Plans a foot to bring more high-profile competitions to Royal Ascot Golf Club
Royal Ascot Golf Club hosted a number of the sport’s legends from seasons of yesteryear at a PGA Legends Tour qualifier, a pathway to the prestigious Senior PGA Championship.
Part of the recently formed Q-Series, the event was won by locally born professional Simon Griffiths, who shot six-under to scoop the £3,200 first prize and a spot at Trump International later this year.
The competition was held just over a century after Royal Ascot Golf Club first inaugurated the Royal and Ancient Boys’ Amateur Championship – which today is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world for young players.
The club also staged its annual Club Championships this month, where over 120 players of all abilities and backgrounds took to the 6,294-yard 18-hole course to win prizes in several categories including nett score, gross score and most improved.
And now the club is looking to elevate the profile of competitions it hosts in future seasons as part of ambitious growth plans to engage more people with golf locally, establish itself as a premier UK course and support the development of talented young players.
Stephen Nicholson, general manager at Royal Ascot Golf Club, said he is pleased with progress being made on and off the course.
“We’re an ambitious team and despite the unseasonal weather we’ve enjoyed a really promising year of growth,” said Stephen. “It’s our long-term ambition to bring major competitions to Royal Ascot Golf Club and extend the course’s proud heritage of hosting events which are recognised by the sport’s community and beyond.
“We’ve built a solid foundation by staging the PGA Legends Tour and accepting 125 entrants to our Club Championships. Now we want to build our competition calendar around events of these types and continue to strengthen our outputs on the course and off it with the help of our team.”
Members were treated to the full professional experience during the Club Championships too.
An official starter was used while hoardings and flags were positioned around the club’s entrance plus on the first and 18th holes. There was also a live digital leaderboard to keep players and guest updated with a summer social organised once play had ended.
Winners across the weekend included Gill Biddle who scooped the Most Improved trophy, there were wins too for Ladies Bronze Scratch category winner Sharon Edwards, Nett Score competition winner Sue Warren, and Gayle Kennedy who won the Gross Score prize.
Meanwhile, Ray Grubb emerged as the winner of the Men’s Nett Score competition while James Martin prevailed in the Men’s Gross Score prize.
Stephen added: “The enthusiasm and strong turnout for this year’s club championship is testament to the positive atmosphere we’ve worked hard to install in recent years.
“We are dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment where golfers of all abilities and backgrounds can hone their skills and gain valuable experience. Congratulations to this year’s Club Championship winners – we’re already looking forward to next year’s event.”
Founded in 1887, Royal Ascot Golf Club was granted Royal status by Queen Victoria and is set in 150 acres of wooded Crown land off Winkfield Road and adjacent to the world-famous racecourse.
Further information about the course’s upcoming events is available via www.ragolf.co.uk.