A South Lakeland golf club which is going from strength to strength is looking ahead to an exciting new season.
Kirkby Lonsdale Golf Club will be hosting some new prestigious competitions, a new training initiative has been introduced and the club is seeking to organise some charity fund-raising events.
It comes at a time when advanced bookings for visitors have reached records levels and extensive work has been carried out by the expert greens team to maintain and improve the spectacular course.
“The club is thriving and we are all looking forward to the new season, which starts in April,” said captain Graham Bywater.
A highlight of the forthcoming season will be the club hosting the Cumbria County Inter Club Strokeplay competition, a 36-hole event, for the first time, on July 29.
Every club in Cumbria will send a team of scratch golfers to what is one of the most prestigious competitions in the Cumbrian golf calendar.
“The Cumbria Golf Union chooses the best courses in the county to host this event so this is recognition of the quality and development of our course,” said Kirkby Lonsdale Golf Club secretary David Towers.
On June 21 Kirkby Lonsdale will, for the first time, host a Golf Club Managers Association match between its North West and Yorkshire regions.
In addition, the club will once again be hosting two fixtures of the East Lancashire PGA Alliance.
And the club’s highly-successful and popular Golf Festival, featuring a series of competitions open to members of other golf clubs, will be held from June 11-15.
Kirkby Lonsdale is continuing with its Get Into Golf programme to encourage adults and juniors to take up the sport. As part of the programme, it is now offering a new beginners’ membership package, which gives people access to tuition, practice facilities, the short course and the driving range.
Meanwhile assistant PGA professional Iain Burrow is running a new, structured physical exercise programme, SuperSpeed Golf, where golfers use weighted clubs and results are monitored with the aim of increasing clubhead speed.
“Despite the tough economic climate facing everyone, Kirkby Lonsdale Golf Club has maintained affordable membership fees and has continued on a path of investment to improve the club and facilities,” said Mr Bywater.
“We are aiming to organise some charity events this year and are looking for some good causes to support. If anyone wants to get in touch with ideas, they can contact Tom Benn at info@kirkbylonsdalegolfclub.com.”
The club’s four qualified greens team members, led by head greenkeeper Allan Kellett, have maintained the course in top condition and there have renovations and improvements to several bunkers, two new walkways from green to tee have been created and better drainage has been installed in some parts of the course.
Kirkby Lonsdale Golf Club was established in 1906 and has been at its present site since 1991. The 18-hole course measures 6,594 yards and is laid out in more than 160 acres of spectacular countryside. The layout provides two nine-hole loops out and back to the clubhouse.
Each of the holes has its own unique character and has four tee options, providing different degrees of difficulty. The River Lune and Barbon Beck both run through the course, which offers amazing views of Barbon Fell and the Howgills.
Other facilities include a swing room with launch monitor; a short game chipping area; a pro shop selling equipment and clothing; and ten driving range bays.
The course is a haven for wildlife, including roe deer, rabbits, hares, stoats and weasels. There is a heronry and nesting swans and ducks on the lake. Several nesting boxes have been put up, which have attracted a wide variety of birdlife to the course.
The clubhouse catering facilities and driving range are open to members of the public and people are welcome to use the club’s car park as a base for walks over the Barbon fells.
