Hi Everyone

As part of England Golf’s junior development initiative, The Staffordshire County Academy Programme (CAP) looks to identify junior golfers (girls and boys) with potential from across the county and help nurture them to maximise their potential and prepare them for elite development. We have 8 academy centres across the county and the programme is designed to compliment coaching that is already provided at golf clubs and facilities.

We run 2 squads at each venue – the Development Squad is for less experienced younger juniors who may not yet have a handicap but clearly have potential. The Futures Squads include juniors who have been identified as having potential as elite golfers.

We would like to expand our squads in 2013 and will be holding a series of assessment sessions to identify juniors who will be considered for the Academy Programme.

We would ideally like to see all juniors who are currently not part of the academy from the ages 7-17, and would ask you to encourage all juniors within your junior section to attend one of the assessment sessions as listed below.

• Trentham Golf Club – May 19^th
• 3 Hammers Golf Complex – May 26^th
• Drayton Park Golf Club – June 2^nd

Each junior will need to register online through the CGP website - http://www.staffsgolfpartnership.com/

Please feel free to contact me about any aspect of the CAP programme and we very much look forward to meeting the juniors from your club at one of the assessments

Best regards

Sean

Sean Hammill, County Development Officer

Staffordshire County Golf Partnership

http://www.staffsgolfpartnership.com/

Mobile: 07771 794193

email: sean.hammill@btinternet.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/StaffsGetin2Golf

Twitter: @staffsgolf

On Sunday 21st October 2012 our Boys Junior Section took part in the Staffs County League Boys Final held at Brocton Hall Golf Club.

Harry Fearn was selected to play for Staffordshire at Broughton Heath Golf Club in Derbyshire on Monday 30th and Tuesday 31st July as part of a six boy team.

Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire were all playing for the title of Four Counties Champion.

Going into the event Nottinghamshire were the favourites as their team had the lowest handicaps and they were retaining champions.

Each player played a scratch match game against another player from the different counties.

Harry had a fantastic start and beat his opponent from Derbyshire 6/5 on the Monday. On Tuesday morning Harry lost to his opponent 4/2. His final game was against Nottinghamshire and Harry had a flying start -1 after 2 holes, getting to 4 up with 5 to play the Nottinghamshire player pulled one back. On the 16th the hole was surrounded by water and the Nottinghamshire player missed the green and Harry went straight for the pin with a 5 iron. The ball settled to 12' from the hole and Harry converted the put for a birdie two. This performance helped Staffordshire win this prestigious event for the first time.

Very well done to Harry and the other Staffordshire players.

On Wednesday 25th July the prestigious junior golf event was held at Aston Wood Golf Club.

Harry Fearn secured 1st Place with a fantastic score of 80. This is 9 over the course par. Harry was thrilled to win this event. His current Club handicap is 10.

Many congratulations to Harry for this fantastic win.

On a sunny Saturday in Leek, Jake Willshaw won the day with an excellent 41 points off a handicap of 34. With this score and an extra reduction for a run of exceptional scores his handicap is now 30!

Luke Brass was a creditable 2nd with 38 points. The Nixon's rounded out the top four. Leann reduced her handicap to 39 and scored a regulation 36 points.

14 competitors took part and the scoring was excellent. Let us hope that August brings us fine weather and everyone can continue to excel in the extra competitions.

Well done to all those who took part.

Stewart Townsend

Assistant Match Secretary

During the summer holidays we have arranged for the following competitions:

Thursday 2nd August - Individual Stableford

Thursday 9th August - Fourball Better Ball Stableford

Thursday 16th August - Foursomes Stableford

Thursday 23rd August - Individual Medal

The individual competitions can be played in either 2 or 3 ball, absolutely no 4 balls. The fourball and foursomes competitions are designed to offer different format for juniors - make up your own group.

There will be a nearest the pin challenge for each competition.

The competition winners will receive a £10 Pro's shop voucher and a sleeve of balls. The nearest the pin winner will receive a sleeve of balls. There will also be a prize for the best combined overall score for all four competitions.

You can play at any time during the day of the competition, but YOU MUST sign in at the Pro's shop BEFORE you commence play. There will be a £2 entry fee per person for each competition.

Wishing you all the very best of luck.

