Professional Golfer gets Northumberland Junior Tour 2011 Underway
Kenneth Ferry with the competitors at Close House
Kenneth Ferrie took time out from his exploits on the European Tour to lend a helping hand at the opening round of the Northumberland Junior Golf Tour.
The Newcastle professional, a two-time winner on the Tour, acted as starter for the day at the first event at Close House Golf Club.
Wife Lisa is the County Development Officer for Junior Tour organisers, the Northumberland County Golf Partnership, and was grateful for the additional help.
"We rely heavily on volunteers and it was great to have Kenneth's support on the day," said Lisa. "Meeting a player who has worked his way up through the ranks shows just what can be achieved by hard work and commitment and will hopefully help inspire the youngsters on our Tour.
"We are always on the look-out for volunteers to help out and anyone who is interested should email me at cdonorthumberland@yahoo.com."
Kenneth said: "I really enjoyed the day and seeing such enthusiasm from the youngsters for their golf. The work that goes on to introduce the next generation of players to the sport is vital to the long-term future of golf and if anyone can spare a few hours to help out they will be helping make a big difference."
About the 2011 Junior Golf Tour
The county's 2011 Junior Golf Tour, which is sponsored by Cleveland and Srixon, is aimed at young golfers ranging from seven to 12 years-old.
As part of a county-wide drive to encourage children to take up the sport, competitors on the Tour do not need to be members of a club or even have an official handicap.
In the opening event, Morpeth Golf Club players won three of the six categories.
The winners at Close House were:
Category 1 ( Boys 7-12 advanced): Marc Friar (Alnwick Castle GC)
Category 2 (Girls 7-12 advanced): Niamh Lendrum (Parklands GC)
Category 3 (Boys 7-10 beginners): Alex Donaghy (Morpeth GC)
Category 4 (Girls 7-10 beginners): Kiri-Mae Lamb (Morpeth GC)
Category 5 (Boys 11-12 beginners): Jamie Hodge (Morpeth GC)
Category 6 (Girls 11-12 beginners): Alexandra Reeman (Ponteland GC)
Competitions take place over nine holes at four different courses. Winners of the Order of Merit, based on the four events, will qualify for a final against teams from Durham and Cumbria at Ramside Golf Club on September 11.
The remaining qualifying events are:
Sunday, July 10: Bedlingtonshire GC
Sunday, July 24: Alnmouth (Foxton) GC
Sunday, August 14: Tynemouth GC
The Northumberland Junior Tour is one of a number of projects aimed at increasing participation in golf run under the umbrella of the Northumberland County Golf Partnership. This is a collaboration of a number of stakeholders in the sport including the English Golf Union, The English Women's Golf Association, the PGA, the Golf Foundation and Sport England.
In Northumberland the partnership is supported by the Northumberland Union of Golf Clubs, the Northumberland Ladies County Golf Association, the Northumberland Junior Golfing Association and the Professional Golfers' Association.
