An Olympic medallist is to help steer the next generation of Wales lady golfers, with former Team GB hockey international Chloe Rogers taking on a new role for the Golf Union of Wales.
Rogers was part of the GB ladies hockey team which won bronze medals at the 2012 London Olympics, but is also a scratch golfer and is taking her PGA professional qualifications at Ryder Cup venue Celtic Manor Resort.
She is taking on the vice captaincy role with Wales Ladies, with a view to taking over as captain once current incumbent Jill Evans finishes at the end of the year.
Former Wales international and selector Christine Rossiter is to take over as Wales Girls Captain, while Judge Richard Hendicott is to become captain of the Wales Seniors Men.
Rogers is delighted to be taking on her new position. “I am looking forward to it, it will be a new kind of challenge but hopefully I can bring something to the role from my own playing experiences and understanding what is required thanks to my background in elite sport,” she said.
“Hopefully I understand how much you have to work and the desire required to get to the top level.”
“I played a lot of golf when I was younger, county level, but then hockey took priority and dominated most of my time. However, I always wanted to come back to golf.”
“I started to play some top amateur events and then some professional events. It is tricky to find something that will fulfill what hockey did for me, but I am hugely passionate about golf and supporting the players to achieve their goals.”
“I know Welsh ladies golf has been really strong with the likes of Amy Boulden, Becky Harries and Chloe Williams leading the way and I can’t wait to work with the coaches and players to continue this success.”
Rogers played 63 times for Great Britain, with a Champions Trophy silver medal to go with Olympic bronze. She is now starting a three year training period at Celtic Manor to be a PGA golf professional.
“We are delighted that someone with Chloe’s drive and experience will be helping the Wales Ladies team, learning under Jill Evans for a year with the plan being for Chloe to take over as captain after that,” explained Golf Union of Wales performance director Ben Waterhouse.
“We are also pleased to have Christine taking over as captain of Wales Girls and Richard Hendicott as captain of the Wales Seniors Men. They both have a vast amount of experience in the right areas to succeed in those roles.”
Rossiter has been closely involved in Wales Girls golf, including captaining a team in Ireland last year.
“I welcome the opportunity to encourage a new generation of young female golfers as Girls Captain, guiding them to improve their golf and encouraging them to participate in national and international events,” she said. “I was fortunate to be selected several times to play for Wales at the Home Internationals as a junior player, I have many great memories of those special occasions.
“Last year, as Welsh Girls manager in Ireland, I obtained an insight into the preparation, coaching, logistical planning and team co-ordination necessary to create a good team environment and a platform for success.”
Hendicott is also vastly experienced both at leading Wales teams and also as a player on the senior circuit. “It will be a steep learning curve, but I have been a selector as well as captain of various teams so I cannot wait to get involved this summer,” said the Royal Porthcawl 10 handicapper and former GUW council member.
“I have attended the Welsh Seniors Championships at Aberdovey for probably the last 18 years, initially as a Referee but for the last 14 years as a player. I also tend to play in a lot of Open events, including the Glamorgan County Seniors, South Wales Seniors, and IMS Competitions.”
Golf Union of Wales www.golfunionwales.org
Golf Development Wales www.golfdevelopmentwales.org
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