Peter Cordon

Junior Organiser

The junior section competes in two leagues during the golfing season:

• Staffordshire County Singles League
• North Staffs Junior Golf Alliance Fourball League

The Junior Committee Selection Policy is to select our lower handicap players for the singles league and a more open policy for the fourball league to give more juniors the opportunity to experience match play conditions.

However, this policy does not preclude any junior who wishes to be considered for the singles league.

If you would like to be considered for selection for either league please contact Peter Cordon (01538 385033 or 07775 580117) or Jake Scragg at the Professional's Shop here at the Club.

Peter Cordon

Junior Organiser 

Leek Junior Section hosted the inaugural Junior Festival Match against Westwood. The format was 4BBB with 4 four ball pairings set to decide the winners of the new Junior Festival Trophy which had been kindly donated by the Festival Committee.

The Leek team pairings were: Liam Hancock & Harry Fearn / Luke Brass (Junior Captain) & Dan Bourne / Calum Nixon & Jake Willshaw / Leann Nixon & Tom Willshaw.

Due to absentees from the Westwood team we "loaned" Josh Smith for the fouth pairing, which was excellent sportsmanship for Josh to agree to this, so much so that he won his match on his own!

Due to a later than anticipated start, and the need to feed 15 juniors who had missed their tea, the match was restricted to 15 holes. Leek won the opening two matches, but with Josh Smith winning for Westwood, the outcome of the match rested on the third pairing. Emergency plans were introduced in case of a tied match, which involved sending a low handicap pairing to the 150 yard marker on the 18th for a Par 3 play-off. However, cool play on the 14th green from Calum Nixon and Jake Willshaw saw them win the hole to go 1 up with one to play, and an "honourable" draw was declared. This resulted in a final match score of 3 1/2 : 1 1/2 in favour of Leek.

The post match meal was hosted by The Captain, Roy Morris and Brian Baggaley the Festival Organiser. A short presentation followed the meal and Luke Brass accepted the new Trophy from The Captain on behalf of Leek.

Thanks go to the Festival Committee for hosting the event, Jake Scragg for organising the match and Westwood Golf Club.

Peter Cordon

Junior Section

Calling all junior golfers.....

SCGP RECRUITMENT DAYS

The Chase Golf, Health Club & Spa - Sunday 15th July 3 - 5pm

Sedgeley Golf Centre - Saturday 28th July 3 - 5pm

Lichfield Golf & Country Club - Saturday 4th August 3 - 5pm

Register now to attend or for further information go to www.staffsgolfpartnership.com

On Saturday 16th June I held my "Captain's Day For Juniors".

I was introduced to all 18 players by our Junior Organiser, Mr Peter Cordon. There were 17 boys and 1 young lady taking part.

The sky was heavy and rain was forecast but this didn't detract from the excitment of the day. As the first competitors began to come in it was obvious that the rain had not affected anyone as there were sone very good scores.

Our Assistant Professional, Jake Scragg was kept busy checking the scorecards all morning ready for the presentation of prizes prior to lunch.

The winner of the Captain's Prize was Jake Willshaw with a remarkable score of 46 points for which he received a Portable DVD Player. The other results are as follows:

1st Division (1-18)

1st     Harry Fearn      40pts

2nd    Liam Hancock   36pts

3rd    Daniel Bourne    33pts

2nd Division

1st     Miss Leann Nixon            40pts

2nd    Harrison Tudor-Jackson   36pts

3rd    Louis Knight                    35pts

I would like to thank Peter and Jake for their help and congratulate all the competitors for taking part.

Roy Morris

Club Captain 2012

On Saturday 16th June I held my "Captain's Day For Juniors".

I was introduced to all 18 players by our Junior Organiser, Mr Peter Cordon. There were 17 boys and 1 young lady taking part.

The sky was heavy and rain was forecast but this didn't detract from the excitment of the day. As the first competitors began to come in it was obvious that the rain had not affected anyone as there were sone very good scores.

Our Assistant Professional, Jake Scragg was kept busy checking the scorecards all morning ready for the presentation of prizes prior to lunch.

The winner of the Captain's Prize was Jake Willshaw with a remarkable score of 46 points for which he received a Portable DVD Player. The other results are as follows:

1st Division (1-18)

1st 

Battling through in tough conditions, the small field did very well. Windy and damp underfoot, they did well and persevered.

