The latest space-age technology is to be installed at Leighton Buzzard Golf Club in an investment being made by club Professional Maurice Campbell to help golfers improve their game.
Maurice, 47, is marking the continuation of his 18-year tenure at the Plantation Road club he joined after moving to the UK from his native New Zealand, by installing the award-winning Skytrak system at his coaching centre at the club. The new technology enables golfers to identify strengths and weaknesses in their game, establish inch-perfect club-to-club distances and performances and help tailor exercises to correct deficiencies. The launch monitor system also enables golfers to play around 100,000 golf courses on its simulation programme.
Says Maurice: “This equipment will be of tremendous benefit to golfers who want consistency and improve their handicap….it’s what the best players in the world rely on when they need to regain that edge to win competitions.”
Maurice, one of the top club coaches in the country, is also planning to attract big-name golfers to the Leighton club for exhibition rounds as well as helping the club recruit new members. Coaching courses for juniors and beginners of all ages are to continue as well as his five-day golfing “clinic” trip to Spain.
The investment in new coaching equipment comes just weeks after Leighton members approved plans to install a new irrigation system on the course at a cost of nearly £500,000. Work on the project starts in the next few weeks.
An eagle on the first hole got golfers John Latimer, Steve Leng, Ada Stephenson and son Ed off to a flying start in Leighton’s John Lally Texas scramble. They holed out in two on the 407-yard opener and didn’t look back as they finished with a nett score of 54.1…just one tenth of a point ahead of runners-up Russell Rowles and son Joshua, and Philip and Claire Whitecross. Stuart Goodwin, Tim Hobday, Andy Tizzard and Jimmy Wren took third place with a nett 54.6, with Danny and Mark Reynolds and Brandon and Lee Sanders fourth.
But Russell got his reward for excellent golf two days later when he won Leighton’s Croxford Cup with a 43 point haul in the stableford event, beating Tony Swain by a shot…and got his 15-handicap clipped by two shots. John Waiting took third place with 40 points, beating Andrew Mcdonald on countback. Joshua Rowles, Nigel Chapman, Ian Kempsell and Steve Gibbs headed a chasing pack with 39 points.
Leighton’s new Faulkner Family Foursomes champions are Lee and Niki Clark, beating Alex and Mike Smith on countback after both pairs finished with 68.5. Angela and Richard Samuels finished third a shot behind on 69.5.
Jackie Stimpson won Leighton Ladies Medal competition with a nett 73, beating Vicki Pratt on countback. Patti Marriott took third place with a nett 76, a shot clear of Norma Stevens-Hack.
Leighton juniors Henry Wooster and George Stephenson represented Bedfordshire against Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk, finishing runners-up to Essex for the Keith Bass Trophy.
Leighton Seniors lost their undefeated home record, despite establishing an early 3-0 lead against Beds & County with wins by skipper Peter Myrants and Keith Oddie, Christopher Figg and David Sweetnam and Andrew Mcdonald and Graham Pellow, with George Bashford and Robbie John halving. But they lost the last four games and 4-3 overall.
Two days later, the tables were turned when Leighton won away for the first time all year, taking the honours at Stocks 3-2 with one match halved. Wins by Peter Myrants and John Tarbox, David Bishop and Denis Leitch and Danny Nairne and Ian Rimmer ended the drought with Graham Pellow and Keith Griffiths gaining a vital draw.
After early wins by Peter Myrants and Mike Turnock and Tim Martin and Christopher Figg at South Beds, the Leighton squad had to be content with a 4-4 draw, with Harry Adam and Geoff Allatt winning and David Roberts and Paul Johnson and Danny Nairne and Will Sampson halving their games.
