Cornish carpenter bids to hammer home club’s revival

A Cornish golf club which 18 months ago faced an uncertain future has regained a new lease of life capped by reaching a prestigious national PGA final.

The Point at Polzeath Golf Club was in receivership last year but is looking to end the season on a high by winning the Golfplan Insurance PGA Pro-Captain Challenge in Turkey later this month.

Club captain Roy Arnold (right) will team up with PGA Professional Richard O’Hanlon (left) for the £25,000 event, supported by Canopius, which is being held over the PGA Sultan course at Antalya Golf Club from November 21-22.

It is a major achievement for a club that has fought back from being in receivership to put themselves in a strong position again under owner Jeremy Davies.

“Things have been booming at The Point over the last year,” said Arnold, a 64-year-old carpenter.

“There were some problems but then Jeremy took over and things have gone from strength to strength. We’ve had 100 new members and the facilities here are improving all the time.

“We may have been a little bit down, but we were never out and getting to this final has got our name out there even more.”

O’Hanlon is an experienced player who has played in some of golf’s biggest events including the BMW PGA Championship, and Arnold, an 11 handicapper from near Padstow, admits his partner has got him raring to go.

“Richard’s certainly got me fired up and we certainly won’t be going over there for a holiday,” he added.

“He is an excellent professional and he’s very competitive, we’re going over there to do a job.”

O’Hanlon, who was previously based in the Midands and had European Tour winner Robert Rock as his assistant, has already set his targets.

“We’re going out there to win it, not to make up the numbers,” he said.

“I’ve played in the PGA play-offs, the Scottish Open and at Wentworth in the PGA Championship and I’d like to think I can cope with the pressure if it gets close.

“In the qualifier at Woodbury Park, I had to hole a 15 foot to get us to the final, and I worked out it was worth a possible £5,000.

“This is an excellent club and it’s growing all the time, I’ve just completed a year here as professional to round off those 12 months with this final - a flagship event - is a good thing.

“They were in receivership 18 months ago so things have really turned around.”

New sponsor Golfplan is backing the tournament to raise its profile in clubs and make golfers aware of its comprehensive insurance product.

The product  includes replacing stolen clubs with brand new equipment, liability cover in case a wayward shot damages someone or something and can even cover your bar bill if you manage a hole in one!

Roger Harvey, managing director of the Bristol-based firm, commented: “We’re looking forward to our first grand final and wish all the finalists the best of luck.

“The final in Turkey caps a great first year of sponsoring the event in which we’ve seen some fantastic golf and also been able to highlight our comprehensive insurance product which is aimed at golfers seeking unrivalled cover.”