PGA professional helping Lancashire club attract new members

PGA Professional Sam Punchard will be providing free lessons as Nelson Golf Club pushes to attract more people to take up the sport.

The Lancashire-based club is a supporter of the national ‘Get into Golf’ campaign and is offering a three-month trial membership scheme for those interested in playing.

Lessons with the club professional Sam Punchard are included and the club is also providing sets of clubs to borrow to help make it even easier to start playing.

A special free taster session event is being held on Friday, 16 June from 6-8pm with PGA professional Sam offering tips and advice. It is hoped to be the first in a series of monthly events across the summer.

Nelson Golf Club is actively looking to build its junior section further, following the success of last year’s free summer camps and the course recently hosted the Lancashire County Boys Championships as part of its commitment to junior golf.

A new membership and marketing committee was introduced under the chairmanship of Phil Wright, which aims to raise the awareness of the club in the local community and improve member experience.

“It is great to see a club like Nelson proving that the old images of golf are changing fast,” said Debbie Barber, development officer for the Lancashire Golf Development Group.

“They are taking a proactive and modern approach to looking after their members in the right way and attracting new players of all ages.

“Golf is a sport with a proud history and many of the traditions, such as sportsmanship and respect, are what makes it such a valuable model for life.

“But clubs need to adapt to the demands on people’s time in the 21^st century and provide the kind of experience that they expect. Nelson is one of many clubs in Lancashire who are taking this kind of change on board and embracing it.”

The club is also helping golf break down barriers and perceptions of the sport by electing its first lady president.

Hard on the heels of Scottish club Muirfield voting to accept lady members for the first time, Lynn Hepworth takes over as President at Nelson Golf Club following their recent AGM.

Lynn will lead the club through an exciting phase in its 115-year history as it looks to create a modern approach to looking after its members.

She said: “I was a very keen tennis player until a serious back injury in my late 50s stopped me from being able to run and change direction quickly, which put a stop to me playing. 
“I was presented with a set of golf clubs for my 60th birthday and told to go and learn how to play. I booked a course of lessons, fell in love with the game, and joined Nelson in 2008.

“I am a firm believer that one is never too old to take up something new. All you need is a bit of determination and a healthy acceptance of the fact that, unlike juniors who just seem to get better and better with time, some days my golf will be better than others!

Lynn, who was a teacher for 40 years, specialising in maths for the 11-18 age group, says the club has made her feel very welcome.

She added: “We have a super Ladies section, and they have been very supportive in my early days over things like playing in competitions, rules and etiquette.

“I was very proud to be elected Lady Captain in 2014 and Vice President in 2015 - and am looking forward to some exciting times for the club.”