GOLF SHOW 2010 LIFELONG LEARNING HEART OF GOLF
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Mark Stancer's is dreaming of driving into Northumberland's Slaley Hall as a player - having previously done the journey for 12 years to sit behind a desk!

Morpeth Golf Centre professional Stancer, who works for N1 Golf, is relishing a new lease of life having left his job as operations manager at the multi-million pound resort last autumn to return to grassroots golf of coaching and playing.

Having reached 50 last year, Stancer is now preparing to take on his peers later this month in the Senior PGA Professional Championship in Northamptonshire, where the top 20 finishers at Northants County will qualify for European Senior Tour's De Vere Collection PGA Seniors Championship - at Slaley Hall.

"After a number of years sitting behind a desk it's great to get the clubs out again and the prospect of going up the drive of Slaley Hall as a player is a real motivation," said Stancer.

"If I could do that, it would tick all the boxes for me. I never really had time to play when I was at Slaley because when you take on a management role, the clubs have to take a back seat.

"While I was there I organised a number of European Tour and Senior Tour events and I was also involved putting together a bid for what would have been the 2009 Ryder Cup.

"But that's all behind me now and I'm adjusting to running my own coaching business and having the opportunity to play once more.

"This is the first opportunity I've had and I have to be realistic and admit that if make the cut at Northants that's a bonus. If I do make the top 20 then there will be a bottle of champagne on order."

In preparation for the three-day 54-hole event, which tees off Wednesday, May 27, Stancer has been down on a reconnaissance mission.

"I went down there two weeks ago to play a practice round though I knew what it was like as I used to be based in Oxfordshire," he said.

"It's certainly a very good course and one where you have to have your head on your shoulders because there's no let up. You have to have a good game and be mentally tough to score well round there."

Stancer will be joined at the event, which has a £35,000 prize fund, by a strong contingent of pro's from either side of the Pennines including former champion Geoff Tickell (Hallamshire), Bill Ferguson (Harrogate), David Wheeler (Crewe), Peter Barber (Didsbury), Jack Hammond (Ormskirk), Stephen Harrison (Eden), Paul Horridge (Bolton Old Links) and Ian Lee (Haigh Hall).

20 May, 2009