Jake Willshaw came out on top with a nett 72. His handicap was cut to 40.

Harrison Tudor-Jackson also had his handicap reduced to 24 after a well earned 73.

With the small entry list and a CSS of 74, no handicap increases were made.

Full and accurate details of the competition and are on the noticeboard.

Good luck in the May Medal

Stewart Townsend

Assistant Match Secretary

The first junior competition of the season saw some excellent scores, with three players recieving handicap reductions.

13 competitors completed the full course. 44 points won the day and all of the top 6 played within their buffer zone.

Well done to all and good luck for the April Medal.

Stewart Townsend

Assistant Match Secretary

Warm weather and blue skies, more like June than October, greeted the entrants in the last competition of the year on Saturday at Birchall.

Jack Bourne took full advantage of the conditions and despite taking four putts on the 18th green he returned a nett 69 off his 8 handicap to take first place. This score gave him a 2 shot advantage over three players who each retuned 71.The minor placings were decided on countback with Dan Bourne taking second place and Luke Brass came third just edging out Greg Lilley.

The 10 hole competition was won by Lewis Martin who recorded his second victory of the year.

Full results are posted in the Clubhouse.

Well done to all the Juniors who supported all the summer competitions and don't forget to keep practicing in preparation for next year.

Mike Wootton

A bright fresh morning greeted the 14 entrants in the penultimate competition of the season. Unfortunately there were two heavy showers later on which caused the golf to be more difficult and only one player broke par on the day.Charles Holland shot a nett 69 to take first place and he was pushed hard by Jake Willshaw, who in only his second 18 hole comp, finished with a nett 70 to take the runner up spot. These two players along with Gareth Salt, who was placed third, were the only ones who bettered the CSS of 72 and qualified for a handicap reduction.

Young Tom Willshaw was again victorious in the 10 hole comp as he recorded his third win of the year.

Congratulations to the winners and all those who supported the competition.

Full results are published in the Clubhouse.

Mike Wootton

Saturday 3rd September saw the last of this years Stableford competitions for the Juniors at Leek Golf Club.

James Davies, playing his first competition for over two months triumphed with an excellent score of 43 points off his 28 handicap. This performance cost James 4 shots as his handicap was reduced to 24. Relative newcomer Jack Bowers took 2nd place with 36 points and there were four players who all finished with 34 points( Junior Capt Liam Hancock, Harry Fearn along with brothers Jack and Dan Bourne.) 

Youngsters Leann Nixon and Jake Willshaw both played their first competitive 18 hole game and both are to be congratulated on completing the full course

Full results are published on the Junior Noticeboard in the Clubhouse.

The end of the year is approaching quickly and there are just two more Medal competitions to be played.

Mike Wootton

Despite the fine weather and a dry course only one player returned a better than par score at Birchall on Saturday.

Daniel Sharratt scored a massive 45 points off his 31 handicap. This score cost him 4 shots as his handicap was dropped to 27.

Greg Lilley and Josh Smith took second and third places both returning a score of 33 points.

With the CSS at 74 the competition was designated as"reduction only" which proved a welcome relief to a number of players.

Leann Nixon came first in the 10 hole competition by finishing 3 shots better than James Sharratt ( Dan's younger brother ) thus preventing a family clean sweep.

Congratulations to both winners. particularly Daniel on his magnificent score.

Full results are on the Junior Noticeboard in the Clubhouse.

Mike Wootton

Holidays and torrential rain early in the morning restricted the entrants to this competition to just 10 players. It did however have little effect on the playing standard with no fewer than 6 juniors reducing their playing handicaps.

The Junior Captain Liam Hancock recorded his first win of the season with a nett 64 of his 9 handicap. The runner up was Callum Nixon who shot a nett 65 which meant a 3 shot reduction in his handicap. Harrison Tudor-Jackson, Jack Bowers and Greg Lilley all returned nett 67 with Harrison being placed third on countback.

Jake Willshaw won the 10 hole competition for the fourth time this year when he scored 37 nett. Jake's handicap was reduced by 2 shots for this performance. Leann Nixon came in 2nd and third place was taken by Lewis Martin who edged out Harry Rice and Tom Willshaw on countback.

