Barham is king of the Castle

Former PGA captain Alan Walker, who helped oversee the redevelopment of Leeds Castle’s nine-hole course, was among the guests at its inaugural pro-am which was graced with the Ryder Cup.

PGA Cup player Benn Barham (PGolfCoaching@Pedham) and his amateur A. Church took the spoils but the star attraction at the historic Kent venue was the famous gold trophy brought along by PGA chief executive Sandy Jones who was guest of honour.

The castle has become one of the most visited historic buildings in Britain, and enjoys strong links to the Ryder Cup dating back to the 1930s when both the 1933 and 1937 US Ryder Cup teams stayed there.

The par 33, 2,681 yard nine hole course was originally built on the 500 acre Leeds Castle Estate in 1931 by Sir Guy Campbell of West Sussex GC fame and has re-opened following an extensive refurbishment under the direction of Walker, a PGA Master Professional and EIGCA golf course architect.

“Sir Guy Campbell did a terrific job originally, but like many courses, golf equipment and new technology has meant that it’s become necessary to look at how the course can be updated successfully, retaining all the best things about it while enhancing the challenge for the modern golfer. I think the new Pro-Am proved that we’re achieving all that and more,” said Walker.

Steve Purves, PGA Professional and golf manager at Leeds Castle, added: “It’s an honour to have the Ryder Cup come to Leeds Castle for our first PGA pro-am, and the success of the event itself is helping raise the profile of the course amongst Kent’s golfing community.”

Shane Guy, who is the head of tourism at Leeds Castle commented: “Does golf get any better than this? Twenty of the regions Pros and twenty amateurs, a course in great condition and the backdrop of ‘the loveliest castle in the world’, all supported by The Professional Golfers’ Association and the Ryder Cup!

“The event was a great success and I’d like to thank Sandy Jones, for attending and making the dreams of many golfers come true. It’s the perfect way to showcase the big improvements we have made to our course.”

Barham’s score of 30 headed off Ben Blackburn (King’s Hill), Paul Page (King’s Hill), David Green (Wildernesse) and James Jones (Tonbridge Golf Centre), all of whom carded team scores of 32, with the prize for the best individual performance going to Green for setting a new course record of 32.

** Pictured top, L-R: Alan Britten, CBE, chairman, Leeds Castle Enterprises Ltd; Steve Purves, Niall Dickson, chairman, Leeds Castle Foundation; Sandy Jones, Shane Guy and Alan Walker..