After more than 30 years’ service, Craig Kilgour has been appointed course manager at Ponteland Golf Club following the retirement of Paddy Hetherington.
Craig, 51, was a decorated player for Durham while playing out of Ravensworth Golf Club and won the Champion of Champions in 1994. Having joined the Ponteland team on a YTS placement in 1987, he went to Hexham Golf Club as deputy head greenkeeper for two years before returning to Ponteland in 1998.
“Ponteland Golf Club has been a huge part of my life, more than 30 years of it, so it’s a huge honour to take up the role of course manager.
“I’ve seen lots of change in the industry and on the golf course in my time. The biggest change on the golf course was undoubtedly our extensive programme of tree management. That transformed the golf course, allowing more light and air to reach our fine turf areas, and we’ve seen big improvements to the quality of our playing surfaces. Our greens management has also moved on a great deal in the last decade and we’re very proud of the greens we are able to deliver week in, week out.
“We’ve built a very good reputation under Paddy’s leadership and I want to continue to develop that. We’ve got a skilled and passionate team, and there’s lots to look forward to including the Northern Counties Seniors’ Championship this July. Hosting events is fantastic, but we set the bar high for our members. That’s our main focus and I want to continue delivering a high quality golf course for everyone who visits Ponteland, no matter when they play, in the months and years ahead.”
