Marsh aiming for home comforts at Blackmoor

Blackmoor Golf Club captain Andy Marsh hopes home advantage pays off at the Harry Colt designed course when the Hampshire course hosts the Golfplan Insurance PGA Pro Captain Challenge South qualifying event.

Marsh, from Farnham in Surrey, will partner Blackmoor professional Steve Clay for the event on Friday, August 7.

And the duo will be aiming to reach the £25,000 showpiece event over the PGA Sultan Course at Antalya Golf Club, Turkey, on November 25-26.

With only one place available for the Blackmoor qualifier, Marsh knows a lot of things have to fall into place.

But he says it is an honour for the ‘gem’ of a club to be chosen to stage the event again - at a time when it is planning to expand.

“It’s always good to have an opportunity to show our course to other likeminded people,” he said.

“We’re very proud of our ‘little gem’ designed by Harry Colt and opened in 1913.

“We have a fantastic course manager who along with his team will, I am sure present the course at its best for this day.

“Course knowledge is always very useful and that’s no different at Blackmoor.

“You need to be able to think your way round what is, on paper, a shortish course by today’s standards.

“The greens do need to be read carefully and this is primarily where the local knowledge should be a real advantage.

“I’ve probably known Steve really well for about 15 years, we both play occasionally in the same society and often get paired together.”

Marsh, a 59-year-old project manager in the print industry, plays off a handicap of six and has been a member at Blackmoor for almost 27 years.

And he says that Blackmoor is a forward thinking club.

“I think we’re no different to other clubs, we’ve introduced a very successful ladies academy and we hold three open days per year to attract new members,” he said.

“That said, we have managed, through the course in the main, to attract 70 members of various categories since November 2014.

“We’re in the first year of a ‘management structure’ - something we discussed for years but finally got through, the difference this team has made has been clear to see.

“We are now in the process of extending our dining room in January-February.

“This will be followed by extending the lounge and creating a new balcony in three to four years’ time.

“Both these projects will improve the atmosphere in the club even further and will improve the experience for the many societies and guests that use the club as well as for the members.”

Clay has a long association with the club and is proud to welcome the region’s professionals to the course again.

“I’ve been at Blackmoor since I was a junior in 1969 - and head professional for 23 years - and I know the course pretty well - but most pros I speak to say they enjoy coming here to play,” he said.

“It’s not a long course, but there’s a couple of tricky par threes.

“We hosted this qualifier last year and it’s a prestigious event for us.”

Also set to play at Blackmoor are: Mark Treleaven and Richard Linsell (Hayling Golf Club); Ian Benson and Chris Osbourne (Hindhead Golf Club); Mark Howell and Stewart Mills (Henley Golf Club); Charles Giddins and David Mitchell (Beauport Park Golf Course); and Jonathan Good and Neil MacPherson (Addington Palace Golf Club).