Local News NEW2GOLF TO CAPTAIN IN FIVE YEARS!

JUST five years after taking up the sport through a New2Golf scheme, Susan Wallace is the new lady captain at Vale of Llangollen Golf Club.

She officially took up the role in February following her drive-in, having come through as part of the club’s successful New2Golf scheme run by PGA professional Matt Davies.

The New2Golf scheme at the club has regularly had 10-15 participants over each of the last eight years, many going on to full club membership – with Wallace rising up through the ranks in swift fashion.

Wallace, a physiotherapist and pilates teacher, has a strong sporting background. Her father’s interest and enthusiasm as a golfing latecomer finally rubbed off after her parents moved from Scotland to North Wales.

“I did Matt’s New2Golf scheme as something I thought I might enjoy and a way of finding a better work/life balance after setting up a new business and working all hours, day and night,” said Wallace.

“I did enjoy it,but unfortunately didn’t continue to play due to work commitments. I hadn’t managed to sort out that work/life balance after all.

“The following summer I went on a golfing holiday with my husband and parents with a view that if I enjoyed it enough, I’d join the club on my return and make sure I made the time to play.

“The impact of COVID the following

Howden Insurance and Wales Golf team up

WALES Golf has entered into a three-year sponsorship agreement with Howden Insurance Brokers backing the Wales Golf Club of the Year Award.

That award will be presented at the Wales Golf Awards Lunch to be held at the 2010 Clubhouse, Celtic Manor Resort, on March 24.

year meant I was much quieter at work and by that time I was loving the game and had developed the right mindset to create the time to play.

“With the support of Matt and the ladies section, I had a great year in 2022, dropping my handicap by eight shots and winning a few competitions.

“The most memorable was the ‘mixed’ with my dad and the ‘family and friends’ with my husband,who I’m now trying to encourage to play more. My mum joined and now plays too.”

Although Wallace has moved up the ladder faster than most, she is just part of a successful New2Golf scheme at the club.

“I remember Susan attending every New2Golf session, from the first taster sessions which were free of charge,using the Wales Golf funding to keep the prices down through the year,”explained Vale of Llangollen PGA pro Davies.

“She was one of 20-30 people taking part, it is a good way of integrating with the club and we are starting to see the benefits of New2Golf courses on the club membership.

“There are quite a few who came through New2Golf,have got their handicaps and take part in competitions regularly.”

Growing up in a sporty family in Scotland (her father and brother were both Royal Navy PT Instructors) Wallace had “tried a bit of everything”taking up squash, badminton and skiing.

“I wish I’d taken up golf sooner,” she said. “Dad didn’t start until my late teens/early 20’s and I remember hitting a few balls on the odd occasion on a field at his work and the local driving range, but I moved to London to work as a fitness instructor and golf was never really on my radar.

“I moved to Llangollen with my now husband and the fact that the course is on the doorstep is an added bonus.”

“I accepted a post on the ladies committee quite early on and when the opportunity for captaincy came up I did quite fancy it, but felt it was too soon. I hadn’t been here very long, didn’t have much experience as a golfer or a member, so didn’t think I was really ready or worthy.

“The encouragement of the previous captain and vice-captain was very important after I explained my reservations to them - and I’m glad I accepted. I’m very honoured to be lady captain and looking forward to the year ahead.

“My main aim is to make it through the year and not let anyone down! On a more serious note,I’m hoping I’ll be able to inspire and encourage more ladies to take up this wonderful, physically and mentally healthy sport, no matter what age or ability.”

Hartford Win Social Media Club Of The Year Award

HARTFORD Golf Club have been named Social Media Club of the Year at The Club Awards 2022 black tie gala dinner in Leicester.

The guest presenter for all the awards and compere for the night was BBC Sport presenter John Inverdale.

Shop manager, Paul Cunningham, who has responsibility for the Northwich-based club’s five social media platforms of YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, said: “It was hugely rewarding to receive the award. Social media is a huge part of modern life, we have embraced the chance to find new audiences and attract new players to the game through social media and it’s an invaluable way to communicate with our followers on a daily basis.

“We were up against other golf clubs,sports clubs and also social clubs

BY PAUL CHAPPLE

so there were thousands of clubs competing for the title.”

Hartford has around 12,500 followers on its social media platforms, with a much greater reach which goes as far as their posts being seen in places like USA, South Africa and Australia.

“We have a five second TikTok clip that has more than 2.1 million views!”

Paul, who spends at least two hours per day on the Hartford social media channels,added:“Social media is a fundamental part of our golf club and modern life. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram are still growing exponentially and as it has evolved we have embraced the chance to communicate with new players to the game who can learn what we’re all about even before they visit us. It’s our virtual shop win- dow that is seen by thousands every day.

“I have done a phone interview with Golf.com in America and a live interview on New Zealand Radio's biggest breakfast show as a result of social media posts. We also featured on Sky News in November 2021 after they saw our post about gender neutral tees.”

Hartford have also just received the good news that they have been nominated, from 450 golf clubs, as one of four finalists in the Foremost Golf Elite Marketing Professional of the Year awards for 2022.“Again, this is due to our strong social media presence and the quality of our content,” explained Paul. The winner will be announced later this month.

“Next I would like to explore the world of podcasts,” said Paul.

“Howden is the insurance broker to Wales Golf and has been fantastic to work with over the last few years, we are delighted to be able to take that good relationship forward on a sponsorship basis,” said Hannah McAllister, Wales Golf chief executive.

“Getting the insurance cover right is an important issue for our golf clubs in Wales and Howden is one of the companies that can offer bespoke insurance plans for clubs in the sector.”

Howden’s Mike Farrell, associate director, Sport and Entertainment, added: “We are thrilled to support Wales Golf by sponsoring the Wales Golf Club of the Year Award.

“This allows us the opportunity to invest in a sport we are thoroughly passionate about, in a sector where Howden has been involved for many years. Looking forward, we very much hope to further enhance Howden’s reach in golf to the benefit of all those in the Wales Golf community.

“Howden can assist golf clubs by providing an insurance policy that is tailor-made for their needs. We are already speaking with a number of golf clubs in Wales about their insurance provision and look forward to engaging with many more clubs in the years to come.”

Howden Sport & Entertainment is a dedicated division within Howden Insurance Brokers that specialise in national and international sporting risks. Howden works with 300 National Governing Bodies in the UK in arranging their insurance programme.