It is hard to believe the season is drawing to a close and preparations will soon be underway for winter golf.
It has been another competitive year, in which the performance of some of our younger golfers has really stood out.
This month’s cover story features 16-year-old Briony Bayles, who has earned her place on the front for a season which has seen her take the junior titles at two clubs, win her first national title at the St Andrews Ladies Open and win the Northern Golfer Junior Champion of Champions at Chester-le-Street, as well as finishing her GCSEs.
She has yet to decide whether to try and make a career in the professional ranks – for now she’s just having fun, which is what the game really should be all about.
In addition to Briony, Jessica Hall has continued her remarkable success, South Moor’s under-14 North of England Open attracted 97 golfers from around the world, while brother and sister Lucca and Ella from Seaton Carew gave the Jackson family plenty to smile about.
We also feature Rockliffe pro James Maw’s first EuroPro Tour victory, the remarkable Rebecca McGinley proving to be one of the world’s longest drivers again, plus plenty of other winners – including the amazing run of success enjoyed by Alex Belt and Mathew Webb.
Plenty of league titles have been decided over the past month and there is a round up of the triumphant teams on pages 6 and 7. On the county scene, Yorkshire once again has the bragging rights having sealed the Northern Counties championship.
Finally, congratulations to Justin Rose for his Olympic gold in Rio, which will hopefully inspire the next generation into the game. He of course takes his place in the Ryder Cup team this month alongside his teammates – including Yorkshiremen Matt Fitzpatrick and Danny Willet, and Close House attached professional Lee Westwood.
Let us hope by the time the next magazine appears Europe will have triumphed in Hazeltine and we can reflect on the contribution those connected to our region have made.
See you next month.
