Kirkby Lonsdale Golf Club has announced the appointment of two new PGA Professionals as the Cumbrian venue looks forward to the new golfing season ahead, with a host of exciting new competitions and events.
Following the departure of former head professional John Twissell, who left to join a club in Florida, Kirkby Lonsdale’s board has appointed PGA Professional Andy Duncan, who was previously PGA Lancashire Secretary, to head up the club’s retail operation, while Steve Whiteside, who has spent the last 20 years running a golf academy in Jersey, leads the coaching team.
“Both of us are close friends of John [Twissell] and we are delighted to have been given the opportunity to carry on the great work he has done at Kirkby Lonsdale over the past four years,” said Duncan. “The pro shop has had a major refurbishment over the past couple of months to make it more user friendly for members and visitors alike, but the main emphasis for myself and Steve is to make sure all members and visitors are looked after when they come to the club. We are very excited to have joined such a forward-thinking club and to carry on the good work it does.”
Despite experiencing one of the wettest winters on record, which has affected all golf clubs in the area, Kirkby Lonsdale’s marketing manager, and long-standing club member, Graham Bywater says that the club has never been in a better place.
“The club is going from strength to strength and we are all looking forward to the new season,” said Bywater. “Because of the wet winter we have had to cancel and postpone some events, and the course has been closed a lot more often than usual, but despite this the club has retained its membership at around 480 members and we are on a trajectory to achieve 500 members this season. We are also just completing what has probably been the most successful winter league club competition we have ever had.”
Visitor bookings were coming in thick and fast and were in line with the past couple of years, which had been very healthy. “Kirkby Lonsdale Golf Club is in Golf World’s Top 100 Golf Society Venues of Great Britain, which is testament to the success of the club in helping encouraging golfing visitors to the area,” added Bywater.
He said members came from South Lakeland, north Lancashire and North Yorkshire with some from as far away as Hawes, the Eden Valley and Preston. “The club offers a range of membership packages, including Country Membership for those whose home club is more than 40 miles away, which allows 15 rounds in a year.”
Recent work on the course has included the installation of winter tees at the fourth and 14th holes and the green staff are rebuilding the greenside bunker at the third hole as part of a long-term bunker improvement scheme.
A highlight of the forthcoming season will be the club hosting a Faldo Futures qualifier, a national competition which is open to any 7-12-year-olds, for the first time on April 2. Winners of qualifiers go forward to a regional final with the chance of playing in The Faldo Futures Final at The Belfry in August.
Another major event will be the Micklethwaite Masters, a one-day pairs competition which the club will host for the first time on April 13. When entries opened 160 of the best and most keen golfers in the Lunesdale area signed up to take part in just a week.
The Cumbria County 4s competition, a 36-hole scratch event, will be hosted by Kirkby Lonsdale for the first time in several years on May 19. The prestigious event attracts players from clubs around the county. And later in the season, on August 19 and 20, the club will be welcoming back the Senior Masters Pro Tour, which attracts ex-European Tour members and the best over-50s senior professionals from around the country.
Kirkby Lonsdale Golf Club was established in 1906 and has been at its present site since 1991. The 18-hole course measures 6,594 yards and is laid out in more than 160 acres of spectacular South Lakeland countryside.
