West Midlands Round-up: Top marks for golf delegates
A management development course for golf club managers and senior staff has been proclaimed a huge success after being hosted by England Golf at the Avon Conference Centre in Warwick.
Twenty-seven delegates from the golf industry took and passed part one of the Management Development Programme, which aims to help managers strengthen and develop their clubs.
England Golf chief executive David Joy said: “It is fantastic news that all delegates passed the course and I congratulate the club managers and senior staff who successfully took the opportunity to improve their skills and their knowledge of the industry. This will undoubtedly lead to stronger clubs which are better able to meet the needs of existing members and new players.”
The course is provided by the Club Managers Association of Europe and is held in partnership with the Golf Club Managers’ Association.
Disabled golfers descend on Bondhay
The Disabled Golf Association began its 2015 season at Bondhay.
‘Thanks to everybody for a great day’ Members from across the Midlands gathered at the Worksop course, with one-arm golfer Stephen Nelson and blind golfer David Wallis among those taking part.
DGA Midlands co-ordinator Brian Parsons said: “Thanks to all who helped and attended at Bondhay, I hope the day was as enjoyable for you all as it was to me. Thanks to everybody for a great day.”
John Trumble, from Lancashire, was crowned the winner thanks to his tally of 35 points, narrowly pipping Leicestershire’s Brian Parsons.
Cleobury Mortimer’s summer season underway
The first summer competition of the season at Cleobury Mortimer took place in weather that was far from summery.
Heavy rain meant the ground was wet underfoot, but Mark Thompson recorded 45 points to claim the victory.
Thompson said: “My aim is to get my handicap cut this year, and this is a great start. I played very solid and didn’t miss a fairway.”
Police officer sacked for golf club incident
A police officer was sacked after an anti-corruption probe found that he was guilty of gross misconduct.
The incident took place at Branston in 2013, when a member of the public was detained in the car park by a police officer based at Burton Police Station.
Detective Sergeant Mark Thorley, of Staffordshire Police’s anti-corruption unit, said: “The breaches of the professional standards of behaviour included honesty and integrity, authority respect and courtesy, use of force, confidentiality and discreditable conduct.
“The officer was dismissed with immediate effect.”
Callum wins Bossom Bowl
Callum Gullis came top in the Bossom Bowl competition at Leominster recently.
Gullis, who plays of 24, will now have two mentions on the honours board, with his father Ian having three.
Elsewhere, captain Bob Holloway and senior captain Alan Hooper, who are both nearing the end of 15 years’ service at the club, met for a matchplay battle. Holloway won the match by 7.5 to 1.5.
Bus route planned across course
A bus route proposed to cross a course and nature reserve has sparked outcry from residents and environmentalists in Headington.
Passing across the Lye Valley, Oxfordshire County Council’s proposal would see the route run across fairways at Oxford Golf Club.
Hazel Dawe, a law lecturer who lives near Lye Valley, said: “It would be an appalling thing to do to what is a quiet oasis in a busy city. To do it I believe would require a viaduct and it seems like someone who does not know anything about the topography of the area has looked at a map and thought ‘this is a shorter route’.”
Oxford GC’s Alan Davey said the club was evaluating the proposal, adding: “The club is an important amenity and an important green space.”
A campaigner also claimed the course is built on relic limestone grassland and features rare flora that would be destroyed if the bus route was built.
Housing plan for Amington in Tamworth
A plan to build more than 1,000 homes on a golf course in Staffordshire has been submitted by Tamworth Borough Council.
The development would be on the former Amington municipal course, which closed in October.
If the plans are approved, 42 per cent of the 60-acre site would be “green open space”, the council said.
The 18-hole course opened in the 1970s and was originally council-run. A private firm took control in 2006 but went into liquidation in 2013.
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