All set for the Par-3 Championship

PGA in England (East) professionals will get a chance to see the exciting developments at Ingrebourne Valley next Monday when the Essex course stages its annual Par-3 Championship.

The golf complex near Rainham has been under construction for the last four years with the Par-3 course and driving range already very much established.

Ingrebourne Valley’s vision will be complete when the main 27-hole course is open for business and its design is in the hands of PGA Master Professional and golf course architect Alan Walker (below).

Professionals who contest the second ever Ingrebourne Links Par-3 Championship will notice the difference at the facility since attending last year. Andy Clark managing director of Ingrebourne Valley, provides an update.

He said: “We are trying to get nine holes of the main 27-hole course completed for this time next year. Anybody should be able to play it, provided we get the clubhouse sorted out at the same time. We’ve got the outline design approved by the local council.

“Two holes of the main course are now complete and we let people wander round and have a look. The intention is, in approximately 18 months, we should be in position to let people start playing on the main course.”

In Andy’s words, Ingrebourne Valley has taken, “massive strides” forward. The Links Par-3 Championship is their opportunity to show us.

He added: “We are very pleased that, two years after we opened the par-3 course, we are having our second PGA competition. The Par-3 course is just giving everybody a taster of what we are actually producing.

“It is a very serious test with revetted bunkers but the average hole length is only 100 yards. Nobody could beat the course last year – the course won hands down, so we will see what happens this year.”

A field of 30 will assemble on Monday bidding to follow in the footsteps of the 2013 winner Mark Hooper (The Rayleigh Club).