture analysis and custom fitting putters.

Harper said: “I’m delighted to be joining Ramside at such an exciting moment in the club’s history. The intelligent investment in a new championship course, renovated driving range and coaching staff has built on an already outstanding reputation for quality and puts ram side among the best places to learn, play and enjoy golf in northern England.”

Kieran Ayre, from Sunderland, has been a member at Ramside since the age of 11. He most recently spent a year in Abu Dhabi, working at Saadiyat Beach.

Both Ayre and Harper will assist head professional Kevin Jackson on the teaching staff.