Well done to all who entered and congratulations to the winners.

Full details are on the Junior Noticeboard in the Clubhouse. 

Mike Wootton 

In the July medal only one Junior managed to break 70 and the CSS was up to 73 showing how tough the competition was.
Harrison Tudor- Jackson recorded a magnificent 63 nett to win by a clear 7 shots and reduce his playing handicap by a full 5 shots.
Dan Bourne with a score of 70 finished in second place and Callum Nixon finished third.
Congratulations to all three players who reduced their handicaps as a result of their performances.
In the 10 hole competition Tom Willshaw stopped the run of consecutive wins by his older brother Jake when he triumphed by 10 shots.
Full results are published in the Clubhouse.

Mike Wootton 

Overcast skies and cool temperatures greeted the entrants in this major competition at Birchall on Saturday 25th June. 19 Juniors were playing for the Captain's Prize.

Jack Bourne, playing off a handicap of 10, amassed 42 points to take the Captains prize.
The Division 1 prize was won by Harry Thompson with 38 points.
The Division 2 prize was won by Greg Lilley with a score of 39points. In his round Greg scored a gross birdie on the 6th hole which with his handicap gave him 5 points.

All three winners reduced their playing handicaps by at least one shot as a result of their Stableford scores.
Jake Willshaw recorded his third consecutive win in the 10 hole competition with a nett score equal to par.

Following the golf all players joined the Captain Tony Brindley for lunch which was followed by the presentation of prizes to the winners and everyone who played was given a momento of the day.

Full results are on the Junior Noticeboard in the clubhouse.

Mike Wootton

A bright but cool morning awaited the entrants to the latest Junior competition in 2011.

Young Manton Tudor-Jackson was in fine form and he took first place with a nett 64 which resulted in a handicap reduction of 2 shots. He pushed his brother Harrison into second place with 68 nett which was matched by Jack Bourne playing off a handicap of 10.

It was a similar situation in the ten hole competition which was won by Jake Willshaw who left brother Tom trailing in second place.

The CSS at 70 reflects the continuing improvement in the Junior Section and all players are to be congratulated on their performances.

Full results are on the Junior noticeboard in the Clubhouse.

Mike Wootton

The bright and sunny weather tempted more than twenty juniors to compete for the Grenville Freeman Trophy on Saturday 4th June.

The greens were slick and the fairways hard which suited Dean Tatlow who returned a stableford score of 42 points. This must rank as Dean's favourite trophy with 2 wins and a 2nd place in the last three years. Harry Fearn with 39 points just edged out Jack Bourne who scored 38.

In the 10 hole competition Jake Willshaw recorded his first win of the summer with a one stroke victory over James Sharratt. 

Next week (11th June) the competition is the June Medal followed two weeks later by the Captain's Day for Juniors. The golfers are all invited to join the Captain for lunch, which is followed by the prize presentation.

Well done to all the winners and those who reduced their handicaps.

Mike Wootton

The weather was dry and bright as the 15 juniors teed off on Saturday morning in pursuit of this trophy in a stableford competition. Less than four hours later Charles Holland was the winner with 44 points, a score which resulted in a handicap reduction from 28 to 24. Second place was a tie between Harrison Tudor- Jackson and Harry Fearn who both scored 41 points.

In the 10 hole competition played over the newly laid out junior course Leann Nixon triumphed for the second time this year as she held off the challenge of the boys.

Full results are on the junior noticeboard in the clubhouse.

Well done to all the juniors who supported the event.

Mike Wootton

At the end of April 2011 Fred Fearn (Leek Golf Club Professional) held a tournament at The 3 Hammers Complex.

All 8 Staffordshire Academies competed against each other and a fantastic day was had by all. There was a great atmosphere with friends and family support.

Fred was very proud of all the children as they behaved to a very high standard and represented their academies in an exemplary way.

Challenge Trophy

This was for children with handicaps, best 4 scores to count gross.

1st    Leek Golf Club               Total +2

2nd   The Manor Golf Club      Total +11

3rd    Trentham Golf Club        Total +12

Fred was especially proud of the children who represented Leek Golf Club. We won the team competition for children with handicaps and out of the top 10 players we had 4 players represented.

Well done to all those who took part.

Fred Fearn - Leek Golf Club Professional